Tenerife

Our language school is situated in Tenerife, the largest island in the Canarian archipelago. It has a population of 650.000. The capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and La Laguna, the University city, are the two biggest and most important residential and commercial areas, while Puerto de la Cruz in the north, and Playa de las Americas in the south are the two main tourist centers.

One of Tenerife's most famous attractions is the extinct volcano, El Teide which rises up in the centre of the island. At 3,817 m it is Spain's highest mountain. During the winter months it is covered in snow and is a spectacular sight. Apart from the Teide National Park you can explore the forest of La Esperanza, the Mountains of Anaga and Las Mercedes, the Valley of La Orotava, the beautiful little village of Masca and the magnificent cliffs in Los Gigantes.

Check out the spectacular Teide view on vimeo!

The Climate
Tenerife, along with the other Canary Islands is called the “Land of Eternal Spring”, with temperatures ranging from 20ºC in winter to 30ºC in summer. It is the ideal place to combine a holiday with a language course.

The Gastronomy
The Canaries have their own range of specialties including the prize-winning goat’s cheeses. The fresh fish and meat are often served with Mojo Picón, which is a well known hot sauce made of oil, garlic, vinegar, salt, and typical dried Canarian red hot peppers, to acompany these dishes try the papas arrugadas - 'salty wrinkled potatoes'. They are small Canarian black-skinned potatoes boiled in salted water. The green mojo is made with coriander and green peppers. Apart from the local cuisine your can sample food from around the world in many of the first class restaurants on the island. There is a full range of local wines and beers to accompany your meal at prices that the rest of Europe can only dream about. Your money goes further in Tenerife!

Festivals
Islanders are very famous for their kindness, warmth and friendliness. These attributes are reflected in their festivals where whole towns are given over to music, dancing, and making merry.
The internationally famous Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is the second biggest carnival in the world, after Rio de Janeiro. Everybody dresses up in fancy costumes. Night starts at 2 a.m. and doesn´t finish before midday with dancing and open air fiestas.

Other typical festivals called 'Romerías' are celebrated in each village between March and September every year. The most popular ones are the 'Romería de San Isidro' in La Orotava, 'San Benito' in La Laguna and 'Nuestra Señora de Candelaria', the patron saint of Canary Islands. During the weekend you can find the best fiestas in the bigger cities like La Laguna, Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz and Las Americas as well as in the smaller towns. Music and theatrical performances complete the cultural calendar of the Island.

Find out what's happening in the Tenerife guide.

See also breathtaking photos from Tenerife (swf).

Location
The Canary Islands
Tenerife
Puerto de la Cruz