Cruise Holidays To Tenerife

Overview

Tenerife is the largest island in the Canaries, with the highest mountain in Spain, the volcanic Teide, at its centre, 12,270 feet and often capped with snow. One of the most popular excursions is to take the cable car to near the summit, passing through a strange, lunar world of twisted lava and alien-looking plants.

Ships dock half a mile from the town centre of Santa Cruz, the much-underrated capital, in the north, and excursions scatter all over the island. Tenerife has two distinct climates; the north is lush and fertile, covered with glossy, green banana palms, while the south is arid and desert-like, the coast circled by big holiday resorts. Many people visit Puerto de la Cruz, the main resort in the north, which has an elegant promenade, good food and shopping and a vast, open-air lido. Another good excursion for a real flavour of the island is the Orotava Valley, a beautiful, fertile valley stretching from the foot of Mount Teide to the coast. But for the best views, the excursion up Teide is hard to beat - you can see several of the other islands from the top on a clear day.