Tenerife is gaining popularity as more walkers realise the walking potential of the island, the attractiveness of its sub-tropical climate and that it has become an ideal winter retreat. It is readily accessible from the UK with the increasing availability of cheap flights and the accommodation savings we can offer, especially for our walkers, make Tenerife an ideal place for an inexpensive, warm, winter walking holiday!
Flying time from the UK is about four hours and you can fly from most local airports. Transfer time from the airport to your hotel takes approximately an hour and a quarter from the south and twenty minutes from the north (staying at Puerto de la Cruz).
Situated only 28 degrees North of the equator, Tenerife enjoys warm winter walking weather of about 20 C at mid-day, at sea-level and it can be warmer at 7,000 ft. up in Teide National Park! The weather is far more reliable than the other islands such as Mallorca, Madera, Malta, Greece and Mainland Spain during the real winter months of December to March! We watch a daily weather forecast and are often bathed in sunshine whilst these other countries are suffering rain, sleet and snow. The occasional cloud that does occur here helps sustain the green richness of the North and its amazing plant life as well as providing the island's entire water supply.
Tenerife has a fascinating history. From the earliest Guanche inhabitants to the great sea conflicts between Spain, Germany and Great Britain, this volcanic island has attracted attention due to its prominent position. Alexander Humbolt, Darwin, Lord Nelson, Captain Bligh, Wolfgang Koehler, General Franco, Agatha Christie and Marion North are just some of the characters in the story
The volcanic island has the highest Spanish mountain, Teide at 3717 m and a highly varied terrain; the huge Canadas crater with its desert sands and the strangely weathered rock, the alpine-like terrain around La Caldera, the rugged ridges and deep ravines in the Anaga mountains together with its famed Guanche cave dwellings and the last lava flow around Erjos in the West. To navigate the island for yourself, why not visit our picture gallery? In November, the sweet chestnuts are collected; flowering takes place from the New Year onwards, in the sub-tropical zone; potato crops are produced throughout the winter, alongside vineyards. The National Park bursts in bloom from Easter onwards.
In addition, Northern Tenerife is a walkers' paradise. Many people are put off by the image of sunseekers who patronise the South - and are oblivious to the walking potential. Every walker who visits the north of the island is overwhelmed by its beauty - there are spectacular views of ridges and coast and fantastic rock formations. The contrast of the volcanic lunar landscape to the magnificence of the luxurious woods is awesome. The forest comprises both silver laurel and pine forest, (not used for wood production but as a means of supplying water to the island) that yields beautifully sun-filtered shade onto the paths. Furthermore, the grandeur of the Masca Gorge makes it an attraction in its own right (reported to us by many experienced Gorge walkers as being "Almost, if not THE best in the world").
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