Tenerife’s Most Dramatic Landscapes

Tenerife, the most visited of Spain’s Canary Islands, is home to a dazzling array of landscapes, from volcanic beaches to a snow-capped peak in its center. This guide will help you explore just a couple of the different habitats contained within this small island off the northwestern coast of Africa.

El Teide

One of Tenerife’s great appeals to tourists is its year-round balmy climate, providing beach weather for twelve months a year. Yet the towering peak in the island’s center is so tall that its summit is usually covered in snow for around six months a year. With an elevation of 12,188 feet (3,715 m) above sea level, the summit of El Teide is the highest point in all of Spain as well as of any Atlantic island. Measured from the sea floor, the peak has a height of 24,600 feet (7,500 m), making it the third-tallest volcano in the world.

El Teide is still an active volcano, but it’s perfectly safe to visit and is one of the best things to do on the island. The drive up the volcano is incredible, with stunning views of the peak itself as well as panoramas of the rest of the island and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. You’ll see plenty of other interesting structures along the way, too, like various volcanic plugs as well as the crater of Pico Viejo, which blew its top at the end of the 18th century.

Acantilados de los Gigantes

The defining feature of the island’s west coast is the presence of the rugged, nearly vertical cliffs known as the ‘Cliffs of the Giants.’ Practically a wall against the sea, the cliffs were formed by ancient lava flows that left behind thick layers of basalt, which were then whittled down by erosion from the ocean waves and wind. Today, they form a striking border for the island, reaching heights of nearly 2,000 feet (600 m).

The wall of cliffs is interspersed with various volcanic beaches, with dark sand that comes from eroded volcanic rock and lava. Most are only accessible by boat or on foot, but you can easily reach Playa de los Guíos by car, where you can relax on the sand and take in the awe-inspiring cliffs.