© copyright Hazel Blunt, 1999.

A typical bay/beach on Tenerife (right).  Like the other Canary
islands, Tenerife is popular with tourists because of guaranteed
sun and high temperatures.  With temperatures an average
22°C all year round Tenerife is Europe's most popular winter
sun destination.  The sand on the beaches is mostly imported,
usually from the Sahara, but some resorts have imported sand
from as far away as the Caribbean.  The photo on the left shows
another bay beach with mountainous scenery in the background.

Tenerife is located in the Atlantic ocean about 300km from the
coast of the Western Sahara in Africa.  It is the largest Canary
Island with an area of 2,057sq. km. and lies between Gran
Canaria (60 km) and La Gomera 27 km).  The local population
is 650,000.  This is swelled by 4 million (4,000,000) tourists annually.

Bananas are a very important crop on Tenerife and can be
found growing in abundance.  The local banana liqueur is a
very nice drink - I highly recommend it.

Just barely visible, appearing to float above the clouds (left)
is the dormant active volcano El Teide.  Mount Teide is the
highest point on the Island (actually, the summit is the highest
point in the whole of Spain).  The peak often attracts snow
in winter. From the top of Teide you can almost see all
of the Canary Islands.  You can walk almost to the top
(although I strongly recommend a car or the cable car).
If you wish to climb the last 170 metres to the summit
you will need to obtain a permit from the park office
in Santa Cruz.

Mount Teide, seen from Puerto de la Cruz
Gerald Newitt, November 2000

The island was formed by the accumulation of igneous
rocks during during volcanic activity which has been
occurring here consistently from the Middle Tertiary -
over 35 million years ago - to the present day.
Teide erupts about once every hundred years.  The last
small eruption was in 1898 and it could erupt again at
any time.  It was erupting when Christopher Columbus
passed the Island.  Teide is actually just a small cone in
the centre of the Caldera de las Cañadas, a ring of small
volcanoes which are the remnants of the original Tenerife
volcano - a gigantic cone which at some point erupted
explosively - destroying itself in the process.

Spectacular valley scenery at Masca.
Gerald Newitt, November 2000.

The mountainous relief of the island causes a variety of
climatic zones and microclimates ensuring an abundance
and diversity of vegetation, from palms to bananas.

Views of the mountains and shores of Tenerife, taken from the departing ferry.

From this viewpoint on the road up through the Teide Park
the mountains in the distance appear to be floating above
the clouds.  This is a good location for photographs when
the weather is good.

Lizards in the Teide Park.

A road section through layered volcanic ash and basalt.

Ash, Basalt and pumice-like rock may be found in the
Teide Park.

     
     
Teide is famous for the vast variety of Landscapes at
various altitudes on the mountain.  Some landscapes
are so rocky and barren they have been described as
Lunar.  Scenes from Planet of the Apes were filmed
on the slopes of Teide.

This picture © Hazel Blunt 1999 shows the mountains of the
Teide Park, seen from another side of the Island.

The Thumb (with snow on Teide, left).

Snow on Tiede (left) and the summit (right).

The Island of Gomera (seen from the mountains near Masca).

The Dragon Tree in Icod, claimed to be 1,000 years old.

Looking back at the cloud covered island of Tenerife
from the ferry en-route back to Gran Canaria.

Sunset, seen from Puerto de la Cruz.
Taken November 2000, by Gerald Newitt

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