Greentings Everyone!
The last two posts focused on one archipelago of the Atlantic, The Açores. It is now time to move and explore another impressive archipelago of the Atlantic. You may remember a previous post in this series on an Island which remains as-mother-nature intended, with its bubbling volcanic vents and with such distinct characteristics that you will have a hard time finding anything else similar elsewhere on this planet. If the island coming to mind is Lanzarote, you are narrowing down on the next Island of this series. Just as Lanzarote, our next island is in the Canary Island Archipelago…
The Canary Islands has plenty of natural wonders spread across its islands, from Lanzarote which we have mentioned in a previous article, to El Hierro—the most remote and least explored of the lot, and every other island in between. Believe us when we say that all these islands would make great articles and fit perfectly in this series. But as the series is limited and we only have space for one more island before our audience shows up at our humble headquarters with pitchforks and torches, demanding our writers’ heads on sticks, it would not make sense to write about the Canary Islands without referring to this island in particular. Tenerife it is!
As a tourism destination, Tenerife has been around for years and has built up a reputation on claims of sunny days year around, secluded black sandy beaches and coastal resorts fitted with all the luxuries that tourists from across the world have learned to love. This may sound like an ideal holiday getaway, and it is…but this really only scratches the surface on what this island has to offer those who take up the challenge of exploring it.
Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands is an island of contrasts. Volcanic from origin, this impressive island is home to one of the worlds most explored national park. Smack in the center of this national park is Mount Teide, the fourth highest volcanic peak in the world and the highest in the entire Atlantic. Gazing at this stratovolcano from the comfort of Las Cañadas crater really is something I would recommend to all. It towers above like a living monolith, keeping those below humble and grounded. Making way through the bushes and onto the rocky paths leading up to its feet, the rubble and soil around turning from a light brown into an almost blackish color, a reminder of the centuries of tumultuous events that have occurred. Not a single tree in sight, a huge contrast to just a few hundred meters below at 2600m in the Sombrero de Chasna, where an entire pine forest calls home. Words cannot describe the magnificence of this central region of Tenerife, plotted with endless trails, caves and treasures to discover, it really is the ultimate destination. After a busy day of exploration, time to head back down to the safety of the coastline, far away and removed from this inhospitable land. Although the sun shone bright and the sky was blue up top, on the way down the clouds have made it a point to greet us, but not before we are able to catch a glimpse of the Isla Gran Canaria out in the distance. Maybe a great destination for the next episode of Islands of the Atlantic. Generation Clean!
