Set in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, Tenerife is the largest of the seven Canary Islands. Volcanic in origin, the island is the most populated of the islands in this region. Good weather all year round, and it's wonderful long sandy beaches make it a very popular holiday destination particularly for those people who are looking for somewhere really relaxing.



Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the island, and the Palmetum here is a huge botanical garden specialising in palms and the project was started in 1996 on a former landfill site. The park now includes a large system of waterfalls streams and ponds, as well as a museum dedicated to palms. Sadly due to lack of funding the recently re-opened project still isn't complete and therefore isn't open to the public yet, however glimpses can be seen and it promises to be a beautiful green oasis in the capital when complete.

Puerto de la Cruz is one of the largest tourist resorts on the island accommodating over 25,000 people. It's the oldest of the tourist resorts and is well established and able to offer some of the best attractions on the island, among them the Jardin Botanico (botanical gardens), Loro Parque (parrot park) where many varieties of parrot can be seen as well as dolphins, whales and other animals, and Bananera El Guanche (banana plantations) where you can see over 900 species of vegetables, 1400 cactus's, coffee plantations, and a variety of other exotic fruits and plants. Visitors can take a tour and learn about the plantation as well as getting to try a banana liquor and being given a banana that has ripened in the sun.

Tenerife doesn't lack nightlife for those who are seeking it. Playa de Las Americas is the largest nightspot on the island and has many forms of entertainment from night clubs to karaoke bars and cabaret as well as many places to eat drink and be merry. The area is home to many beaches and in the daytime various sporting activities from jet skiing and surfing to diving and windsurfing take place here.

There are various other areas in Tenerife worth visiting from the Guimar pyramids in the district of Chacona, where you can see pyramids very similar to those in Peru along with an archaeological museum, to the salt water pools of Garachico where in 1706 the port town was almost destroyed by lava that flowed down to the sea. Icod de Los Vinos on the north coast is one of Tenerife's oldest towns and has a dragon tree which is known to be over 1000 years old. The historic town centre at La Orotava is worth a visit with it's magnificent architecture and shady squares, and there is also a botanical garden here with more than 3000 different tropical plants.

From the South of Tenerife it's possible to take inter-island tours and one island to consider is Gomera. Gomera is unspoilt by tourism and very traditional and you can visit it's capital San Sebastian and see the area where Columbus set sail on his voyage of discovery. The native whistling language which is unique to this island is also very interesting to experience first hand.