Taking to the road in picture-perfect Tenerife

Tenerife has something for every visitor, from art and heritage to beaches, a magical biosphere reserve and the Teide volcano

 

Landing in Tenerife is a bit like landing on an ornamental placemat. Wherever you look, there are swatches of green, indicating dense forests, the blue of the ocean, red-roofed homes, and, looming over it all, Pico del Teide, the volcanic peak rising like a phoenix from the land. My Tenerife adventure begins in its capital city, Santa Cruz, which is also the shared capital of Spain's Canary Islands-there are seven main islands. Before taking off on a road trip to explore the highlights of the island, Ilinger in cosmopolitan Santa Cruz.

Considerable effort has been put in to make this city a dynamic hub. Emblematic buildings like the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, designed by the Pritzker prize laureates and Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, illustrate the city's forwardthinking spirit. Cutting edge and contemporary in structure, design and thought, this arts space is defined by a large lightfilled gallery, hosts temporary exhibitions and displays such stellar work as the art of local surrealist master Oscar Dominguez on permanent display. The library that's part of this complex is as worthy of a visit, with its inviting open plan space and cubicles to read and relax.

If you have time for just one more museum, let it be the Museo de Naturaleza y Arqueologia. Located in a magnificently restored former civil hospital, one section of the museum offers an overview of the island's flora, fauna and geology. Key to the viewing experience is the section that deals with the lifestyle and culture of the Guanche, the original inhabitants of the land. The Guanches, believed to be related to the light-skinned Berbers from North Africa, are thought to have arrived on the island sometime in the first millennium BCE. Prehistoric skulls sit along tools, jewellery and objects of daily life, offering insight into the little-known life of these original inhabitants.