Tenerife South Walks – Back To The Future
Tenerife is a fantastic choice for walkers, as the island offers a huge number of walks in a wide variety of terrains, with choices for all levels of fitness and endurance.
Walking high above Tenerife’s southern resorts
While this is great, it also throws up a problem when researching and putting together a comprehensive walking guidebook that’s portable. Some walks had to be left out of later editions of Walk! Tenerife, but many walkers let us know that they wanted them back.
Now Discovery Walking Guides has revisited some of their early and easily accessed southern routes that many walkers remember with fondness. These have been compiled into a free pdf book. The routes are ideal for families as they are not too challenging and are easy to reach from the resort areas. Tenerife South pdf walking book is free to download.
View over Tenerife’s south coast from ‘Walkers Who Lunch’ route
For more information take a look at our latest ENews. Or go to Discovery Walking Guides website where you’ll find lots of walking information.
Warm Weather Walker – or Intrepid Snow-Hopper?
Blackstone Ridge, England’s South Pennines
On flicking through outdoor activity magazines, you’ll see plenty of photographs of fit-looking intrepid types posing on rugged, windswept mountain peaks wearing plenty of layers. Is this you? Do you wish you were here? Or do you long to get away to kinder climates?
Do you fit fairly neatly into one of the following groups?
THE INTREPIDS, striding through winter landscapes, dealing with biting winds and snow-capped hills in full weather-defying gear, and feeling invigorated as you finally reach a cosy country pub for a well-earned lunch.
How about England’s rugged and beautiful South Pennines? They’ve had quite a bit of a snow-dusting already this winter, although this pic taken on Corn Du was taken in summer.
Tenerife, walking above the west coast
WARM WEATHER WALKERS, escaping to warmer climes when winter bites at home, exploring in t-shirt, shorts, sunhat and sun-cream under a blue sky, sweating as they gain the heights, then
relaxing on a beach as the sun goes down.
There’s a whole lot of destinations within a 4-6 hour flight from northern Europe; Tenerife is ideal for pretty reliable gentle temperatures with several sunny hours per day.
For lots of walking destination ideas and inspiration, take a look HERE.
Of course, you might well have a boot in each camp so to speak, getting the best of all walking worlds. It would be great to know your opinions.
La Gomera – New Ferry Services Make Adventuring Easier
Simplified map of La Gomera by kind permission of David Brawn
La Gomera is a remarkable, almost circular island, a hop away from Tenerife, (Canary Islands) which rises like a giant cake to central forest-cloaked rugged heights, cut by barrancos (ravines) running to the sea. The island is still largely unspoiled which makes it a wonderful destination for hikers and bikers, though getting around takes time as there are few roads. If you don’t wish to get too energetic, simply amble about, dropping into cafés and fish restaurants and breathing in the pure air and beautiful views, enjoying the contrast between this quiet island and its busier big sister Tenerife.
This makes the introduction of not just one but two new sets of ferry services opening up some of the island’s best coastal towns really interesting. You could, for example, take the new car ferry Volcán de Teno from Tenerife’s Los Cristianos at 08.45 and be in Valle Gray Rey 90 minutes later, making a day out in this wonderful ‘Great King’s Valley’ feasible, heading back to Tenerife on the 16.30.
For all the details and to make a booking, see Naviera Armas website.
San Sebastian, La Gomera
It’s around five years since three of La Gomera’s most interesting and important coastal towns were linked by ferry services.
Now Fred Olsen has begun 3 services per day (becoming known as the ‘interior ferry line’), linking San Sebastián, Playa de Santiago and Valle Gran Rey, aboard the Benchi Express. If you’re starting from Tenerife you can do the first ferry hop from Los Cristianos. The Benchi can take bicycles, light motorbikes and pets! It also has a small cafeteria and is wheelchair accessible.
For details of the Fred Olsen services, look HERE.
La Gomera – in the south -Tenerife’s Teide visible
Valle Gran Rey
If you’re starting from Tenerife you can do the first ferry hop from Los Cristianos. The Benchi can take bicycles, light motorbikes and pets! It also has a small cafeteria and is wheelchair accessible. Take a look at their website for all the details and to book.
There’s a well- informed and highly readable blog with more La Gomera travel information here.
MAPS AND WALKING GUIDE BOOKS FOR LA GOMERA
For information about large-scale maps, digital mapping information and walking guidebooks, take a look HERE.
Island Hopping – Twice The Adventure Nº2 – Tenerife to La Gomera
Hop From Tenerife to La Gomera
There’s no doubt that Tenerife is one of the most popular island destinations, easily reached in around 5 hours from much of Europe and enticing with sunny skies, warm temperature, beaches and mountains and (if you want it) plenty of nightlife.
Looking down to San Sebastian (La Gomera), Pico del Teide on Tenerife in the distance
If you fancy a complete contrast, sample a day on the island of La Gomera, so close to Tenerife yet oh! so different – rugged, shaped like a well-risen circular cake topped by ancient laurel forests and with mighty ravines slicing down to the sea.
It’s laid back, offering astounding views and walks, little tipico cafés and restaurants, flamboyant plant life and stunning geology. Oh, and it has beaches.
Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera
Frequent ferries mean you can be there in under an hour from Los Cristianos, Tenerife, landing in Gomera’s capital San Sebastián, where public buses await in the harbour to take you onward. Car hire ofices and taxis are located here too.
Journey time: The fastest crossing from Tenerife to La Gomera goes via the harbours Los Cristianos de Tenerife to San Sebastián de La Gomera. The Benchijigua Express Ferry covers this distance in about 50 minutes. Other (slower) ferry services are offered by Naviera Armas. Pre-booking is essentail.
What to do? In one day, you’ll need to be selective. Take a look at these Trip Advisor suggestions.
For lots more information about La Gomera, including maps, look here.
There’s a brand-new edition of Walk! La Gomera, just published; look here.
Who got a Garmin for Christmas?
If you are one of the many who found a Garmin GPS in their Christmas stocking, this post is for you.
Get your hands on a free sample ‘real-time’ map and see your Garmin come to life. You can choose a sample map of Graciosa ( off Lanzarote, Canary Islands) or Sierra de Aracena (Andalucia, Spain).
What you’ll get is a highly detailed real-time Tour & Trail digital download map, which you can save on your hard drive, transfer to your Garmin GPS CustomMap memory or onto a micro-SD card; you can also use the maps in Garmin Basecamp and Google Earth.
CANARY ISLANDS
Sample segment, Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria
Tenerife
La Palma
La Gomera
Lanzarote
Fuerteventura
MAINLAND SPAIN
Alpujarras (Sierra Nevada, Andalucia, southern Spain)
Costa Blanca Mountains (Alicante, southern Spain)
Axarquia (Andalucia, southern Spain)
Sierra de Aracena (Helva province, southern Spain)
BALEARIC ISLANDS
Mallorca
Menorca
Formentera
Ibiza
PORTUGUESE ISLANDS
Madeira
For more information about Tour & Trail Maps take a look HERE.
Beaches, Snow-Capped Mountains and Wonderful Walking – has to be Tenerife
Majestic Mount Teide, Tenerife
One of the great things about Tenerife is that you can enjoy the snow-capped peaks in the morning and have time to watch the sun go down from a warm, sunny beach that same day.
If you like lively resorts, Tenerife has them; if you prefer quiet settlements and small towns, you’ll find plenty of choice also.
Tenerife Bus & Touring Map
The bus service on the island is pretty good. If you have to drive while back in your ‘real life’, it’ll be so relaxing to discover Tenerife by bus.
If you want to drive, there are car hire companies galore.
And the walking – it’s varied and surprising. If you fancy country strolls or want to scale the mighty Mount Teide (or anything in between), Tenerife will not disappoint you.
Tenerife’s south is drier than the north, mostly due to massive Mount Teide dominating the island’s centre and affecting the island’s micro-climates.
Teide stands above the vast volcanic peaks and plains of Las Cañadas. The easy way to get to this highest point on Spanish territory is via the exciting cable-car ride. On A clear day you’ll see for many kilometres with fine views of some of the other Canary Islands.
The verdant north includes the capital of Santa Cruz, home to some fine old buildings and modern shopping. One of the original resorts, Puerto de la Cruz, sits on the north coast with plenty to
occupy visitors. Further west along the coast lies the ancient settlement of Garachico. It’s a fascinating old town with an unusual black natural rock-pool coastal area and a swathe of petrified lava remaining from Mount Teide’s eruption in 1706.
The Anaga, Tenerife
To the north-east is the wild area of Anaga, a walker’s delight.
Masca, western Tenerife
Dramatic and extreme geology on the west coast makes for plenty of ‘wow’ factor. The tiny settlement of Masca has to be seen to be believed though only drive yourself there (and back) if you have nerves of steel and no fear of narrow, winding mountain roads.
Los Gigantes is farther down the west coast, a larger and more modern settlement with a huge vertical set of cliffs plunging seawards with a narrow beach at their feet.
Inland from the west coast are walking paths and small settlements far from the tourist crowds.
Inland from Tenerife’s west coast
The sun-baked south of the island offers wide choices of accommodation, beaches, night-life, sports facilities and shopping. There are also some great walks in this region too. For more information about the island of Tenerife take a look at Discovery Walking Guides’ website
There’s a brand-new edition of the highly recommended Tenerife Hikers’ Maps, out now. Find out more by clicking HERE.
Tenerife Hikers’ Maps (3rd Super-Durable edition)
Tenerife – How About A Free Sample Walk?
Here’s a great idea – download a free sample walk taken from Walk! Tenerife. You’ll get the full walk description, mapping and images. There are 46 walks in the book, covering the island’s best walking areas.
Your free download is Walk 41 ‘Las Mercedes – Llano de Los Loros’. Our pic shows one of the great views from the route, over the Tahoido Dam and down to Tenerife’s north coast.
Here’s the link you need to access your free download; print it out on one sheet of A4 or save the pdf to your computer:- http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/ten35walks.htm
Roques de Garcia, Tenerife
Look at that sky! And snow on Mount Teide!
Here’s the Roques De Garcia – an easy walk though the air up here is thin, so take about half an hour to acclimatise.
Walking amongst the mystical moonscape volcanic surroundings of Las Cañadas – it has to be walked to be believed.
Walk! Tenerife now available as pdf download
Got a last-minute flight booked for Tenerife? If you’ve no time to get your hands on the printed version of Walk! Tenerife, grab the pdf download for 4.99.
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