Tenerife: Home of a Large Plane Crash, a Giant Volcano and Black Sand Beaches! (Canary Islands)

Tenerife, largest of the Canary Islands, has an area of 2,057 sq km and a population of almost 750,000. Its situated 200 miles off the west coast of North West Africa at about 28 degrees latitude and 16.5 degrees longitude.

We needed some sun. (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

So here's how the trip started. Two pasty white people heading to the islands, because frankly, London was wintery and well, we wanted some beach time. So you see Jason, day one. Shorts, sunglasses and flip flops. Happy to be near the blue sea with the sun on our faces.

Everyone else looks a bit tanner than we are, but hey its only our first hour or two!

As it turns out there are two things unique to Tenerife. Lava and clouds. The entire island is made up of lava. No soil. Just lava and ground up lava. (By the way, ground up lava makes THE most beautiful black sand beaches!) The other unique thing to Tenerife is clouds. Tenerife averages something like 320 days of sun a year. No small feat considering that in the middle of the island is a giant volcano that is covered in snow throughout the winter months. If you live in the Bay Area in California, you are no stranger to micro-climates. Tenerife is the same. Its only constant is the sun. That is except for the week Jason and I chose to holiday there.

Black Sand (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

There really isn't a point to these two pictures, other than we were stunned by the colour of the sand. And let's be honest, most of the people on this beach were incredibly tan -- the reason why? As you can imagine, the sand is hot. A radiator really!

Here is the view from above the beach, looking out to the sea. This beach isn't near where we are staying and frankly silly us. We drove around the island on our first day, thinking every day would be this gorgeous. In retrospect, we should have ditched the car and hit the beach. We, like fools, had no idea that the clouds were coming!

And the return of Jason's feet. You saw them in Athens, now see them here! Aren't they just white enough to make the sand look incredibly black!

Here's what we were up against...(Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Gorgeous right? A beautiful church nestled against the sea. A scattering of clouds in the sky... Beautiful.

In the exact opposite direction. Originally, I liked this picture because of how quaint the street looked with the people and the lights. In retrospect, its the perfect picture to illustrate our time in Tenerife. Out to the ocean? Gorgeous. Surrounding the volcano? Well, let's just say it was brewing its own bit of nastiness on a daily basis.

Los Gigantes (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Jason (the history and scenery guy) would like me to discuss Los Gigantes. Its nearly impossible to describe how impressive these cliffs are from this picture...but they are magnificent. Legend has it that the inhabitants of the island thought that the sheer size and drop of the cliffs meant that the world must have ended at these cliffs. This makes sense, given that if you were standing on the top of them, you would face the Atlantic Ocean and there isn't anything to be seen for hundreds, if not, thousands of miles. From the guide book:
“The Cliffs of the Giants (Acantilados de los Gigantes) are remarkably sheer rock walls that plunge into the ocean a quarter of the way down the west coast of Tenerife. Massive cliffs drop almost sheer into the sea from a height of 500m and 800m in some places.”

The scenery guy has something to add upon being presented with this post. Look at the crane. Follow the top of the crane to the edge over the ocean. Directly beneath the crane in the ocean, are two white spots. These are boats. Not just any boats -- large whale watching and deep sea fishing boats. (He would like you to see just how impressive the cliffs are.)

Liceo de Taoro (La Orotava, Tenerife)

In the middle of this beautiful island, is one building that looks, well, out of place. Built in the 19th century, it was once a school and now it is a private club and casino. It was highly recommended by the guidebook, and so we stopped in for lunch. We had a ball after eating sneaking in and out of the member's rooms. It was very easy to picture Tenerife society congregating there in the 1920s!

Maybe a Chinese lantern to set the mood? And you will notice, the amount of clothing I am wearing. In fact, on this side of the island (the rainy side), we were cold. We both rummaged through our luggage for everything warm. I am wearing all of it! And its still chilly!

Balconies. Who knew a country would be famous for them? (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

The locals began carving Canarian pine into balconies in the 16th and 17th centuries. If you were to think of something to dominate the architecture of the "older" parts of the island -- it is the balconies. They are everywhere, and are beautiful. They have become a show piece of every building.

Look closely. Jason's in there!

One more beauty shot. It really is an incredible demonstration of carving and workmanship!

The Valley of Hell (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

How can something so gorgeous be called "Barranco del Infierno" or the Valley of Hell? As it turns out Barranco del Infierno was the site of numerous executions during the Civil War. Its easy to see why...the path into the Valley is narrow and high and there are numerous caves and secluded areas through out.

At the beginning...I am standing at the entrance to the Valley. Unbeknownst to us, its quite a privilege to hike in there. Not wanting to harm the environment of the Valley, the government limits the number of hikers who can hike each day. It was pure luck that Jason and I were able to secure the remaining two tickets for the day!

Still at the beginning...Jason is standing in the opposite direction. He is looking at the Valley behind me taking this picture. Behind him, is Costa Adeje, the town we were staying in.

Its shady and cool in here! (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

The hike took a little over 4 hours there and back. Throughout it all -- we climbed over the hills, around the rocks, through the streams and under the waterfalls. All to reach a glorious pool of crystal water under an icy waterfall.

In the middle of journey, Jason begins to eyeball the streams for a quick dip!

The "little" waterfall towards the end. We actually thought this waterfall was beautiful enough to be the end! Nope! As it turns out, its the "little" waterfall, something to keep you motivated to the end! Seeing this one alone was worth every second of the hike!

A little satisfaction! (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Back at the point of entry -- Jason is looking very satisfied indeed! (Just in time too! It was just about to rain!)