World of wonders

Off the beaten tourist track, Tenerife revels in year-round sun, pristine nature reserves, abundant sea life and gorgeous, secluded beach resorts

- By Tom Otley

A view of Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

You only need to look up to appreciate the various microclimates of Tenerife. On the beach of Playa de las Americas you fast food shops, all-day are surrounded by bars, gift shops and happy tourists and, a dependably warm temperature averaging 22°C year-round. Look inland, though, and the uninhabited cloud-covered slopes of Mount Teide, Tenerife's most famous dormant volcano, are a reminder of the island's variety.

Banana plantations nudge up to the edge of sheer cliffs dropping down to the sea

Los Gigantes cliffs

Some 200 miles off the coast of West Africa, Tenerife has two climatic zones dividing the island into a dryer and warmer south and a wetter and cooler north. Triangular-shaped, its landscape of black (and imported yellow) sand beaches, rocky headlands and fertile mountain slopes is unique, even compared to the other Canary Islands (see pages 60-66). Driving up the south-west coast, banana plantations nudge up to the edge of sheer cliffs dropping down to the sea and the remains of former tomato and avocado fields show only stone terraces now. Turn inland and the landscape becomes one of lush vegetation and jagged outcrops as it grows cooler. Yet even on the mountain ridges, when the clouds part, you can look back and see the whitewashed coastal strip of hotels and villas. From a geographical and meteorological point of view, Tenerife has it all.

Dolphins are a common sight