The True Tenerife
Tenerife has an odd essence. It is divided into two halves really, with the local working towns and villages being in the North, and the tourists taking over in the hotter regions of the South.
Visitors can enjoy the best of both worlds by combining the North with the South. Visit the Anaga Mountians in the North one day, with its lush, tropical vegetation, then be surprised by the barren, rugged, if not desert like appearance of El Pico del Teide, in the South.
The South, as we know it today, only exists because of tourism. The area surrounding El Pico del Teide was bone dry and useless, until an airport was built. Now the coast is a Mecca for sun worshippers. The world famous Playa de las Americas is a purpose built resort, which was constructed in the late 1960’s. Sand is often flown in from the Sahara Desert to help maintain the beaches and coastline of this suburban metropolis.
Travel inland and you will discover a different world. An unspoilt air of true colonial Spain still exists, if you can be bothered to look for it. Follow the well-trodden paths of bygone eras. Visit the creator of this splendid place, El Pico del Teide. It was a huge volcanic eruption that sculptured the Island, and it plays a big part in Tenerife’s history today. Visitors flock in their thousands to see the snow capped dormant volcano every year.
Initially inhabited by The Gaunches, Tenerife has seen many changes over the Centuries, and hopefully with the introduction of National Parks, the real spirit of Spain will survive the onslaught of time.
|
[
[
[
