Tenerife is the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands, with about 950,000 inhabitants, and home to the archipelago's joint capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Everything revolves around Teide (3,715 m), Spain's highest peak, which dominates Teide National Park, a World Heritage Site.
The island has two faces. The dry, sunny south has the beaches and resorts of Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos, where boats leave to watch the pilot whales and dolphins that live here year-round. The greener north holds the most historic towns: La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Garachico and Icod de los Vinos, with its Drago Milenario.
In the north-east is San Cristóbal de La Laguna, the former capital and a World Heritage Site, and beyond it the Anaga massif, with laurel forests and wild beaches. To the west, the Teno massif hides Masca and ends at the Los Gigantes Cliffs.
With five or six days you can combine beach, Teide, the north and Anaga. The practical choice is to stay in the south for sun or the north for nature and towns, and hire a car or book tours. The coast is mild all year round, but Teide is cold and can see snow in winter.
