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Exploring natural wonders on land and sea in Tenerife

On the largest Canary Island, sustainable tourism initiatives aim to preserve the beauty of its volcanic peaks, forests and waters bustling with life

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Words by Robin McKelvie

Photo by Fausto García-Menéndez

Tenerife is a clean, green oasis in the Atlantic, blessed with a wealth of flora and fauna. Despite the effects of large-scale tourism in places, much of the island is more Jurassic Park than theme park: an ancient wilderness of active volcanoes and swathes of ancient forest. This wildscape needs protection, though – and Tenerife has emerged as a pioneer in eco-tourism and sustainable development, with a whopping 48% of the Canary Island protected for nature.

 

In 2021, Tenerife was named a UNESCO Biosphere Destination. Together with the Island Council of Tenerife – the island’s most senior government body – and Turismo de Tenerife, local volunteer groups contribute to a model of circular tourism.

Tenerife’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2020-2030 aims to develop tourism while conserving the island’s 887 endemic plant species – among more than 10,000 wild species that thrive here.

In 2020, a Charter for the Sustainability of Activities in Nature was launched, aiming to help local businesses improve the quality and sustainability of nature-based tourism.

 

One great NGO promoting sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands is Canary Green. As well as producing the Discover travel guide and Greenscape travel magazine sharing ideas for visitors, it offers opportunities for volunteers to get stuck in.

 

Indeed, Tenerife offers many chances to engage with the island’s plants and wildlife while supporting conservation and putting money back into fragile communities, in turn enabling them to engage with sustainability.

Mountains full of greenery by the sea with a road

In the water

Protecting marine life

Tenerife is a pioneer in sustainable marine tourism. In its waters you might encounter cetaceans ranging from dolphins to pilot and humpback whales, with the volcanic island providing a spectacular backdrop to any whale watching excursion.

 

Take the Teno-Rasca marine strip, stretching for over 22km along Tenerife’s west coast. This 70,000-hectare expanse was declared a Special Area of Conservation in 2011. In fact, the wider Tenerife-La Gomera Marine Area that encompasses the strip has been designated a marine Hope Spot by the international organisation Mission Blue, and a Whale Heritage Site by the World Cetacean Alliance – reflecting the fact that around 20 of the world’s 90-ish cetacean species have been spotted in these waters.

 

Protection of the island’s marine mammals is bolstered by Tenerife’s Sustainability Charter for Whale and Dolphin Watching, a voluntary commitment by local tour operators to respect marine species and the environment while ensuring a first-rate visitor experience that educates guests on sustainability. By the end of 2022, 18 companies using more than 20 vessels had signed up to the charter. Look for the ‘blue boat’ logo to book with one of these companies and be sure you’re helping to preserve the marine environment.

Dolphin spotting in the water

Photo by Christian Buehner

On land

Walking trials

Tenerife has a network of well-marked, world class walking trails totalling over 1,000km, accessing spectacular scenery and enabling adventurous travellers to hike through ancient forests, up ridges and to the tops of active volcanoes, viewing the island’s wealth of flora and fauna in a sustainable way. New trails are regularly developed and existing ones improved, so there is always something new for repeat visitors.

Teide National Park

The highlight of Spain’s most-visited national park is mighty Mount Teide, the country’s tallest peak and the world’s third highest volcano at 3,718m. Teide last erupted in 1909, and today its activity is closely monitored. This hulking volcano looms over the core of its eponymous national park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 41 hiking trails stretching over 190km.

 

Most visitors take the cable car up to 3,555m, but hikers can apply for permits to continue to the summit; for an unforgettable experience, stay overnight at the Altavista Refuge (3,260m), then ascend to witness the most spectacular sunrise.

Person hiking up a dirt road on a mountain

Anaga Rural Park

This UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at the island’s northernmost tip is truly remarkable. Here you can hike through ancient laurel rainforests and see how nature is protected alongside farming and fisheries, ensuring harmony between communities and the natural world. New development is strictly controlled, with redevelopment of existing structures encouraged.

 

It’s accessible on a day trip but, to experience its beauty in more depth and to contribute directly to local communities, stay in the park. By hiking on the marked trails and spending money here, you’ll help secure its future. For a fabulous day excursion, walk down through Anaga’s craggy ravines and catch a boat back to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, watching for marine mammals en route.

Teno Rural Park

At this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the far west of the island, the needs of the local population are woven into conservation initiatives. Choose from 13 hiking trails guiding visitors through this fragile wild world in a way that brings money to local communities. Teno’s spectacular landscapes encompass sheer emerald valleys, sweeping ridges, rugged cliffs and thick laurel forests. Top hikes include the Masca Valley, Teno Alto Circular and the El Palmar Valley.

 

Look out for the soaring red flower spikes of the tajinaste plant and the purplish neck and orange eyes of the laurel pigeon – both endemic to the Canary Islands. By sticking to the trails and spending money locally, you’re helping tourism support communities, allowing them to survive without encroaching on nature.

Rocky mountains with a walking path and surrounded by bushes

Finca La Calabacera

Tenerife’s rich bounty of fresh local produce is rightly lauded, and you can enjoy it in restaurants, shops and markets across the island. What you might not realise, though, is just how sustainable and eco-friendly much of it is.

 

A shining example of this is Finca La Calabacera, a farm near Playa San Juan in the island’s west, which has an impressive and unwavering dedication to ecological farming. This family-run oasis also works hard to preserve sustainable techniques for future generations, using organic farming techniques and avoiding unnecessary waste. The result is a range of delicious and healthy fruits and vegetables.

 

Food scraps are recycled as rich compost to fertilise crops. Chickens are regularly rotated around the farm to spread natural fertiliser. Other simple actions result in big pay-offs, such as placing netting over plants to fend off damaging insects without the use of pesticides.

Unripe bananas on a tree

Photo by Aiva Apsite

Need to know

When to go

Tenerife’s ‘eternal spring’ climate makes it a tempting destination year round. In summer, trade winds help keep temperatures cooler than in mainland Spain, though hikers may want to avoid the hottest months of June, July and August. Winter is glorious, with temperatures typically above 20°C.

Getting there

Several airlines serve Tenerife from the UK, with easyJet alone flying from nine UK airports in around four to five hours. Fred Olsen Express and Naviera Armas sail to Santa Cruz de Tenerife from Huelva in around 38 hours; the voyage from Cádiz with Transmediterranea is a little longer.

Events

The world’s second largest Carnival sets the island alight for 15 days each year, usually in February, with the hottest action taking place in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Glossary

The quality of being able to continue over a period of time, or the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance (Camrbdige Dictionary).

This refers to ‘the variability of living organisms, between and within species, and the changeability of the ecosystems to which they belong’ (The Convention on Biological Diversity).
According to the Responsible Tourism Partnership, ‘Responsible Tourism requires that operators, hoteliers, governments, local people and tourists take responsibility, and take action to make tourism more sustainable. Behaviour can be more or less responsible, and what is responsible in a particular place depends on environment and culture’. The concept was defined in Cape Town in 2002 alongside the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The process of protecting an environment and returning it to its natural state; for example, bringing back wild animals that used to live there (Cambridge Dictionary).
A movement reducing the distance between producers and sales and consumer establishments to a radius of under 100 kilometres, with the aim of minimising the effects that large-scale industry have on the planet, including soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat loss for wild species.
Being ‘green’ is used to describe actions or initiatives that are conducted in a sustainable way, in an attempt to reduce impact on planetary resource limits. However, the word can be used to describe actions or initiatives that do not actively do this, but rather convey an ethos of being planet-friendly; eg being outside, walking or riding a bike. This can be considered ‘greenwashing’ (when an individual or company paints an action as credibly sustainable when, in fact, it is an action that beenfits them, or that should be considered the bare minimum).