Discover the Real Tenerife & La Gomera

Arrive at the airport for your flight to Tenerife and transfer by coach to San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Our hotel for seven nights is the four-star La Laguna Gran Hotel, where your stay includes breakfast. 

This morning we have a guided sightseeing tour of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, known simply as La Laguna. It’s hard to believe the old town was once a haphazard jumble of buildings, as today you’ll find atmospheric squares and straight streets flanked by colourful mansions, lively bars and an eclectic mix of shops. If you feel a sense of déjà vu, it could be because La Laguna’s meticulous layout provided the blueprint for many Spanish towns in the Americas, such as Old Havana in Cuba and Lima in Peru.

After our engaging tour, the rest of the day is at leisure. La Laguna is a joy to explore by foot, so have your camera at the ready to capture the many photogenic scenes you’ll no doubt encounter. The high walls of elegant villas conceal well-manicured courtyards – each a delightful oasis typically containing a little fountain and garden. 

Perhaps visit the Museum of the History of Tenerife to unearth the island’s exciting past, or head to La Laguna’s cathedral to see its hidden treasures. Built on the site of a former Mudéjar church and an ancient Guanche necropolis, the cathedral houses masterpieces by prominent Canarian artists, Spain’s largest collection of Byzantine icons, and the tomb of Alonso Fernández de Lugo, conqueror of Tenerife. 

Or why not relax and watch the world go by? Take your pick of the many cafés lining the old town’s plazas and have a barraquito – a strong coffee taken up a notch with liqueur, condensed milk and cinnamon. Perhaps sample the local cuisine – try some sancocho canario, salted fish with a garlic and red pepper salsa, often served with papas arrugadas, wrinkly potatoes boiled in salt water.

Today we delve into the island’s volcanic roots and get up-close with its geological superstar, Mount Teide. Towering over Tenerife at 12,198 feet – almost three times the height of Ben Nevis – Teide is Spain’s highest peak and Europe’s highest active volcano. We spend the day in Teide National Park, an awe-inspiring wilderness of gaping craters, majestic volcanoes and lava streams. The extraterrestrial character of this landscape may have you wondering if you’ve ventured into Martian territory – in fact, scientists have used this very location to test space robots, due to the similarities in environmental conditions with Mars! At the park’s visitor centre, we learn about the extraordinary formation of Teide and Tenerife, as well as the endemic flora and fauna that thrive in this seemingly inhospitable land.

We then take an eight-minute cable car ride, which leaves us just 535-feet shy of Teide’s summit. Nothing can prepare you for the breathtaking views of the rugged valley below, and on clear days, you can glimpse the neighbouring islands of La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro.

Next, we explore Las Cañadas, the vast caldera created by the collapse of ancient craters. With free time to take in the lunar landscape, why not follow the park’s easy and informative trail over flat terrain – ideal for appreciating the mesmerising geological features sculpted by nature, from igneous intrusions to undulating pahoehoe. Look out for the endemic plants that have managed to colonise this barren terrain, such as the striking Teide viper’s bugloss, whose distinctive red spires can reach 6 feet in summer.

Altitude note: Oxygen levels are low at 12,198 feet, so those with heart or respiratory problems may prefer to remain at the base cable car station.

Today we visit Santa Cruz, the picturesque capital situated on the divine coast, with rolling hills providing a dramatic backdrop. An exciting blend of colonial history and modern dynamism, this bustling port city is home to fantastic architecture, brightly painted buildings, quirky shops, world-class museums and art galleries, vibrant street art and a green oasis in the city park. Santa Cruz also hosts the second-largest Carnival after Rio de Janeiro, which the city is twinned with.

After our city tour, the rest of the day is free. Under lively Plaza de España lie the ruins of the Castle of San Cristóbal, today a museum that also houses the El Tigre canon, which famously shattered Vice-Admiral Nelson’s right arm in the decisive Battle of Santa Cruz in 1797. For a closer look at Spain’s victory over the British Royal Navy, head to the Military Museum, where weapons, model ships and more bring to life the riveting past. The Museum of Nature and Archaeology is worth a visit for those interested in meeting the mummies of the Guanches. 

As you stroll through the old town, it’s difficult to miss the striking six-tier belfry of the Church of Immaculate Conception, the city’s oldest church – step inside to see its intricate Mudéjar-styled ceiling. A short walk away is the Baroque San Francisco church, most renowned for its image of Christ, credited with saving Santa Cruz during a cholera epidemic in 1893. Treat your senses to a veritable feast at the Market of Our Lady of Africa, a superb collection of market stalls, shops and eateries. A dazzling array of treasures from the sea can be found at the fish market, while all sorts of fruit and vegetables tempt the eye in a kaleidoscope of colours. Enjoy a selection of Canarian tapas freshly prepared before your eyes, wash it down with a refreshing drink and observe the Santacruceros going about their day.

After an early breakfast, we travel by coach to the port of Los Cristianos, where we catch the 50-minute fast ferry – the world’s largest passenger trimaran – to the idyllic neighbouring island of La Gomera. Although close in distance, La Gomera is miles apart from Tenerife in character and scenery. The landscape is a rugged masterpiece of emerald valleys, mist-shrouded forests, towering cliffs, volcanic rock formations and black-pebble beaches. The terraced hillsides are impressively dotted with houses perched in hypnotic rows.

Our first stop is the visitor centre of Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO-protected wonderland where ancient laurel forests reign. The fascinating exhibits are devoted to all aspects of the park, including the island as a whole and the traditional rural life of the Gomeran people.

A traditional lunch is included today at a local restaurant, where you’ll also be treated to an uplifting demonstration of Silbo, La Gomera’s unique whistling language, which arose from a need to transmit messages across the island’s challenging terrain. Listen to the lovely performance while you take in spectacular views across the ocean to Tenerife and its mighty volcanic crown.

This afternoon we continue through the national park, pausing at several viewpoints for more breathtaking views before returning to San Sebastián, Christopher Columbus’ last port of call before crossing the Atlantic in 1492. We take the ferry back to Tenerife and return to our hotel in the early evening.

You have the entire day at leisure, so what is it to be? Relax in your hotel or take your time discovering more of La Laguna. Wander the palm-lined streets and browse the shops for some souvenirs, or visit the convent of Santa Catalina, which is still home to a community of nuns. The palaces of Nava and Salazar are two of La Laguna’s best-preserved old mansions and superb examples of local architecture. 

You could return to Santa Cruz via the very convenient tram that connects the two cities. Like many Spanish cities, it has its fair share of beautiful parks, such as the Palmetum botanical garden, which houses the greatest collection of palms in Europe – built atop an old municipal rubbish dump. For a touch of the avant-garde, why not visit the Tenerife Auditorium? Imaginatively designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, this soaring white wave of a venue is the Canaries’ answer to the Sydney Opera House. The sweeping vistas of the coast from its panoramic café are some of the most impressive views in Santa Cruz. 

After breakfast, we drive along the northern coast to La Orotava, one of the loveliest towns in Tenerife. Set in a lush valley, the remarkably preserved colonial town is a picture-postcard maze of cobbled streets, flower-filled squares and handsome Castilian mansions. Every year during Corpus Christi celebrations, carpets of flowers mixed with coloured sand pave the streets in a stunning display of devotion. This exuberant explosion of colour can be seen throughout the year, especially in spring, in the bright flowers blooming on the surrounding hillsides.

During our guided walking tour, we step back in time to learn about La Orotava’s history and its system of centuries-old water mills and aqueducts. Discover how wealthy bourgeois families lived through the stately homes along Calle San Francisco, known for their intricately carved wooden balconies and leafy interior courtyards. Perhaps the most famous of these houses is La Casa de los Balcones, whose untreated balconies have lasted more than 300 years! Our tour includes entry to this 17th-century mansion, whose museum is dedicated to a variety of local handicrafts, from lacework to ceramics, and gives us an idea of how the house would have looked in its heyday.

There is time for lunch at your leisure before we continue to Icod de los Vinos, a charming town shaped by its relationship with the surrounding countryside. The Canary Islands has many unusual plants, but the most famous of them all is the dragon tree, a symbol of Tenerife. Shaped like an umbrella with branches that sprout tufts of spiky leaves, dragon trees – when cut – secrete a reddish sap once believed to have magical, medicinal properties. Icod de los Vinos is home to the largest and oldest surviving specimen, El Drago Milenario – the thousand-year-old dragon. Interestingly, dragon trees are not actual trees, so El Drago’s actual age is disputed, estimated to be anywhere from several hundred years to several thousand years old. Nevertheless, El Drago is a truly magnificent sight at over 65 feet tall, with an even larger circumference and over 300 main branches. 

Apart from curiously shaped flora, Icod de los Vinos also boasts many pretty houses, including Casa del Plátano, an old hacienda that really brings to life the story of the Canary Islands’ bananas. A visit here provides insights into the many varieties, the history of banana cultivation on the islands, and even explains the reasons behind the name of London’s Canary Wharf.

After a wonderful day of sightseeing, we return to our hotel in La Laguna.

Transfer to the airport for your return flight home.