Local Experiences In Tenerife

The ones you can only have on this island. Club Canary's shortlist: a working banana farm in the south, wine tasting in Vilaflor on volcanic soil, the Teide summit hike with the permit included, a Friday night at a village tablao flamenco, a private day in the Anaga laurel forest and La Laguna, stargazing in Teide National Park, and a day on La Gomera to hear the whistled language. All of them are run by local companies, and most are small group or private.

Leave the resort strip. The south coast is built for holidays; the real island is in the north, the west and the mountains. Eat papas arrugadas with mojo and drink Tenerife wine instead of imported brands, visit a guachinche (a family home in the north that serves its own wine and food) in La Orotava or Tacoronte, walk in Anaga or on the Camino Real, go to a village fiesta, and see Teide at night rather than from a coach window. Club Canary's local experiences page puts the bookable versions of all of this in one place.

A banana farm visit, a guided hike on the old royal path between villages, the Friday tablao flamenco in Aldea Blanca, a private day in the Anaga mountains and La Laguna, horse riding across the lava fields, the downhill bike ride from Teide to the coast, and a day trip to La Palma or La Gomera. On your own: a guachinche lunch in the north, a barraquito coffee in La Laguna, and the Sunday market in a village rather than the resort shops.

Better than its reputation. Tenerife has a national park that is a Starlight Reserve, the Anaga biosphere reserve, and hundreds of kilometres of marked trails. The lowest impact experiences Club Canary offers are the guided hikes, the Teide summit hike, the downhill bike tour, the working banana farms, stargazing with licensed guides, and the small group days in Anaga and on La Gomera. No activity is zero impact, but on these the money stays local and the groups stay small.

Papas arrugadas (wrinkled salt potatoes) with red and green mojo, gofio (toasted grain flour, in soup or as a dessert), fresh fish like cherne or vieja, Canarian goat cheese, local bananas, and Tenerife wine from Tacoronte or the altitude vineyards of Vilaflor. For the coffee, order a barraquito. For the full experience, eat at a guachinche in the north or book the private chef for a Canarian menu in your villa.

Yes, two real ones. The Banana Farm Tour in the south is a working plantation with a self-guided walk and a tasting of bananas, banana wine and liqueur, open four days a week with free parking. The eco banana plantation in La Orotava near Puerto de la Cruz offers a guided hour in English or Spanish, Monday to Friday. Both are cheap, both welcome families, and children under 5 go free.

Yes, but only with a permit for the final stretch to the 3,715 metre summit, and those permits are limited and sell out months ahead. The guided Teide summit hike includes the permit legally, with three route options from a short final climb to the full ascent, and pickup from the south and the north. Bring proper shoes and a warm jacket; it is cold and the air is thin up there.

Yes. The most authentic option is the tablao flamenco in a village theatre in Aldea Blanca every Friday night, with a welcome drink and a crowd that is half local. The Ole Flamenco Show in Costa Adeje is the bigger theatre production on Thursdays. Neither is a dinner show, and both are the real dance, not a hotel lobby act.

With a local driver if there are three or more of you: the private north Tenerife day covers the Anaga laurel forest, the World Heritage streets of La Laguna and a lunch stop where locals eat, with pickup in the south. On a budget or travelling solo, the north coach tour does Santa Cruz, La Laguna and Anaga in one day with a guide.

Yes, if you want to see what the Canary Islands looked like before tourism. La Gomera is a 50 minute ferry away, with the Garajonay laurel forest and the Silbo whistled language, and the day trip includes lunch with wine. La Palma is the greenest island and has the newest volcano, Tajogaite, from 2021. Both run as day trips with your own bed in Tenerife at night.

Most of them. The banana farms are free for children under 5, horse riding takes riders from 6, the downhill bike tour from 8, and the La Gomera day trip is a favourite with kids because of the whistling demonstration. The wine tasting, the flamenco and the Teide summit hike are better for adults and teenagers. Tell Club Canary the ages of your group and we say honestly what fits.

Carnival fills Santa Cruz in February or early March and is the biggest party of the year. The Romerías, village harvest parades with ox carts and free wine, run from spring into summer, with La Orotava and Los Realejos the big ones. Corpus Christi in June covers the streets of La Orotava with flower and sand carpets. In August the island walks to Candelaria for its patron saint, and on the night of San Andrés in November the people of Icod ride wooden boards down the streets to open the new wine. Ask us what is on during your dates.

Yes. Most experiences on this page include hotel pickup in the south or meet at a fixed point that is easy to reach: the hikes, the wine tasting, the stargazing, the private north and west days, the coach tours and the island day trips all collect you. The banana farm in the south and the flamenco theatre are a short taxi ride from the resorts. Your e-ticket shows the meeting point or pickup time.

Because we live here and we are neutral. Club Canary is a licensed local booking agent with a real office in Costa Adeje, not the operator, so we recommend the farm, the hike or the island that fits your group rather than the one that pays the most. Every booking comes with real prices, a Best Price Guarantee, a confirmed e-ticket, and a real person to call every day from 08:00 to 22:00.