Tenerife Dreams

We will start our way with a visit to the National Park considered the most visited in the whole Europe, admiring its impressing volcano named Teide, which has a height of 3,718 meters (that is 12198 feet)-This wonderful sample of nature owns various landscapes to be considered the only ones, such as the Ucanca Valley, The Roque Cinchado (a volcanic dome), volcanic formations such as outflaws, craters or dikes. From this point we will cross the fantastic zone of the Corona Forestal (the wooden Crown) of the Canary Pine, "pinus canariensis", and the fascinating Orotava Valley from which we will intercept the best view points with schocking panoramas of the northern side of the island, which is much more greenish than the southern one. We will get to the Villa (town) of the Oratava which will surprise us for its colonial and old-fashioned style, in fact we will feel as if living in old times, breathing its traditional atmosphere through its streets, balconies, gardens and churches.

The whole day will be devoted to admiring the best spots and small villages of the North of the island. Our adventure will start from the lovely town of Icod de los Vinos, situated in a delightful fertile valley, one of the first settlements of the isle. Here we will know the old Plaza Mayor with its “Chinese Fan” and its famous and majestic Millenary Dragon Tree, the “dracaena draco”, which is the oldest and highest in the whole world. We will continue our tour going towards the Ocean to contemplate the picturesque Villa (town) of Garachico, the "isla baja" (low isle) with its beautiful natural swimming-pools and its labyrintyh of side streets, where we will be able to delight our palate with a delicious fresh fish of the Atlantic. In the afternoon we will cross one of the oldest zones in Tenerife, the Massif of Teno, where people can live thanks to the terraces cultivated and we will reach the pirates' hiding place, the little but fascinating hamlet of Masca, located in a natural amazing environment! If you have kept some of your energies, we will complete our tour with the view of "los Gigantes" (the Giants), which are the highest volcanic cliffs in Europe, with its more than 600 metres of height.

Today we will devote the beginning of our visit to the modern and European capital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with its defensive system of the castles, the famous “cañon tigre” (tiger cannon) and the futuristic Auditorium by Santiago Calatrava. Later we will see the fantastic “Playa de la Teresitas”, which has an unusual golden sand. We will cross an authentic paradise of nature, the Massif of Anaga, declared a World Reserve of the Biosphere with its fossil wood named “laurisilva”. We will go down to the greenish valley of Aguere as far as we will reach the old capital of the isle San Cristóbal de La Laguna, heritage of the Unesco since 1999, which hosts more than 600 historical buildings with their beautiful courtyards and urban fabric, unique all over the world. We will admire the treasures of the Cathedral, such as its altarpiece and its outside of neogothic style.

Welcome to the Colombian island, here the great Christopher Columbus made its last stop before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, to discover the New World and to the sleeping island where there haven’t been any eruptions for about 3 million years. Through this island, we will contemplate a landscape with numerous ravines cut deeply through by wind and water, which comes from the wonderful “laurisilva” (laurel forest). In the morning we will bring alongside the capital San Sebastián de la Gomera and we will cross the South of the island stopping at various viewpoints, talking about the origin and history of the conquest of La Gomera. We will stop in the heart of the National Park of Garajonay immersing ourselves in the fossil and sponge wood of the laurisilva with its greenish trees all over the year. It will be waiting for us a lunch at about 625 metres over the sea with terrific views towards Tenerife. We will get closer to the Ocean to go to the natural amphitheatre where the small village of Agulo is located and will reach the fascinating ravine of Hermigua, the most fertile of the island, full of banana trees. We will return to the southern slope of La Gomera to go for a walk through its capital and discover its treasures, before going on board towards Tenerife, and why shouldn’t we glimpse any dolphins?

This half day will be entirely devoted to the exploration of the fantastic Massif of Anaga, which keeps its enchanting Wood of the “Laurisilva” (of the laurel forest), which is green all year round. Thanks to our small van, we will stop by some hidden corners, which would be inaccessible by a bus. We will contemplate various pieces of panoramic scenery of what was once the first capital of the Isle, San Cristóbal de La Laguna and of the interior of the Massif, observing its deeply eroded slopes. We will stop off to realize a short path in the middle of the wonderful Laurisilva. We will admire the pretty town of Taganana and the romantic beaches of the North-East of the Isle, such as the Benijo one. And if any more wishes will be still left, we will cross one of the richest zones in ferns of Tenerife, getting to Chamorga.

In this half day we will focus the two main religious cities of the Isle of Tenerife: San Cristóbal de La Laguna and Candelaria. We will start by walking around La Laguna, through its incomparable network of streets, a city that seems to have stopped at the time of the conquest of Tenerife. We will admire its wonderful courtyards of wood and of volcanic stone and will enter the most prominent churches. We will know the story of Our Lady of Candelaria in the homonymous city, a destination of pilgrimages from the whole Archipelago of the Canaries and will visit its Basilica with the famous José Aguiar’s frescos. At Patrona of the Canaries Square we will find the sculptures of the old monarchs “menceyes” (kings) guanches, the first inhabitants of the Isle.