Volcanic Island of Tenerife

The island of Tenerife was formed over twelve million years ago through volcanic activity. The Teide stratovolcano, located in the center of the island, is the highest mountain in Spain at an elevation of 3,718 meters and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

For our stay, we chose Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island, as this side of the island is much greener than the south. This is due to the water vapor rising from the sea, which collects as clouds on the Teide Massif, allowing the water to condense and fall to the ground. The disadvantage is that Puerto de la Cruz can be quite cloudy. However, we had mostly sunny weather in the first week and were grateful for a few clouds while hiking, especially when climbing steep slopes.

On the first day, we visited the botanical garden of Puerto de la Cruz. This garden was established in 1788 to acclimatize plants from the tropics. The garden showcases typical Canary Island plants in all their colorful splendor. A highlight is the giant strangler fig tree in the center of the botanical garden, which looks spectacular with its aerial roots.

Frangipani

The next day, we visited Loro Park. Originally established as a parrot park with a parrot breeding station, the zoo has expanded to include other species. We took the tourist train from the city center to Loro Park, and although we had already bought tickets on the way, there wasn't much crowd at the ticket counter, but the park itself was quite crowded. However, the visitors are well spread out in the park.

Right at the entrance, you can see the gorillas. Compared to other monkeys in the zoo, these great apes are very large and powerful.

I particularly liked the neighboring building, 'Planet Penguin'. It is the largest penguinarium in the world. Inside, they have tried to recreate the conditions of the Antarctic as faithfully as possible. First, you pass by the Humboldt penguins, and then you continue on to see the king penguins and the puffins.

At the end of our zoo visit, we stopped by the penguins again. The scene we found there almost looked like a human situation. One penguin was waiting against the wall, while many others patiently lined up at a certain distance behind him.

As we left, there was a growing impatience in the queue, as if to say, 'It's time to move on.'

I also enjoyed the large bird aviary, where you could walk past various bird feeding stations and observe the birds.

On the next day, we went for a coastal hike near Puerto de la Cruz. The trails and bushes were teeming with small and large lizards.

Since we didn't have a rental car, we used the public buses of the Titsa company. If you buy a Bono Via card, you can use the well-developed bus network of the company at a very affordable price.

We took the bus to the Orotava Valley to hike to the Organ Pipes. These are basalt tubes formed through erosion. The hike was very scenic. You have a beautiful view of the Teide, and the pine trees growing there are partially covered in moss.