WIFS'12 News Blog

If you like mountains, sea, volcanos, beaches, deserts, birds, sunsets, sunrises, stars, lighthouses, birds …: don’t forget your camera or your camcorder.

Here are two examples to illustrate this wise advise. The first is a time lapse (a sequence of HD photos that create a movie) made in the mountains of Tenerife. You can watch it on Vimeo HERE and understand why the island is favoured by astronomists.

The second is the FlickR pool of the canaries islands, you can watch the gallery from HERE and find below a sample (credits and copyright “Caliope Olga“).

Remember: don’t forget your camera!

Tenerife is a unique place to practice some not so usual sports that attract a significant quantity of tourism from all around the world. Today we introduce rock climbing.

Sportive rock climbing in the Canary Islands began in the early 80s, a little bit later than in the rest of Europe. Local climbers slowly received magazines from Germany, Italy and France, where some of the most important climbers were achieving things that seemed to be impossible, and they started imitating what they saw in the scant mountain magazines at that time.

Climbing at Cañada del Capricho. Teide volcano in the background. Photo by Omar Caballero.

The first area chosen by the local climbers was the breathtaking Cañada del Capricho, at Ucanca Valley and within sight of the Teide volcano. Some of the most significant climbs were achieved in this area and it is still one of the most popular climbing crags in the island.

During the next ten years, climbing fever spread to the entire area of Tenerife. That was the time when Arico canyon was discovered in the southern face and filled with climbing routes. Arico became the most popular crag and many other walls were bolted for rock climbing in nearby areas. Nowadays, more than 500 climbing routes are awaiting for climbers in the vicinity of Arico.

Arico canyon. Photo by Omar Caballero

Many other climbing crags can be found all around the island and some of them really worth a visit. The basalt rock changes in every corner providing an amazing variety of shapes, textures and colors.

Rock climbing can be practiced in Canary Island during the whole year, this is why during cold winter months you can see a considerable amount of visitors that enjoy climbing in such beautiful places with such a gentle climate.

Photo by Omar Caballero.

Further information on rock climbing in Tenerife can be found in this guidebook.

Due to insularity and also to the very particular climate, Canary Islands is home of a very complex diversity of fauna. As in Galápagos Islands, Australia or Madagascar, this archipelago has always been isolated from the mainland. This fact reflects in Canarian fauna with very few species and many endemisms. Perhaps, one of the most significant among all these unique species is lizards.

The name for the canarian lizard genus is Gallotia. These reptiles have been evolving here ever since the first islands emerged from the sea over 20 million years ago and their species and subspecies have a number of characteristics that make them quite special within their family. Gallotia are distinctive for eating significant quantities of plants, and for several lineages having evolved insular gigantism.

Gallotia Galloti Palmae or Giant Lizard of La Palma

Different subspecies of lizards can be found distributed all along the archipelago. In fact, some of them are confined to a very small area in one single island. This is the case of Gallotia intermedia or Tenerife Giant Lizard, that lives in some isolated populations along altogether 9 km of coastline, in the extreme west coast of the island.

Gallotia intermedia or Tenerife Speckled Lizard

The most abundant species nowadays is the Gran Canaria Giant Lizard; unfortunately. Giant Lizards of El Hierro and La Gomera are critically endangered species and have been reproduced in captivity to be reintroduced in predator-free areas.

A few weeks ago we posted about the most relevant trek in Tenerife: hiking to Teide Volcano. This is indeed a must if you enjoy outdoor activities but this island hides a huge variety of hiking routes to suit all tastes.

The magnificent canyon of Masca should be named here in first position. The 4.5 kilometers walk down this narrow canyon surrounded by huge rock walls begins in a tiny village and ends in a lovely beach with dark-colored sand. The way can be repeated uphill, back to the starting point, but the best choice is to make a reservation in a boat that will take you to Puerto de Santiago. This short trip moves along the impressive Los Gigantes sea cliffs and sometimes dolphins and can be seen around the boat.

In the northern area of the island, Anaga massif awaits with a completely different environment. This area has a very interesting peculiarity: It is home of a very particular subtropical forest called Laurisilva. This woods are a relic of the Pliocene forests (3.000 million years before present epoch) that support numerous endemic species and that can only be found in the islands of Macaronesia in the eastern Atlantic. The hiking routes through these woods are really worthy, and many of them reach its final point in the coastline so you can conclude the hike having a relaxing bath in the sea.

The woods of La Esperanza are mainly populated with canarian pines and are full of paths and forest tracks suitable for hiking, running or biking. Finally and only for the bravest ones, Las ventanas de Güímar (Güímar windows) goes by the side of an ancient water channel excavated all along the impressive wall that shelters Güímar valley. When the path goes in an out this narrow man made tunnel on the edge of the cliff, the views are simply breathtaking.

Further information about hiking and outdoor activities can be found here.

As an island, Tenerife has plenty of beautiful beaches, spread all along its coastline. From north to south, from man made to natural, from touristic to remote, the range of possibilities is enough to satisfy any visitor.

Right in front of the hotel, assistants to WIFS 2012 can access to Fañabé and Playa del Duque. Both beaches are distinguished by its Blue Flag status, and stand as two of the best beaches of Tenerife’s coastline. This impressive award is only given to beaches of distinction. It acknowledges the cleanliness of the water and sand as well as the excellent facilities, which includes several access points for people with disabilities. And just a few kilometers further south, Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Américas are two of the main holiday hotspots in the island.

All along this coastline visitors will be able to enjoy a big amount of activities, apart from the usual sunbathing and swimming. Jet-skiing, wind surfing, body-boarding or snorkeling are also available, as well as whales and dolphins watching trips, or relaxing boat tours.

But it is not just in the south that fantastic beaches can be found, they are all over Tenerife. Moving a little bit northwards, El Médano is one of the most important wind surfing spots, where kite-surfing World Championship is celebrated, and La Tejita is a bohemian and quiet place, worthy to visit when wind gives a chance.

With a completely different atmosphere, and in the other opposite coastline of the island, a place called El Rincón gathers the lonely beaches of El Bollullo, Los Patos and El Ancón. These three remote beaches have a huge expanse of dark-colored sand and are sheltered by big cliffs. The access is not as easy as southern touristic ones, especially to Los Patos and El Ancón, and the sea is pretty brave so bathing should be done carefully, but the place is worth a visit indeed.

Further information about some other nices beaches around Tenerife can be found here.