People who want to know about Tenerife often ask about the beaches and want to know what the sea is like in Tenerife? Yellow sand? Are there cliffs? What is special about the beaches of Tenerife? Which beach is the best in Tenerife?
Different people have different preferences when it comes to choosing a favourite beach and that is why I don’t think there is one beach that is the best, so I will also refrain from giving ratings and prefer to give as accurate a description as possible of the beaches that I think are the most interesting in Tenerife.
The sea in Tenerife is very different from what we know from the country, Greece and Turkey, and even those who are not sea experts can feel that the ocean is more than just Mediterranean water.
Being on a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean means lots of deep, clear water, strong waves and currents, bays and high cliffs. Because it is an island, and each beach has a different angle to the direction of the wind and waves, on each beach you will find different conditions to the previous beach. In addition to this there are a variety of sandy beaches, rocky beaches and cliff areas.
The coastal strip of Tenerife can be divided into three zones: the south (on the map 1-7), the east (8-10) and the north (11-15).
The south coast is hot and dry all year round, with hardly any rainy days. On cloudy days the temperatures are pleasant. This area has the best and most pleasant climate on the island, so you can go to the beach most of the year.
The east coast: similar to the southern region, but there is a lot of wind in the southern part of this region. In the northern part of this area you will find one of the most beautiful beaches of the island (Tercits beach).
The north coast: in this area it is colder and more humid. There are more cloudy and rainy days but also on this side there are special and beautiful beaches and on sunny days it is very beautiful because of the abundance of colours of the vegetation that grows in this area.
Punta Teno 1 – Punta Teno
Punta Tenu is the most westerly corner of Tenerife which ends in a small peninsula with a beautiful lighthouse on it. The beach is very small but unique because it is the connection point between the north and south side of the island.
North of Punta Tano it is almost always windy and the sea seems rough.
South of Ponte Tano begins a strip of cliffs hundreds of metres high that do not let the wind come in and in this area the water is calm and calm.
One of the last times I was at Punta Tano, it rained on the north side, which is reached by a narrow road from Buena Vista. When I arrived at Ponte Teno, suddenly everything was clear and the sun was shining, there was no wind at all and the sea was really calm and still. It felt like going from winter to summer in minutes.
The beach is very small, so it is recommended to stop here for half an hour to an hour and keep walking.
MASCA 2 – Playa de Masca
A small sandy beach at the foot of huge cliffs. It can only be reached by boat or by a three-hour descent on foot from the village of Masca, at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres above sea level.
Due to the difficult access, there are very few people at Maska Beach, making it an excellent place to spend the day for those who want peace and almost solitude.
LOS GIGANTES 3 – Los Gigantes
The beach of the village of Los Gigantes is located behind the marina. It is about a hundred metres long of natural black sand at the foot of the large cliffs that start right here. The advantage of this beach is that it is usually quiet but it is a bit difficult to find parking for those coming from outside the village.
On the other side of the village in the area of Puerto Santiago there is another beach called Playa La Arena where it is easier to find parking.
ALCALÁ 4 – Alcalá and Playa San Juan
In Alcalá there is a beautiful beach right next to the Hotel Meliá, a clean and natural beach with partly black sand and partly rocks and natural pools.
A short distance away there is a surfing beach, less suitable for swimming because of the rocks at the water’s entrance, but for surfers it is one of the best places in the winter season. It is also my home beach where I surf.
A little south of Alcala there is another village called Playa San Juan and this village also has a nice beach and there is also a boat school which offers rental services for sailing boats, kayaks and paddle boards and is therefore especially suitable for families with children.
For more details about sailing yacht charter, please contact us
ADEJE 5
The beach in the Adeje area starts in a village called La Caleta and continues to the hotel zone of Costa Adeje. Clean white sandy beaches, very well organised and with all the services you would expect from a beach area in the Tirutti area.
COSTA FAÑABE 6 – Costa Fañabé
This area is very similar to the Adeje area and here too there is a stretch of sandy beach with a long promenade lined with car parks, restaurants, bars and services for the many tourists who come here all year round.
LAS AMERICAS, LOS CRISTIANOS – 7 – Las Américas and Los Cristianos
They are still tourist areas like Adeje, but in Las Americas there is more open sea without piers and there are some good spots for surfing waves. You can also find a surf school and shops to buy and rent equipment.
For more details about surfboard rental and surf lessons, please contact us
EL MEDANO 8 – El Médano
A paradise for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Besides that, right next to El Médano you can find one of the most beautiful sandy beaches of the island, Playa Tahita and next to the beach right by the sea there is a mountain 171 metres above sea level called Montaña Roja (La Montaña Ruha).
For more details about surfboard rental and surf lessons, please contact us
SAN ANDRES – PLAYA LAS TERESITAS 9 – San Andres – Playa Las Teresitas
According to many it is the most beautiful beach in Tenerife. The yellow sand from the Sahara desert arrived in boats and trucks to create a stretch of beach that looks more like Miami Beach for the benefit of the residents of the capital city of Santa Cruz.
Playa Las Teresitas is located in a small fishing village called San Andrés, seven kilometres north of the capital city of Santa Cruz.
IGUESTE DE SAN ANDRÉS 10 – Igueste
For those who like quieter, more secluded beaches, head to Igueste, a small fishing village at the end of the road north from San Andrés. On the way to Igueste you can find a small black sand nudist beach and there is also a small beach in the village itself.
TAGaNANA 11 – Taganana
Here again it is a slightly more isolated area and beach. In this area it is often cloudy and rainy, but on sunny days Taganana is a perfect place to spend a day away from all the noise of the southern resorts.
Spending time on a quiet beach in a small fishing village and eating fish in the local fish restaurants is a Canarian experience that you won’t get if you choose to stay in a hotel or in the tourist areas.
BAJAMAR – PUNTA DE HIDALGO 12 – BAJAMAR AND Punta de Hidalgo
A beautiful green mountainous place with a variety of beaches, mainly rocky beaches with natural pools. In this area there are several surfing beaches and you can find the best and biggest waves in Tenerife. In this area you can still feel the Canarian atmosphere and there are much less tourists than in the southern beaches and Puerto de la Cruz.
LOS PATOS 13 – Los Patos
Black sand beach at the foot of cliffs. Located to the north of the town of Puerto de la Cruz. It is a bit difficult to find your way to the beach but it is worth the effort because even at Los Patos beach you can feel a local Canarian atmosphere and less touristy than in Puerto de la Cruz for example.
PUERTO DE LA CRUZ – 14 – Puerto de la Cruz
In Puerto de la Cruz there are several beaches, the most beautiful and famous of them all is Playa Jardin which really looks like a garden and like most of the beaches of Tenerife, Playa Jardin is also a black volcanic sand beach.
This is still the northern part of the island, so there are fewer sunny days here than you might expect on the south coast, especially as it is the winter season.
PLAYA SOCORO- 15 – Playa Socorro
A similar beach to Playa Los Patos, but Playa Socorro is on the other side of Puerto de la Cruz and is also very easy to find and reach from the main road. Here too it is a black sandy beach with high cliffs at the end. Sometimes there are dangerous currents and there is a danger of drifting towards the cliffs with no way back to the beach, so it is always best to stay in the centre of the beach and obey the instructions of the lifeguards.
