Tenerife holidays - travel guide - activities & sights

Golf is popular in Tenerife and many courses are dotted around the island. There's a large course in the North, and in the South Costa Adeje Golf and Playa de las Americas offer an equipment hiring service. Some hotels offer reduced green fees at local courses: look out for our golf symbol at selected hotels.

This terrific combination of zoo, botanical gardens, aquarium and parrot park will appeal to everyone. Located just outside Puerto de la Cruz and open daily, it boasts everything from Europe's biggest dolphinarium to fantastic gardens overflowing with exotic fauna and flora. Here, you can see the world's largest collection of parrots and an remarkable Parrot Show where macaws and cockatoos zoom around in free flight; as well as Planet Penguin, where king penguins, rockhoppers and other species hop around icy rocks and dive into chilled seawater all specially recreated to duplicate their natural Antarctic habitat. Other attractions include monkeys, tigers, gorillas, flamingos and lots of other animals, plus an impressive Orchid House filled with exquisite flowers.

Around the island there's a mixture of golden sandy beaches and attractive dark volcanic beaches. Playa de las Americas boasts Playa las Vistas - a long, man-made stretch of golden sand. Just outside Santa Cruz is Las Teresitas - a man-made white-sand beach and in Los Gigantes is the blue flag, dark sand beach of Playa Arena.

Situated in the centre of Tenerife, the Teide National Park is crowned by Spain's highest mountain and volcano, Mount Teide, which soars to over 3,700 metres in height. From here, you can enjoy spectacular views over the island and the volcano's vast crater, which measures an incredible 80kms in circumference. A cable car climbs most of the way up so you can experience the amazing vistas over the moon-like landscape, and the more energetic can walk towards the summit and crater rim - although we'd advise you to take sunglasses, sunhat and strong boots. Nature lovers will appreciate the Park's beautiful landscapes, which are home to unique flora like the famous Teide violet as well as lizards, rabbits, kestrels and vultures.

Tenerife's capital is well worth a visit. It stands in a stunning bay on the north east coast, sandwiched between the world's deepest harbour and the soaring Agnana mountains. The harbour's bustling atmosphere extends to the charming old centre. Here you'll find picturesque, cafe-lined squares like the Place de la Iglesia with its famous church tower, together with great shopping streets perfect for collecting traditional handicrafts and gifts. The main market with its lively fruit, cheese and wine stalls is open Monday to Saturday, and the Archeological Museum, filled with spooky skeletons, is also another fascinating place to visit.