Tenerife and us after ten years

We had a good twenty four hour passage from Fuerteventura to Tenerife.

On arrival in South Tenerife we spent an uncomfortable night at anchor due to the unforgiving ocean swell. We decided to head to the marina where we were going to meet Sorin’s parents. Our anchor windlass (electric motor that lifts/drops the anchor) stopped working and Sorin had to lift the anchor by hand. 

As we entered St Miguel Marina, we were welcomed by a yellow submarine – the same submarine that took us on a brief underwater adventure ten years ago. Sorin and I were then on holiday with our friends. The scenery was completely transformed. Our hotel overlooking the newly built (and almost empty) St Miguel Marina was amongst the very few hotels in the area. Now, hotels and resorts are cramped on top each other and you can barely find any spot in the marina. 

We spent two great weeks with Sorin’s parents. We nicely combined sunbathing with day trips to fantastic natural spots that we were oblivious of when we first visited the island. Back then we were too busy with enjoying our youth on the beach to visit more than the unmissable Teide and the capital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Whilst the south of Tenerife is more touristy, drier and sunnier, the lush green of the north combined with the dramatic scenery is breathtaking. 

We dipped in the Atlantic at the natural pools of Garachico – a definitely more compelling experience than lying on a beach! 

A catfish made Sorin’s mum jump after she entered the water at Los Cristianos. We both started screaming when something that looked like a white buoy took off flying in our vicinity and then disappeared under water.

We met Carlos (and his dog, Panda) a really nice chap that we made good friends with – more info below. 

We visited the beautiful ravine and village of Masca and ate traditional Canarian food. Masca is one of the most picturesque spots on the island at the foot of the Teno Mountains. The setting of the village (reputed to have been a pirate hideaway) is magical – its houses are perched precariously on the narrow ridge of dramatic rock formations. Scrumptious food and natural juices are served at the furthest restaurant on the ridge – this has a fantastic setting. 

We went up Teide and admired the unique volcanic rock formations on the way. 

We took the opportunity to delight our senses in the beautiful rural park of Anaga, which used to link the villages of Anaga and La Laguna. We visited Puerto de Santa Cruz, the formal capital of the Island. 

To give them the fool flavour of life aboard, we were joined by Sorin’s parents on a couple of day sailing trips. We were lucky enough to spot the local pilot whales.

The Lunar Landscape was amongst the first natural spots to visit. This is a group of unique white rock formations created through the erosion of the soil by the wind and the rain over thousands of years. The view of this landscape reminded me of the pictures taken by a friend a few weeks back whilst visiting the Antelope Park in the US. The Lunar Landscape was basically a scaled down version of the Antelope Canyon.

Despite being the biggest and most populated island in the Canaries, Tenerife has much more to offer than its overly touristy and dry southern region. 

It was sad to see Sorin’s parents go, after a lovely evening spent at El Cordero (a unique venue set on a banana tree plantation). 

Closing the evening with a musical moment

As soon as we have our Raymarine unit replaced under warranty, we will be heading to La Gomera. 

We would love to briefly introduce to you some of nice people we are meeting along the way…

Meet: Carlos and Panda, the dog

From: born in Tenerife with a Swedish citizenship, he sees himself of being “from everywhere”

To: Carlos currently takes tourists on whale and dolphin watching day trips aboard his sailing vessel

His dream is to sail his newly purchased big sister of Mehalah (Wauqviez Aphtrite 43) around the world from January 2020

Why: “seeking freedom away from a superficial society”

Good luck with realising your dream, Carlos!