Surprise yourself with this collection of fun, cool and unusual things to do in Tenerife. You’ll never look at this Canary Island the same way again. Find more unusual things to do in Spain here.
Unusual Things to do in Tenerife
This Canary Island offers so much more than simply lying on the beach. With two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and food, landscape and culture aplenty, Tenerife is bursting with cool, fun, quirky and unusual things to do.
And hardly anyone’s even noticed! Most people are still on the beach.
So, make the best of both worlds. Snap up the cheap and easy flights before ditching the crowds and exploring these authentic and non-touristy, unique things to do in Tenerife.
And if you like Tenerife? Check out more of the Canary Islands, starting with this guide on the best things to do in Lanzarote. Or delve deeper with our guide to north Tenerife and our handy article on Tenerife cuisine.
Wake Up in a UNESCO World Heritage Site: La Laguna
La Laguna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former capital of the territory of Tenerife.
While the lagoon itself is long since gone (authorities drained it to prevent it from spreading disease,) the life and soul remains.
It’s a living, breathing, modern UNESCO city, with 933, 419 inhabitants and even more stand up coffee kiosks serving the drink piping hot across town. Lorries deliver early morning goods and children hurry past, on their way to school.
When I last visited, I chatted with friends in the sexy gloom of a small bar, all whimsical dark wood and shadows. It was built around the open courtyard design passed down from the Romans to the Moors to the conquistadores who stopped off here in Tenerife as an important staging post to the Americas.
The History of La Laguna
La Laguna has over 600 public and private classified protected buildings in a wealth of different styles. Latticed gates that lead to fountains, like the gardens of Andalusia. Blue basalt columns, white washed cathedrals and brightly painted buildings that house homes, shops and restaurants.
And they’re arranged in a grid like structure found across the Americas and beyond.
And while La Laguna is beautiful, with lush green peaks rising up behind the buildings, it’s this rather more mundane fact that brings Laguna its current fame.
For this is no ordinary grid structure: it’s the first of its kind in the world.
When the Spanish founded the city in 1496 medieval towns grew organically, by accident almost, with winding, swerving, curving outlines.La Laguna was the first unfortified city to be designed as a grid intentionally. Now, like contactless payments, everyone’s at it.
How to make it happen
Rent a car from either airport in Tenerife and drive to La Laguna. It’s a city so entry is free and there’s always something going on.
Many of the protected buildings are closed on a Sunday so bear that in mind. La Laguna also has a fantastic light and sound Christmas display each year!
You can also stay within La Laguna at one of the city’s hotels. I stayed at the beautifully green La Laguna Gran Hotel with lush foliage all around the repurposed open courtyard structure. It also has a Michelin starred restaurant (which I didn’t manage to test) and serves a ridiculously amount of high quality jamon over breakfast.
Suite 241 is beautiful but be prepared to hear the comings and goings from the tropical bar-lounge below.
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Hiking: The Macizo de Anaga
Step back into the world of dreamy green film sets by following one of the trails into the Anaga Natural Park.Located in the north of the island, not far from La Laguna, these twisting trees and green canopies carry some of the most primitive forestry there is.
From a numbers point of view, this is the most densely populated part of Europe, yet when you walk here, you feel alone.
That’s because so much of the wildlife is too small to see.
Over 1900 species have been recorded here, and the volcanic rock dates back between 7 and 9 million years.
Which is rather a lot, whichever way you stop and think about it.
How to make it happen
Hiking trails are well signposted from the car park and Cruz el Carmen Visitor Center. You can walk for as little as 600m through the laurisilva forest or tackle some more ambitious hikes.There is also an exhibition and video that explains more about the inhabitants of the area.
Note: fuel up on patatas arrugadas before you go!
Visit the Cave House (Caseiros) in Chinamada
Cave houses. Sound a little grim, right? Well, not these ones.
The Caseiros of Chinamada are set among the most spectacular ridged green scenery with an other worldly atmosphere.
Think the terraces of the Great Wall of China, of Morocco, of the Asian tea plantations or more. Then bundle them all together into something more unique.
Views here are spectacular and the cave houses are more like, well, houses, with the rear portions built into caves. Residents have TVs, wifi, the lot and to be honest, the concept of the Caseiros steals attention away from the real draw: the jaw dropping, gut punching, stereotype-inducing scenery.
How to make it happen
Book a tour or hire a car and drive to Chinamada. Be warned, though, that the turns are very tight and the roads are very steep. The hiking is phenomenal at the top and the fresh air will blow away most morning sickness. But, seriously. This drive isn’t for the faint of heart.
Taganana Village and Black Volcanic Sand
Follow yet more crazy turns in the road to reach Taganana. Seriously, this route makes hairpins look relaxed and laid back like a journalist after a liquid lunch.Pretty little Taganana marks the end point for a number of significant hikes and the whitewashed walls and tumbling flowers give a restful, Mediterranean vibe.
Want to know a secret? Black volcano rock leads to black volcanic sand. Seems obvious, when you put it like that, but it took me surprise, for sure.Everything else about the beach is the same. Sun. Waves. Sweet and salty beach food.But the sand. Well, it’s black! What more can I say?
How to make it happen
Hire a car or take a tour and set your SatNav. Black sandy beaches are dotted all around Tenerife, but if you’re not sure where to start then drive down from Taganana to the beach outside local landmark Casa Africa.
Enjoy Carnival all year round
Tenerife has a world famous, record breaking Mardi Gras carnival. But what happens if you’re not in Tenerife in time to catch it?
Soak up the fun and fiesta by visiting the museum instead!
OK, so it’s not entirely the same but on the other hand, if crowds squeeze you and the scent of portaloos offends you then this may be the better option anyway.
The Carnival Museum in Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz manages to pack a hefty punch of pizazz and panache into its retelling of the carnival story.
Why Carnival matters so much
Still the proud holders of the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people in an outdoor plaza to attend a concert, Santa Cruz is justifiably proud of its carnival legacy.
The razzle dazzle of the costumes make Elton John look tame, the size of them make grown women look like Barbie dolls. Video footage plays alongside the glittery, feathered carnival clothes to make you realise that, against all the odds, it is possible to dance in, quite literally, a gilded cage.
But the cultural legacy of the carnival runs deep. Banned during the military Franco era, Tenerife simply rebranded as a Winter Festival and continued to party on. And if the idea of the museum sounds a little too dry, it’s practically compulsory to dress up yourself and dance at the end.In the name of research, I tell you. The name of research.
How to make it happen
Head to the Carnival Museum in the city of Santa Cruz.
Be Cool at TEA: Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
Catch an art installation, visit the library or just sip coffee surrounded by cool at the landmark new TEA in capital Santa Cruz.
TEA stands for Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (Tenerife Space for Arts) but it also describes the expensive hardwood found across the island.
How to make it happen
Head to the rehabilitated historic centre of Santa Cruz and you’ll find TEA Tenerife on the right bank of the Santos ravine. Make sure to visit Tuesday to Sunday as the space is currently closed on Mondays.
Admire an Ancient Dragon Tree
Just the words “ancient Drago tree” makes this activity belong on a list of unusual things to do in Tenerife.
In reality, the visit to these tranquil gardens just outside the Icod de los Vinos town centre is quite straightforward: the mystery lies in the story of the tree.
This beautiful creature reaches its tendrils into the sky like a poetic form of pot noodle. Once believed to be well over 1000 years old, the tree reaches 22 metres into the sky with a diameter of ten metres and weight of over 70 tonnes.
Scientists have taken turns at estimating the age of the tree, resulting in more confusion than clarity and a legend that grows and grows.
How to make it happen
Drive to Icod de los Vinos and visit the gardens there. Don’t miss the walk onto the ledge opposite the tree to catch a different view and see across the sea.
Visit La Orotava
Some tourists have heard about the finely crafted wooden balconies in this town, but not many. Arrive at the right time of day and you can still have the place to yourself.
Look out for Los Molino de la Orotava, an old mill site where local delicacy gofio used to be ground. Wisely, they sell it mixed in with nuts and honey to give it a little more flavour.
You can read more about it in our guide to Tenerife cuisine here. xx
How to make it happen
La Orotava is located 28km southwest of Santa Cruz and can be easily reached by car. Alternatively, you can head to the resort town of Puerto de La Cruz before hopping on a bus to your final destination just ten minutes up the coast.
Viva the San Andres Festival in Icod de los Vinos
Every year in late November, schools in Icod de los Vinos arrange for a special excursion: for children to hurl themselves down the steep cobbled streets on a greased wooden board.
Who knows quite where or how the tradition began but this festival marks the arrival of the new wine for the season and is celebrated by adults and children alike.
Hot roast chestnuts arrive in plastic baskets on red and white chequered tablecloths and the music – and wine – start in the late morning and keep going from there.
How to make it happen
Be in the right place at the right time. Entrance is free and only 3 euros will buy you a taste of the wine (red, white and rose) and a basket of chestnuts. Greased plank sliding entirely optional.
Visit the Pyramids of Guimar
Now here is a mystery. Are these stony pyramids in Chacona a by-product of local farmers or an important link to the past?
Adventurer and publisher Thor Heyerdahl believed they represented some kind of link between the ancient pyramids of Egypt and those found in Central and South America. He hypothesised that a raft crossing took place before the Columbus-era voyages and built one in order to prove his point.
The latest archaeological work seems to support the less glamorous interpretation but visit for yourself to visit these lava stone works and to muse upon the connections between our ancestors.
How to make it happen
The Pyramids of Guimar are located in the south east of Tenerife and are best reached by driving along the TF-1 highway that connects Santa Cruz with the south of the island. Hire a car, set the Sat Nav and go!
Go Whale Watching in Tenerife
A whale watching trip in Tenerife virtually guarantees a sighting of pilot whales and maybe some dolphins too. Boats head our regularly in small groups from Los Gigantes and you can arrange a trip for just a few hours or head onto the waves for the whole day.
Summit El Teide: Third Largest Volcano in the World
Ah, El Teide. With over 4 million visitors each year, it’s hard to describe a visit here as an unusual thing to do, but since several million more never make it, I think I am still justified.
Most importantly, though, even if you do go, you can easily have the place to yourself. And, of course, it’s beautiful. Eye opening, lung gaspingly, heart thuddingly beautiful.
And I wouldn’t be able to blog at ease if I missed it out because of some self-imposed “unusual things to do” etiquette.
El Teide contains enough different landscapes to mesmerise for a full day. If you’re organised and book your ticket online in advance, you can take the cable car to the 3718 metre summit.
If not, never mind! There’s still plenty to see.
Los Roques de Garcia
Check out Los Roques de Garcia where Raquel Welch famously posed in the movie poster that later featured in the Shawshank Redemption.
Look out for black lava fields, green chemical crystal deposits, red, arid moonscapes and more.
Dine on traditional Tenerife food at the Parador near the summit and then glide back down to the pine and then the palms.
Tenerife has over 11 different microclimates and many of them, it would seem, can be found here.
But the best for me, by far, is the view when you’ve just passed through the clouds. It’s one of the unusual things to do in Tenerife of which I’ll never tire.
How to make it happen
The easiest way to access Los Roques de Garcia is to drive there yourself, however it can also be reached by the 342 bus or on a guided hiking tour.
Sunbathe on a Golden Sand Beach
Hang on, that’s the usual way to do things isn’t it? Well, yes and no. Las Teresitas is the only golden sand beach in the north. In order to get golden sand in this part of the world, locals needed to ship it in from the Sahara. They then had to build a rocky beach barricade to stop it dissolving away. Now that is pretty weird.
How to make it happen
Driving from the centre of Santa Cruz to Las Teresitas only takes around 15 minutes. If you don’t have your own vehicle, you can grab a taxi directly to the beach or hop on the Line 910 bus operated by TITSA as a cheaper (and slower) alternative.
Disclosure – I have visited Tenerife many times, sometimes funded by myself, sometimes in partnership with Visit Tenerife and Captivate. As ever, as always, I choose what to write and what to feature in this list of unusual things to do. There’s just no point otherwise!
That a great list! How touristy are these places on Tenerife? We on Canary island only once, and we choose La Palma as there are no crowds of tourists… I would love to hike El Teide, but as you wrote 4 million visitors :(
I wouldn’t worry about tourists in Teide if you’re planning to hike. Most cluster around the cable car, parador and García rocks. You will have plenty of space where you won’t see anyone. La Orotava had a few tours going on and the area around the Drago tree is pretty small so it wouldn’t take many people to spoil your solitude (through no one else was there when we were!)
The other areas in the north? Breathtakingly empty. Parts of Tenerife are really touristy but they tend to be clustered down south (whale watching tours will have other tourists but you can arrange small boat adventures instead of crowded big ships.)
Hope that helps!