We spent a total of 8 days in Tenerife in January 2022, two of which we slept in a hotel in Puerto de la Cruz and from there, we set off to explore the northern part of the island. We didn’t have much time to thoroughly explore the area, but we’d love to share our impressions with you!

Anaga Rural Park
To start with, a beautiful protected area in the northeastern part of the island called Anaga Rural Park. It is the oldest part of the island, formed as a result of volcanic eruptions 7-9 million years ago. Anaga Park is covered by the largest laurel forest on the island and was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2015. There are many trails of varying length and difficulty within the park. We only decided to take a short walk along the trail called Sendero de los Sentidos, i.e. the Path of the Senses. The trail is divided into 3 parts, only part 1 (several hundred meters) is wheelchair accessible. After that, unfortunately, there are stairs, protruding roots, etc. The whole trail is maybe 1.5-2 km long, so nothing extraordinary. But the path is very nice, with viewpoints and a beautiful forest all around.
At the point where the Sendero de los Sentidos and several other trails start, there is a generous parking lot (although it was already quite full when we got there), there is an information center and a restaurant. Unfortunately, on January 1 (the day of our visit) everything was closed. I hope there are toilets in the Information Center, as unfortunately there are no others (so we had a problem). There is also a vantage point at the end of the parking lot, from which in good weather (and we did have that) you can see, among other things, Teide.
As we continued our route to Teresitas beach, we decided to drive through the rest of the park on a very winding road leading to the north-east of the island. Not recommended for people with motion sickness, but the views are beautiful. There are viewpoints along the way, where you can safely stop the car and take photos. We stopped, among others at Mirador Diseminado Casas de la Cumbre, from where you can see both the coasts of Tenerife and Gran Canaria to the southeast.

Playa de Las Teresitas
This is probably the only beach in Tenerife with yellow sand. The sand is brought there from the Sahara… what wont you do for the tourists? 🙂 The beach is very big but also very nice. Right next to the beach there is a large parking lot (free), there are bars, toilets, showers. The beach is separated from the sea by a breakwater and a port for small boats, so the water is shallow and warm.
When I was planning a trip to Tenerife in January, I assumed that if we were lucky, we would just sit on the beach for a while. After all, in January in the north of the island it is often cooler and rainy. I never dreamt of sunbathing and swimming. And yet! We were extremely lucky because on that day the temperature reached 26 degrees! But we were unlucky with the food. Unfortunately, on January 1, finding an open restaurant with free tables was borderline to a miracle. We didn’t want to eat on the beach, so we headed to the center of San Andrés village, right next to the beach. And there, maybe 3 restaurants were open and with waiting time for a table for at least an hour. So we ended up having milkshakes and pancakes at Bambola Gelato Crepes & Gofres for lunch 🙂

Puerto de la Cruz Botanical Garden
There are at least a few botanical gardens in Tenerife. There is Palmetum Garden in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, there is Victoria Garden in Orotava, there is Drago Park in Icod de los Vinos, where the 1000-year-old El Drago Milenario grows. There is also a Botanical Garden in Puerto de la Cruz, called Jardín de Aclimatación de la Orotava. We have no clue which of these gardens is the most beautiful, because, as you can imagine, we only visited one, but I think it is definitely worth spending time in one of them. I wish we had chosen Drago Park with a 1000-year-old tree (i.e. we had this park in the plan, but 2 botanical gardens in one day was too much for us), but in Puerto de la Cruz, there are also some dragon trees growing, which is really impressive! In addition, the garden in Puerto de la Cruz is the perfect place to hide from the heat and spend 1-2 hours in a heavenly environment.
Adult tickets are € 6, children € 2.8.

Playa de los Roques
A small beach located in El Toscal, famous for the fantastic rock formations like Roque Grande and Roque Chico. We didn’t go down to the beach itself (officially the path leading to the beach is closed), but we took a walk along the scenic path (about 1 km there and back). You have to admit that the views are impressive!

Elevador de agua de Gordejuela
These are the ruins of an old tower that was built to pump water from the Gordejuela Spring to the banana plantations on the higher part of the island. You can go down to the ruins by the steep path you can see in the photo, but we just stopped by on the other side, mainly for the views. Probably not many people go there, but if you are in the area, be sure to check it out!

As you can see, there is not a single village on our list. We just haven’t been in any of them long enough for us to be able to say something more about it. We ate New Year’s Eve dinner in the center of Puerto de la Cruz, and the next day in Santa Cruz de la Tenerife, but apart from the main squares and the walking street, we saw nothing else there. Just like last year in Gran Canaria, we tried to spend as much time as possible in nature, not in crowded, touristic places. And we do not regret our choice.