Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Volcanoes, Coast & Colonial Culture A Road Trip in Captivating Tenerife
Spain – Canary Islands – Tenerife
It's well known that Tenerife's mild island climate has few rivals anywhere in the world; from balmy summers to sunny winters, a road trip here can be enjoyed all year round.
Fly directly to Tenerife from the UK and spend six days on the northern coast, where the island is rather different to its reputation. Your first stop is Garachico: a small colonial town that was flattened by a volcanic eruption in 1706 and rebuilt so thoughtfully that the lava flows have become its most distinctive feature, carved by the sea into a series of natural rock pools that line the waterfront.
The north of Tenerife is easy and rewarding to explore by car; within an hour in any direction, the landscape shifts from fishing villages and banana plantations to the pine forests of the Orotava Valley and, beyond them, the mineral strangeness of Teide National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage site of petrified lava, eroded craters and Spain’s highest peak at over 12,000ft, rising above a landscape that looks less like an island and more like another planet entirely.
Your next stop is the colonial city of La Laguna, which lies to the northeast and is a UNESCO listing of a different kind, with colourful facades, cobbled streets and a daily life that has been playing out in these courtyards for centuries.
During your trip, we’ll arrange a guided visit to one of Tenerife’s oldest banana plantations above the ocean, a wine and produce tasting in one of Garachico’s most characterful bars, and a walk through La Laguna with a local who grew up here and knows the difference between the streets worth finding and the ones that simply look good on a map. Our in-country Concierge will be available throughout your trip and a hire car will be waiting for you at the airport, ready for the adventure to begin...
Fly directly to Tenerife from the UK and spend six days on the northern coast, where the island is rather different to its reputation. Your first stop is Garachico: a small colonial town that was flattened by a volcanic eruption in 1706 and rebuilt so thoughtfully that the lava flows have become its most distinctive feature, carved by the sea into a series of natural rock pools that line the waterfront.
The north of Tenerife is easy and rewarding to explore by car; within an hour in any direction, the landscape shifts from fishing villages and banana plantations to the pine forests of the Orotava Valley and, beyond them, the mineral strangeness of Teide National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage site of petrified lava, eroded craters and Spain’s highest peak at over 12,000ft, rising above a landscape that looks less like an island and more like another planet entirely.
Your next stop is the colonial city of La Laguna, which lies to the northeast and is a UNESCO listing of a different kind, with colourful facades, cobbled streets and a daily life that has been playing out in these courtyards for centuries.
During your trip, we’ll arrange a guided visit to one of Tenerife’s oldest banana plantations above the ocean, a wine and produce tasting in one of Garachico’s most characterful bars, and a walk through La Laguna with a local who grew up here and knows the difference between the streets worth finding and the ones that simply look good on a map. Our in-country Concierge will be available throughout your trip and a hire car will be waiting for you at the airport, ready for the adventure to begin...
Suggestions
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
HIKE THE TENO MASSIF
The Teno is one of Tenerife’s oldest volcanic formations and one of its least visited, with a landscape of deep ravines, terraced hillsides and views that stretch out over the Atlantic on three sides. A private guide will lead the way through terrain that’s been shaped over millions of years, past traces of the island’s pre-Hispanic Guanche culture that have quietly survived in the landscape. Enjoy lunch at a small local restaurant afterwards – think slow-cooked goat, rabbit with herbs, salt cod on sweet potato – to sate a well-earned appetite.SAILING & WHALE WATCHING
The Canaries are one of the few places in the world where pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins are reliably present year-round. Board a private sailing boat from Los Gigantes and head out in search of whales and dolphins along the southwest coast, where the 2,000ft volcanic rockfaces drop sheer into the Atlantic. Take a dip in a secluded cove before heading back along the coastline.STARGAZING WITH AN ASTROPHYSICIST
The Canaries are one of the finest stargazing locations on Earth, with the altitude, stable atmosphere and lack of light pollution combining to produce a sky that astronomy can appreciate. An astrophysicist will lead the session at the best vantage point available on the night, telescope in hand and an infectious knowledge of what’s overhead.
Why visit Spain with Original Travel ?
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire nowA few of the benefits of travelling with us to Spain
- Our local Concierges
- The Original Travel app
- Destination Dossier
- 24-hour helpline
- Expert guides
- 100% carbon absorption
