Outdoors · Tenerife · Spain
8 best outdoor things to do in Tenerife
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Johnymepeino from La Costa Este, Aún está por ver, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Start with Teide National Park, Teide cable car and summit and Los Gigantes cliffs. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 29–42 hours across 7 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 29–42 hours
- Areas
- Las Cañadas del Teide, Los Gigantes and South and west coasts
Outdoors in Tenerife
Park · Las Cañadas del Teide
1.Teide National Park
Arrive early or late in the afternoon to avoid tour coaches at the Roques de García, and bring a warm layer: it can be 15 °C colder than on the coast.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Nature
- Views
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Experience · Las Cañadas del Teide
2.Teide cable car and summit
The altitude can cause dizziness and breathlessness; move slowly at the top, and skip the ride if you have heart or breathing problems or are pregnant.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Active
- Nature
Nature · Los Gigantes
3.Los Gigantes cliffs
Stay for sunset, when the cliffs turn orange and La Gomera is silhouetted across the channel.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours by boat
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Outdoors
Experience · South and west coasts
4.Whale and dolphin watching
Choose a boat with the regional government's 'Barco Azul' whale-watching licence, which sets rules on distance and speed around the animals.
- Time needed
- 2–5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Couples
Zoo · Puerto de la Cruz
5.Loro Parque
Buy the combined ticket with Siam Park if you plan to visit both; the two parks can be visited on separate days.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Nature
Theme park · Costa Adeje
6.Siam Park
Arrive at opening to claim sun loungers and ride the big slides before queues build; a fast-pass add-on can save hours in summer.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Active
- Outdoors
Nature · Anaga
7.Anaga Rural Park
The Sendero de los Sentidos at Cruz del Carmen is an easy, short forest walk for children; hikers can continue to Chinamada and its cave houses.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Active
- Free
- Views
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Teno
8.Masca village and gorge
Drive the road early in the morning to avoid meeting coaches on the hairpins, or take the TITSA bus from Santiago del Teide.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours for the village
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
- Free
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Las Cañadas del Teide | Teide National Park and Teide cable car and summit | Half to full day + 2–3 hours |
| Los Gigantes | Los Gigantes cliffs | 2–3 hours by boat |
| South and west coasts | Whale and dolphin watching | 2–5 hours |
| Puerto de la Cruz | Loro Parque | Full day |
| Costa Adeje | Siam Park | Full day |
| Anaga | Anaga Rural Park | Full day |
| Teno | Masca village and gorge | 2–3 hours for the village |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 3 free, 3 mid-priced, 2 expensive. Book ahead for Teide cable car and summit. The longest visit is Loro Parque; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Teide cable car and summit: Book cable-car slots online in advance, and apply for the summit permit weeks or months ahead because daily numbers are strictly limited.
How to fit them into 8 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Las Cañadas del Teide): Teide National Park, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Las Cañadas del Teide): Teide cable car and summit, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Los Gigantes): Los Gigantes cliffs, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 4 (South and west coasts): Whale and dolphin watching, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Puerto de la Cruz): Loro Parque, at least 6 hours.
- Half-day 6 (Costa Adeje): Siam Park, at least 6 hours.
- Half-day 7 (Anaga): Anaga Rural Park, at least 6 hours.
- Half-day 8 (Teno): Masca village and gorge, at least 2 hours.
The best months to be outside
- May: highs of 24°C (75°F), about 1 rainy days, quiet crowds. One of the best-value months: dry weather, thin crowds and red tajinaste flower spikes in Teide National Park.
- June: highs of 26°C (79°F), about 0 rainy days, moderate crowds. Warm and dry in the south while the north often sits under a layer of low cloud known locally as the 'panza de burro'.
- April: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 2 rainy days, busy crowds. Pleasant warmth and busy Easter weeks; the sea is still cool at around 19 °C.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Costa Adeje — Upmarket resort strip of Playa del Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas on the sunny southwest coast
- Playa de las Américas — Package-holiday hub with surf breaks, the Veronicas bar strip and the Golden Mile
- Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago — Quiet west-coast base below the sheer cliffs of Los Gigantes
- Puerto de la Cruz — Original northern resort with Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez and an old harbour
- San Cristóbal de La Laguna — UNESCO-listed university town with colonial streets and tapas bars
More of Tenerife
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Tenerife?
Teide National Park. The national park surrounds Mount Teide, at 3,715 metres the highest point in Spain, with a vast caldera of lava flows, pumice fields and the twisted rock towers of the Roques de García.
+Which of these are free in Tenerife?
Teide National Park, Anaga Rural Park and Masca village and gorge.