Tenerife is one of the most visited Canary Islands. Its indisputable charm is influenced not only by its location in the Atlantic Ocean, but also by many attractions that await tourists here.
Black beaches, Teide volcano, amazing vegetation – from the desert to lush forests in the northern part of the island and numerous amusement parks. Therefore, optional excursions in Tenerife will help to get to know all the interesting places on the island.
Optional tours in Tenerife
Optional tours in Tenerife are the perfect way to conveniently explore virtually any destination. Under the care of a guide, a comfortable means of transport adapted to the place visited. In Tenerife, optional trips can be divided into two types: those taking place around the island and those that allow you to see the rest of the Canary archipelago.
Some of them take buses, while others also use water transport.
Optional excursions in Tenerife can last only a few hours, and can also be all-day. It all depends on the route and program of our trip. The most popular are longer optional trips, i.e. for example visits to amusement parks, or a tour of the island around the biggest attractions of Tenerife. Trips to neighboring islands are also full-day trips. For this reason, before buying, it is worth considering which trip to take, so that you have at least one day in a week of blissful rest and lazing on the beach in Tenerife.
What kind of optional trips should you choose while in Tenerife?
Due to the popularity of spending holidays in Tenerife, we also have a large number of optional trips covering various types of expeditions: island tour, trekking in the mountains or cruises along the coast of Tenerife.
When it comes to prices, probably the cheapest optional trips in Tenerife can be obtained here from local organizers, while optional trips purchased from a resident from our travel agency are usually 40% more expensive than what is proposed by companies on the island.
See also how to choose the best travel agency for your needs, including for disabled travellers, as well as other prices in Tenerife.
And what optional excursions in Tenerife do we have to choose?
The most popular optional trips in Tenerife
One of the most popular trips in Tenerife is the tour around the island. Usually it allows you to get to know all the most interesting corners of this place. It is a full-day trip, of course with a stop for a meal, which is rarely included in the price.
Teide National Park
Most often, the Tenerife tour program includes a visit to Teide National Park. On its territory you can admire unusual rock formations, created by the activity of volcano and erosion.
There are also a lot of viewpoints where you can take amazing photos. Especially against the backdrop of the highest peak of Spain – Pico del Teide (3718m above sea level) and lunar panorama. Usually there is also time and the possibility of entering the Teleferico cable car to the height of 3500m above sea level at the park, for an additional fee.
Masca
The next item on the program is a trip to the village of Masca, which was supposedly created by local pirates. Located deep in the cliffs of Los Gigantes, it is one of the most secluded places in Tenerife. The green slopes of the hills, a palm orchard and the few houses of the last inhabitants make an unforgettable impression.
Garachico
The next item on the island’s round trip is Garachico. It is a place often called Canary Pompeii, due to the destruction that the volcano erupted in 1706. Currently Garachico is a sleepy town built on a volcanic platform.
You can see colonial monuments and natural pools created from solidified lava. Here, too, there is usually a lunch break, during which you can eat and take a swim in the ocean.
Icod de Los Vinos
Usually this kind of trip ends in Icod de Los Vinos. This is a historic town with attractions for tourists. The biggest of them is definitely the old dracaena called the Dragon Tree. It is located in the city park / botanical garden, next to the church of Saint Mark, which is also worth visiting. Inside, there are valuable icons and a hand-carved silver altar. In addition, virtually every trip in Icod de Los Vinos, while walking around the historic part of the city, stops in one of the local shops, for tasting local wines and liqueurs.
The island’s round trip has a permanent program, regardless of whether we start from the north or south of Tenerife. Of course, there are also all other variations on this trip – where the route includes the cliffs of Los Gigantes, Garachico, Icod de Los Vinos, Loro Park and La Lagune. Another program is visiting Los Gigantes, Icod de Los Vinos, Garachico and the Teide National Park. The cost of a full-day island tour is around 40-65 euro per person, depending on the program.
What else can we visit while spending our holidays in Tenerife?
Trips to the largest amusement parks: to Loro Park and to Siam Park are another very popular optional trips on Tenerife. It is actually about taking and picking up tourists and giving them admission tickets. Of course with full accident and liability insurance. Sometimes these visits are combined in one of the parks with visiting another town. An example is a trip to Loro Park with a visit to La Orotava – the oldest town of Tenerife. The cost of this type of trips starts from 38-40 euro per person.
Loro park
This is an amazing, extensive zoological park in Tenerife and one of the biggest attractions on the island. In addition to traditional animal enclosures, separate training sessions are organized for parrots, dolphins, killer whales, seals and sea lions. You can also see flamingos, Galapagos tortoises, white tiger and penguinarium with several species of penguins from around the world. And all this surrounded by lush vegetation from the north of Tenerife.
Siam Park
In turn, it is a water park, full of attractions for families with children in Tenerife. Located also among exotic trees and shrubs, it tempts tourists with water slides of various shapes and inclinations. In addition, a large beach with a wave pool is available to guests. A large water playground awaits the youngest guests. Siam Park is one of the largest aquaparks in Europe, often awarded the Tripadvisor award.
Trekking in Tenerife
An interesting suggestion of an optional trip to Tenerife is trekking in the surrounding areas. One such route is a hike in the Masca Gorge, from the city of Santiago del Teide, to Puerto de Santiago, from where the ship will take us further. Along the way, you can see Masca, a town stitched up in the mountains, and an endemic pine forest. The route takes about 3.5 hours of hiking. The cost of such a trip is about 45 euro per person.
Another trekking proposal is a trip to Pico del Teide. The trip begins with pickup from the hotel and transfer to the cable car station. Then everyone willing to ride it to a height of 3555m above sea level. At this point, a 1.5 hour journey begins up to the volcano crater. The whole trip takes about 5-6 hours and costs 50-60 euro per person.
In addition, you can try your hand on a hike in the southern part of the island, where the routes are 100 to 700 meters elevation or from the other side of Tenerife in the Anaga mountains, after the UNESCO World Heritage Site Biosphere Reserve. The routes, depending on the choice, take from 2 to 6 hours. The cost of this type of trip is 45-75 euro per person.
A nice way to spend time in Tenerife is also a trip to watch the stars, in the Teide National Park. The trip includes transfer, evening meal and the opportunity to watch the night sky through a telescope.
The trip takes about 5 hours and costs 55-75 euro per person.
Yet another type of attractive optional excursions on Tenerife are tourist cruises.
Tourist cruises in Tenerife
The most popular is a catamaran trip in search of whales and dolphins. Such a cruise lasts about 3-4 hours, and in addition to looking for sea animals, the price includes refreshments and drinks (including often alcoholic ones, the so-called open bar). Many such trips also have a stop in one of the bays and time for swimming and snorkelling. Prices for this type of cruise start from 30 euro and reach up to 70 euro per person in the case of a luxury motorboat.
Another optional sea trip is a submarine cruise.
It’s a kind of sea safari to see the underwater world of plants and animals without getting wet. The boat sinks for about 20-30 meters, and divers swimming outside try to lure as many creatures as possible to the glass with tourists. In Tenerife, in the underwater world you can see barracuda, starfish, eels as well as sharks and rays. The cost of this type of pleasure is 50-55 euro. The price includes a transfer from the hotel and a half-hour submarine immersion.
Another type of optional excursion in Tenerife is diving, for both beginners and more advanced divers. Under water, together with the instructor, you can see sunken wrecks and caves and get a certificate. A four-hour diving adventure costs about 70 euro.
In addition to all these optional trips focused on nearby attractions, you can also go to Tenerife from the neighboring islands. Trips to the nearby La Gomera, a green island with a tertiary laurel forest, are especially popular. You can choose from a bus trip around the island or a jeep safari. After getting from Tenerife to La Gomera by ferry, you visit the most beautiful places on the island, using a selected means of transport. In the meantime there is a meal stop, usually combined with a whistled tongue display. The cost of this type of trip is about 75-80 euro per person.
La Palma is the second island visited frequently as part of one-day optional trips from Tenerife, with local airlines being used as the means of transport. On site, you can visit all the characteristic places of the island – the Taburiente National Park, the Santa Cruz de La Palma sanctuary, and the San Antonio and San Juan volcanoes. This type of trip costs around 140 euro per person.
The same applies to the optional trip from Tenerife to Lanzarote. Here for around 160 euro, you can visit the island’s biggest attractions all day long. From Timanfaya National Park to the La Geria vineyard and Valley of a Thousand Palm.
Map of optional trips in Tenerife
Locate all mentioned places on the Tenrife map below: