I have explored the beauty of many distant countries such as New Zealand or Canada just to realize that such a beauty can be also found in close-by Tenerife. Tenerife is the biggest island of Canary Islands located in the Atlantic Ocean near African coast, however, belonging officially to Spain. And in my modest opinion Tenerife is a combination of New Zealand and Hawaiian nature. I stayed in a complete awe after my short yet intense visit of Tenerife. I hope this article will come in handy for those planning their visit of Tenerife.
My 7 day itinerary of Tenerife
Day 1 – Poris de Abona
Day 2 – Semaforo de Igueste
Day 3 – hike to Draguillo
Day 4 – Masca
Day 5 -7 – Acroyoga in Costa Adeje
Day n. 1 – Poris de Abona
On the day of our arrival to the South airport, we were picked up by a van and taken to the rental office of Record Go where we rented a car for 5 days for €257. Then we started exploring the beauty of Southern coast of Tenerife including a short stop at Arco de Tajao (the lava arch). We made a stop in a small cute fisherman village Poris de Abona where we had our lunch in a local restaurant (€12 for the platter of mussels). After the lunch we explored the lighthouse of Tenerife and close-by abandoned ghost town which can´t be even spotted on a google maps.
Our first day was done by checking in our accommodation – Tabaiba Premier Views Apartment (€21per person/night).
Day n. 2 –Semaforo de Igueste
After breakfast at our apartment´s balcony with the views over the ocean we headed to the breathtaking viewpoint of Teresitas beach and then all the way to the village of Igueste. After finding the last available spot for parking we started our short 4km walk towards Semaforo de Igueste. It is an easy difficulty walk with the elevation around 300 meters with spectacular views over the mountains of Tenerife and the Atlantic at the same time. Highly recommended!
This walk took us approximately 3 hours so the rest of our day we could spend on the beach Teresitas and at night we explored the lively vibes of Tenerife´s capital – Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Day n. 3 – hike to Draguillo
Driving through narrow zigzag roads in the middle of the mountains was an adventurous beginning of our third day in Tenerife. We drove all the way to the coastal village Benijo from where we started our 8km long hike towards El Draguillo. The hike was of moderate difficulty, the round trip of around 8km with approximate 800m of elevation.
It took us around 5 hours to explore Benijo – El Draguillo – Cruz de Draguillo – Mirador del Tejo – Benijo.
And I must say that this hike made me believe that Tenerife is the combination of New Zealand forest and Hawaiian mountain peaks. The views from Mirador del Tejo were ineffable! We spent at least half an hour indulging in the views and feeding little brave birds approaching us since the moment we got there.
After this gorgeous hike we drove through Anaga forest full of zigzag roads till the village Genoves where we checked in our next accommodation – Casa de Amalia – €19 per person/night.
Day n. 4 – Masca
In the morning with sunny views over Teide volcano we headed to the coastal town Garachico where we strolled the streets of historical centre and walked up to the main tower with spectacular views over Garachico and the ocean. Then we refreshed ourselves in the wild natural pool of Charcos Los Chochos. And then the real driving adventure started towards Masca. In my opinion, Masca is the Machu Picchu of Tenerife. It is a small cute mountain village with the population of around 90 people.
And the roads there? Uff, only for professional adventure seekers! But so worthy in spite of the crowds and crazy roads with even crazier parking options. We ate our lunch in a local restaurant with the views over insanely beautiful mountains. And then we found an unpleasant gift from local police behind our car window with a fine of €380 for incorrect parking of our car and a motorbike. Uff, what an interesting negotiation talk it was afterwards …
With the sunset colours we were leaving this magical place reminding me of my visit of Peruvian Machu Picchu, thinking that I don´t have to travel so far to experience such a beauty.
During that night the boys climbed up the Teide volcano for the sunrise views while me and my friend stayed in our apartment and slept like babies.
Day n. 5-7 – Acroyoga in Costa Adeje
Our last couple of days were spent in Costa Adeje area which is popular for its surfing beaches with crazier waves and an active nightlife full of bars and dancing clubs. Although our main reason for staying in Costa Adeje was our 4 day acroyoga workshop organised by Slovak acroyoga instructors Misaris and Slovenian acroyoga instructors M&A. However, besides active and intense practising of acroyoga, we managed to explore local, more expensive and touristy restaurants, bars, dancing clubs and of course its beaches. If you like touristy places, Costa Adeje is definitely one of such places.
Our accommodation was in a good location nearby beaches. We booked this Como y tal Hawaii apartment for 3 nights for €30 per person/night.
TOTAL BUDGET
Our budget was split between 4 people and it includes only the common expenses such as car rental, gas, accommodation and flight tickets.
Flight tickets – €144
Accommodation – €170 per person/7 nights
Car rental – €256
Gas – €60
TOTAL – €393 per person
The total budget of €393 shows only the price of flight tickets, accommodation, car rental and the gas per person.
Of course there were extra expenses for meals, acroyoga workshops, etc … However, I must say that pricewise Tenerife wasn´t too expensive and I could imagine to live in this little paradise once I feel that Slovakia isn´t the place for me anymore.
CONCLUSION
If you haven’t explored the biggest Canary Island of Tenerife yet, do not hesitate and book your flights now. It offers spectacular nature, beautiful beaches, active nightlife, delicious cuisine and all of it with affordable prices. And the best part is that Tenerife has a perfect climate with all year perfect warm sunny weather.
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Great travel information on Tenerife, it’s on my bucket list!