Tony Juniper uncovers Tenerife’s authentic face – sensational scenery, superb walks and fragrant pine forests
[ intelligencetravel ]
Tenerife without the crowds
H.Damke; Philip Lange; Spanish tourist Board; Juan José Ramos/Birding Canarias; Turespaña/PHOTO VIDEO LIBRARY
A Tenerife is an incredibly varied island, with upland pines and unique cloud forests, spectacular cliffs and wild volcanic landscapes populated with plants that you won’t find elsewhere. There are also unique birds, including a local type of greatspotted woodpecker (top right), a local race of the blue tit (middle left) and the gorgeous blue chaffinch, which occurs only on Tenerife and Gran Canaria (bottom right). All three can be seen in the pine forests above Vilafor (top middle). The interior and coasts are well served with walking trails. Many boat operators offer visitors the chance to enjoy views of several species of whale
bout two-fifths of Tenerife is protected in some way. There are spectacular national parks and the El Teide World Heritage Site area conserves the stunning landscapes and wildlife clustered around the peak of the island’s all-dominant volcano, the third largest in the world. Being an isolated oceanic island borne of tectonic upheaval, several hundred plant species are found on Tenerife and nowhere else. Says Juan José Ramos, a local conservationist who runs Birding Canarias, “You can see more unique plants in a 100 metre walk in Tenerife than you can see in the whole of the UK.” Such has been the isolation of the Canary Islands over geological time, there are also unique birds and lizards. Aside from El Teide National Park, there are many places where it is possible to gain an impression of Tenerife’s special character and wildlife. In the pine forests above Vilaflor there are plenty of trails and a visit to the Las Lajas picnic site will most likely provide good sightings of the blue chaffinch (which is confined to the Canary Islands) as well as Tenerife’s unique greatspotted woodpecker. Further north there are upland cloud forests of laurels and tree heathers. Often bathed in mist, the trees drip moisture and are festooned in lichens, mosses and ferns. There are unique birds here too, including two pigeon species, the laurel pigeon and
the rarer Bolle’s laurel pigeon. A patient wait at the various stopping points on the road, or better still a hike along the many trails that criss-cross the Anaga and Teno National Parks will give a good chance of seeing these wonderful creatures. Another must-visit area is around Los Gigantes where there is spectacular coastal scenery and a chance of seeing the Barbary falcon, as well as various seabirds, including Cory’s shearwater. It is also a prime spot from which to investigate the rich waters around Tenerife. Dozens of boats take tourists to see short-finned pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins. There is no guarantee of seeing whales, but it is worth getting onto the ocean to watch seabirds and to see the island’s spectacular scenery from a different perspective. And then you can go beneath the waves. We went out with David Novillo of Ocean Dreams Factory. This small company has been behind efforts to help control the plague of sea urchins that have all but turned large areas of sea bed around the island effectively to desert. The population explosion of urchins has been caused by over-fishing: with fish predators removed, numbers have grown unchecked. Ocean Dreams Factory kits out visitors with scuba gear and takes them on ‘fly-overs’ of restored sea bed. They use some of the revenues they receive from tourist groups to fund an education centre ➤
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View from The Royal Hotel, Ross-on-Wye
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[ intelligencetravel ]
tony juniper; Turespaña
and to expand their campaign of urchin control. In the bay at El Puertito where their programme of restoration has been most intense, we came face to face with a wild green turtle, one of several that lives in the area, feeding on nearby beds of sea grass. Many visitors, especially those with children, visit the Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island. While zoos might not be seen as environmentally friendly to many, this one has excellent credentials. It has a strong track record in the captive breeding of rare species and helps fund the Loro Parque Foundation, which contributes to conserving rare animals in the wild. Strong conservation messages accompany the many impressive exhibits here.
For all this, conservation still struggles to connect with the day-today concerns of many of Tenerife’s residents and finding ways to get euros from greener tourism into the local economy is a vital part of the loop in securing a more sustainable tourist future for the island. Tenerife has an opportunity to buck a prevailing trend of declining visitor numbers by building on its huge potential as a destination for travellers
way to go By air Tenerife is well served by flights from the UK with British Airways, Easyjet, Monarch, and others. By sea Ferry services from Cadiz, Spain to Santa Cruz Harbour, Tenerife (trasmediterranea.es) Further information/ contacts: page 94
interested in nature. Conservationist Ramos says that “different tourists are now coming, people looking not only for a wonderful climate and great beaches, but also for the outstanding wildlife and landscapes we have here. But we need such tourism to be sustainable, ensuring the local people around the extensive conserved areas see some benefit.” Flying to Tenerife is not very green, but if you are going to take a flight to see great nature, then it is an easily accessible destination which will benefit from tourists coming to enjoy its wonders. We stayed in a beautifully converted barn called Casa los Hermanos in the hill village of Arona (casaloshermanos. eu). Staying up here gives a very different impression of the island than that of the brazen beach resorts. Yet the house is easily reached from the coast by road and there is a good bus link. Not only did we enjoy wonderful facilities and a pleasant location in the heart of a traditional village, but also the place is set up to enable visitors to be green and minimise their footprint. A family across the road cooks terrific traditional meals at very reasonable prices. Tenerife’s all year round warm temperatures make it a good place to give the British winter the slip: a steady 1820°C provides perfect sightseeing weather.
Many whale watching boats operate from Los Gigantes (above), also offering good opportunities to see various seabirds. Tenerife’s pine forests (right) circle the island’s main peak and contain many features of ecological interest
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