Blog
Do I need a car in Tenerife? The honest answer
The honest answer depends on where you stay and what you want to see. A guide to deciding, and where to pick one up if it turns out you do.
The Pino Gordo of Vilaflor: the tree nobody stops for
Fifteen minutes off the Teide road stands an enormous Canary pine, free to see and almost always empty. How to get there and what to combine it with.
Icod de los Vinos beyond the Drago: a guide to the old town
Almost everyone sees the Drago Milenario and leaves forty minutes later. Icod has two squares, a friary, three caves and a second dragon tree.
The invisible map of Tenerife: nine territories between the sea and the Teide
Tacoronte, Icod, Adeje, Güímar: today they are motorway exits and town halls. They were borders first. Nine territories divided Tenerife, and the centre of the island belonged to none of them. A walk through the map that is still under your feet.
The Canarian festival year: what plays when
Two separate celebration calendars run side by side in the Canary Islands. One is put on by the neighbours and costs nothing; the other needs a ticket bought months ahead. Here is when each happens, what to book a room for early, and why autumn is the best season.
The Guanches after the conquest: what a cave in Buenavista del Norte tells us
The conquest ended in 1496, and with it, so the usual summary goes, the Guanches ended too. A cave in the north-west of Tenerife says something else: people cooked, kept animals and buried their dead there for generations after that date.
Calima in the Canary Islands: what to do when the sky turns yellow
When it arrives, what the warnings mean, who should take care and where to see how much dust is in the air right now. Official data, no scaremongering.
Safety in Tenerife: what to know before you swim, climb or drive
Official drowning figures, the two Teide permits, the real UV index and what to do when you call 112. Verified data, no scaremongering.
Climbing Pico del Teide: the permit and the cable car, step by step
Plenty of people ride the Teide cable car believing it takes them to the summit. It does not. The upper station sits at 3,555 metres and Pico del Teide at 3,715, and the trail between them needs a permit requested in advance. Free, but limited, and easy to miss.