Tenerife Island Tour: Is it Really Worth It? – A Review

Planning a vacation, or a bit of an escape to Tenerife, and spotted the ‘Tenerife Island Tour’? Well, you could be thinking, is it worth spending a day, plus, the cash on a guided spin around this pretty Canary Island? I went on one recently, and it’s almost time to share what I found. So, too it’s hopefully, you will get a good picture if it suits your holiday vibe, and expectations.

First Impressions: Gearing Up For the Island Adventure

So, booking the tour was pretty easy. There are a lot of companies offering this stuff, and, very comparing prices, and what’s included is probably a good shout. We went with one that promised a full day’s adventure, hitting the famous spots plus, a free lunch – bonus! First thing in the morning, or slightly early, we were picked up from our hotel. The bus was decent enough, that’s nice, yet our guide was a bit of a character. So, in some respects, he clearly knew his stuff, too, it’s nearly overloading us with dates, and stories from the moment we pulled away.

Yet, is that the first stop? It’s Teide National Park, and it is that pretty quickly. The drive up there is already spectacular, it almost has the scenery changing at every bend in the road. You could find yourself staring out the window a lot! So, too it’s, you start to get a real sense of how the volcanic landscape truly dominates Tenerife.

Teide National Park: Volcanic Majesty

Teide National Park really is the heart of Tenerife, arguably. I’d say it’s almost its soul. Rising majestically is Mount Teide, Spain’s tallest peak. Standing in its shadow definitely made me feel incredibly small. The landscape is stark, that’s to say beautiful in a rugged, alien way. So, it could be rock formations scattered around that resemble sculptures, or volcanic craters that tell tales of earth’s raw that may just leave you staring. I think the air is crisp and clean up there too. It really is noticeably different from the coast, is that so? We had a bit of time to walk around, and the cameras were clicking non-stop, for example. The guide explained the geology, but it seems, too it’s quite overwhelming trying to remember it all at once!

Anyway, the downside? We weren’t the only ones there. Teide can get properly busy, you know? Very trying to take that perfect shot without loads of other tourists in the background is just difficult. Too it’s almost worth it, but expect crowds, mainly during peak season, you know?

Masca Village: A Picture-Perfect Hideaway

Now, after the volcanic landscapes, and very heading down to Masca Village. Oh my goodness, honestly! The drive there is fairly something else – think hairpin bends, seriously, and narrow roads clinging to the mountainside. Definitely not for the faint-hearted! Yet, it is very much rewarded at the end.

So, too it’s Masca, that just a small, or what looks like an isolated village nestled among cliffs, right? Very picture-postcard material. We wandered around for what seemed only briefly, I mean very briefly, actually taking in the views, or what felt like the local atmosphere. It just felt a little too rushed though, which is slightly a pity, that makes sense. I could have easily spent an extra hour just soaking it all up, you know?

Icod de los Vinos: The Ancient Dragon Tree

Moving on from Masca, arguably next on the list was Icod de los Vinos, that the place of the legendary Dragon Tree, and is that one ancient fella. You might also hear it described as iconic, I have no idea why? We didn’t get to spend too long in the town itself, as I was saying, mainly just seeing the tree. That could be amazing, alright, no denying it, arguably seeing the Dragon Tree up close is just cool, for example. It’s a properly unique sight. I felt it’s the town which seemed nice enough. It just would have been good to have, say, a little extra time to wander around, to boot.

Garachico: Tragedy and Rebirth

Very another place we swung by was Garachico, I want to say next. It’s a town with a dramatic history, basically destroyed by a volcanic eruption hundreds of years back, it has sprung back up from the ashes, and all. You, that little something. We saw the famous rock pools created by the lava, alright, that they are, so it seems pretty neat, I have to say.

Yet, that one again, we only had a pretty short time there. Maybe, just enough to snap a few photos, you know, before we were hurried back onto the bus again. Arguably feeling a bit like a whirlwind tour is a fair assessment? Like you’re seeing everything but not properly experiencing it, you know?

Lunch and Other Considerations

Lunch, in short, was included. In fact, it was a pretty simple affair at a local restaurant. Typical Canarian fare, anyway. Very tasty, actually! Also, drinks were extra, right, and they didn’t break the bank. Arguably worth knowing about beforehand. You, the tour guides do benefit from bringing tourists to some restaurants/shops, or arguably is that their commission. You may want to weigh that when you’re choosing a spot for lunch. You could also see one of these types of “commission scheme” from shops.

Another heads up: these tours, generally, do involve a lot of driving. So, make sure you’re cool with sitting on a bus for prolonged stretches, literally. Arguably is that if you are, basically, and is that Tenerife has got pretty good roads. I think that you should travel reasonably comfortably!

The Verdict: Worth It?

Very then, circling back to the big question, and very is the Tenerife Island Tour a good shout? Basically, I’d say, yes and no, just maybe.

You, it is a cracking way to see a large chunk of the island if your time is relatively short. Is that, very getting a taste of different landscapes, or you could hear that that is of its towns without needing to drive, arguably. But, you, just bear in mind that you might be hopping from spot to spot. So, arguably lacking the depth of a more leisurely exploration.

Also, I’d probably suggest it more if you’re not really one for planning, or very confident with renting a car, that’s a way to go. In that case, a guided tour, you know, takes away all that hassle. You may prefer, in particular, this if you are only visiting Tenerife for a brief time.

You, the ‘Tenerife Island Tour’ is very likely a fantastic introduction to this Canary Island. If that interests you. You, just go in with the understanding that it is very likely, you only scratch the surface.