Derby internacional Arona & Tenerife - José Ledesma

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Tenerife Island
Island of Eternal Springtime

Tenerife is the largest island of the archipelago. There are most varied landscapes: a mountain range with the mighty volcanic crater Cañadas del Teide, with a diameter of 20 kilometers, and the 3.718 meters high Teide in its center; extremely fertile valleys with important cultures of bananas and tomatoes; and a seaside offering as well beautiful steep coasts as wide beaches of fine sand.

Salute Mayor of Arona:

D. JOSÉ ALBERTO GONZÁLEZ REVERÓN

Salute Councilman :

Don Francisco Enrique Toledo Hernández (Concejal Deportes)

Salute Councilman :

Don Ángel David Herrera González (Concejal Turismo)

The Happy Islands

This paradisiac group of islands, with a preferred climate and constant temperature through all the year, and splendid beaches of fine sand, consists of 7 larger islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, Hierro) and a few smaller ones (Alegranza, Graciosa, Montaña Clara, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste und Lobos). Surprisingly, the landscape of each island is radically different to the others.

Already Greeks and Romans reported on this archipelago of volcanic origins, and called it the Happy Islands, Garden of the Hesperides, Atlantida, ... Some historians suppose that the legendary continent Atlantis was located here. The islands' original population, called Guanches, is tall and of white skin.
In 1496 the islands became part of the Spanish kingdom, a short period of time later the ships of Christopher Columbus stopped here on their travel to discover the New World.

Located 200 km off the north west African coast, (though a Spanish Autonomous region). Tenerife is the largest of the seven main Canary Islands. Known for its diversity, Tenerife is several worlds rolled into one. The sunny tourist orientated south of the island boasts the majority of the beaches and virtually continuous sunshine. Daily temperatures range from typically 24 C in the winter to 34 C in the height of the summer.

With many attractions Tenerife's major tourist resorts (Los Cristianos, Las Americas) have several theme parks and attractions on their doorsteps, including the Aqua Park (Water Park), Ecological Park Las Aguilas, Tenerife Zoo and plenty of local entertainment.

Golfer's won't be disappointed either, Tenerife is home to five championship golf courses, four of which are located in the south of the Island including Golf Del Sur, Amarilla Golf, Golf Costa Adeje and Golf Las Americas. See our golf page for more information.

The north of the island gets slightly more rainfall and is consequently far greener and lush with vegetation and pine forests. A number of popular attractions are located in the north of the island including the Loro Park and Zoo of Puerto de La Cruz and the alleged 2000 year old "Dragon Tree" of Icod de Los Vinos.

More of the typical Canarian lifestyle has remained in the northern villages and the beautiful Canarian architecture of La Laguna and La Orotava give a real flavour of Tenerife.

The most dramatic scenes on the island are in the mountains. Traveling up the slopes which are covered in Pine forests you rise to the crater of the long extinct and partially collapsed volcano forming the Las Cañadas Amphitheatre and National Park with its spectacular lunar landscape and the towering Mount Teide (3718m) rising from its heart.

Dusted with snow in the winter Mount Teide is the highest peak in Spain, a cable car takes visitors to within 100m of the summit (weather permitting) and views of all seven Canary Islands can be enjoyed on a clear day from the top. Once you arrive and experience the pleasant all year warm, sunny climate (which is, not as severe as the Mediterranean) you'll realise why the Canaries are known as the fortunate islands.

CANARY ISLANDS

Introduction

The Canaries are a seething mass of oiled flesh, and offer the worst of mass tourism: concreted shorelines, tacky apartment blocks and bars where you can pretend you've never left home; but they also offer some of the best beaches within easy escape from a snowy European winter.

Luckily, it's not all mass tourism. Beyond the mega resorts you can still find tiny fishing villages, whitewashed hamlets perched on hilltops and even a few wild places within earshot of the dull roar of a volcano or with mist dripping through primeval forests.

Full country name: Canary Islands
Area: 7,447 sq km
Population: 1.84 million
People: Spanish, North African, small Latin American and northern European communities
Language: Spanish; Castilian
Religion: Roman Catholic
Government: Spanish autonomous region
Head of State: King Juan Carlos I
Head of Government: Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

GDP: US$219 million
GDP per capita: US$14,000
Annual Growth: 3.5%
Inflation: 4.3%
Major Industries: Tourism.
Major Trading Partners: France, Germany, Italy
Member of EU: Yes

Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Spain (of which the Canaries are a part) along with Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal, forms part of the border-free travel zone known as the Schengen Area. US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Israeli citizens are among those who may enter the Canary Islands as tourists without a visa and stay up to 90 days. EU passport holders can come and go as they please.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
Dialling Code: 34
Electricity: 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

When to Go

Go whenever - the weather is great year-round. December to March are the islands' busiest months, bringing the thickest crowds and higher prices. Being winter, the weather is also slightly cooler. The best value on airfares is offered from November to mid-December and even better, April to May (with the exception of the Easter rush).

Events

Like many of their mainland cousins, Canarios kick back and celebrate at plenty of fiestas and ferias (fairs) throughout the year. Carnaval in February/March is the wildest time, and brings several weeks of parades, fancy dress and general good times across the islands. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the party rivals the Rio Carnaval. From 21 to 30 June, the Bajada de La Virgen de las Nieves is the premier religious festival on Isla de la Palma, but is held only every five years (2005, 2010). The most important religious celebration held on Gran Canaria is the Fiesta de la Virgen del Pino, and festivities last for two weeks, culminating on 6 to 8 September.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hosts several important arts festivals, including the Festival de Música de Canarias (January); the Festival de Opera (February-March); the Festival de Ballet y Danza (May); and the Festival Internacional de Cine, an international film festival held every two years in October and November. If that's not enough, the Encuentro Teatral Tres Continentes draws theatre companies from Europe, Latin America and Africa to Agüimes (Gran Canaria) in September.

Money & Costs

Currency: Euro (€)

Relative Costs:
Meals

· Budget: US$3-5

· Mid-range: US$5-20

· High: US$20-40

· Deluxe: US$40+

Lodging

· Budget: US$20-30

· Mid-range: US$30-80

· High: US$80-100

· Deluxe: US$100+

Daily living costs are marginally lower than those in Europe, and budget travellers could manage on about US$40 a day. You would have to share rooms at the cheapest pensiones and apartments, eat only one restaurant meal a day (a cheap one), and get around slowly on foot, local bus and ferry. Flying soon burns a hole in your pocket. A more comfortable budget would be US$60-100 a day, which would allow you to move up a little in the accommodation stakes, eat more comfortably and possibly include a few days' car hire. The sky's the limit if you have no budget; you can spend US$30 or more on a halfway decent meal, stay in international hotels, fly everywhere between islands, go on tours and then eat baked beans for the rest of the year.

You're best off carrying your money as travellers cheques and plastic, with plastic probably nudging ahead as the best way to spend. There are plenty of exchange offices throughout the islands, and most hard currencies are widely accepted, although the New Zealand dollar could pose problems. It's not a bad idea to get your cheques in large amounts to save on per-cheque commission charges. Major brands of credit cards are widely accepted, and if you can, try to take more than one card, and try to keep them separate in case of theft or loss.

Tipping is a matter of personal choice in restaurants. If you're satisfied with the service, leave some small change - 5% is usually plenty. The only places you may be able to bargain are markets, although even there fixed prices are generally the rule. You may be able to bargain in some cheap hotels, where you might be able to negotiate a price for a long stay.

Attractions

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The largest town in the Canaries, Las Palmas has an unmistakably big-city feel. It sits on the northeastern tip of Gran Canaria and has begun swallowing up the small island of La Isleta. The city hugs the coast up a series of long boulevards to the bustling Santa Catalina and Puerto de la Luz.

The Catedral de Santa Ana is the city's main place of worship and took 350 years to complete. Nearby, the Museo Diocesano, set on two levels around the Patio de los Naranjos, contains the standard collection of religious art and memorabilia, including old manuscripts and wooden sculptures.

Isla de Lanzarote

It hardly ever rains on Lanzarote, so all the water you drink and wash in is likely to be desalinated sea water. It's an incredibly arid place, and at first glance may not appear to offer much, but UNESCO has declared the entire island a biosphere reserve.

The volcanic terrain is bizarre, and it's worth taking your time to move around the island and away from the three main resorts. It's not worth spending much time in the capital, Arrecife, as Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua are probably the main attractions.

Parque Nacional de Garajonay

The island of La Gomera's outstanding natural attraction is the ancient laurisilva (laurel forest) at the centre of the Parque National de Garajonay. Cool Atlantic trade winds clash with warmer breezes, creating a constant ebb and flow of mist through the forest, made dark by the dense canopy.

Forests like this grew over most of the Mediterranean until the last ice age. Most visitors head for the Alto de Garajonay, the island's tallest peak, from where you are rewarded with great views. Another good stop is La Laguna Grande just off the highway.

Playa del Inglés & Maspalomas

This is the party part of the Canaries, sun-starved snowbirds fly south for year-round sun, swimming, sex and such. From lager louts to Swedish sun-worshippers, they're all here within a couple of kilometres of suntan oil-soaked sand and tour operator-infested city blocks.

When you tire of the beach scene, try a theme parks or three: Palmitos Park, a subtropical oasis crammed with exotic flora and 1500 species of birds; Mundo Aborigen, with about 100 model Guanches posed to look how the real thing used to; or Sioux City, with good and bad guys shootin' each other up.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of the busiest ports in Spain, and its long harbour sees countless container ships, cruise liners and a host of inter-island ferries and jetfoils. Everything of interest lies within about 1km (0.6mi) of Plaza España.

The town has three museums - the Museo de la Naturaleza y El Hombre is easily the most interesting with its Guanche mummies and skulls, and its natural sciences section. The Museo de Bellas Artes has a lovely fine art collection and the Museo Militar de Almeyda specialises in the elements of war.

Off the Beaten Track

Betancuria

In 1405 Jean de Béthencourt gave his name, mutated to Betancuria, to a tiny settlement consisting of his house and a chapel. The island's proximity to the North African coast meant that pirates overcame the town's natural defences several times and sacked it, and only 600 people live there now.

A couple of kilometres north of town is the Mirador Morro Velosa, which offers mesmerising views across the island's weird, barren landscape. South of town is the Vega del Río de Palmas, a dry watercourse that is nevertheless wet enough below the surface to keep a stand of palms going.

Isla de El Hierro

El Hierro is about as far as you can get from the tourist hordes, bars and oil-streaked, cavorting naked Swedes. It is a rural island largely untouched by tourism, and the green farmland divided by rough stone walls is more reminiscent of the Irish countryside than a subtropical beach resort.

The capital is Valverde, the only Canaries capital not on the coast, and it's a lovely, red-roofed town of about 1600. The walking is good on the island, and you can pass through hamlets such as Echedo, in the heart of wine-growing territory, or the cheese-producing village of Isora.

Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente

This was the fourth national park declared in Spain in 1954. Its massive wall of volcanic rock is about 10km (6mi) in diameter, and its only real opening, the aptly named Barranco de las Angustias (Gorge of Fear) lies to the southwest. The walls drop away in some places to as much as 2000m (6560ft).

The park's lower levels are covered by dense thickets of Canary Island pine. Landslides are not infrequent as the forces of erosion are hard at work. Although calderas are volcanic craters, Caldera de Taburiente is not a crater but the result of slow excavation by erosion over millions of years.

Santa Cruz de la Palma

Most points of interest in compact Santa Cruz are within a few blocks of the waterfront Avenida Marítima. Beautiful, brightly painted old houses, some with wonderful balconies, line the waterfront. The heart of the old town, the prettiest part of it, surrounds Plaza España and Calle de O'Daly.

On O'Daly you'll find the 17th-century Palacio de Salazar, now home to the tourist office. Along both sides of the street centuries-old Canarian mansions house a mix of shops, bars and offices. Behind the Plaza Constitución is the modest 16th-century chapel Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Luz.

Activities

The most in-your-face activity in the islands is beach-lazing, but you don't have to look hard for more active pastimes. Mountain bikes are readily available, and the islands lend themselves to cycling. Plenty of tracks in the country are fine for hiking, and by the coast conditions for surfing and windsurfing are excellent. For windsurfers, the Bahía de Pozo Izquierdo is the best beach on Gran Canaria, which is the windiest of all the islands. The swimming is generally better in summer, as the Atlantic has powerful swells in winter. Go snorkelling or scuba diving and you might see rays, grouper, barracuda, turtles, tropical fish and the occasional shark. Deep sea fishing and sailing are good for those with a little more money to spend, and the fishing off Gran Canaria is excellent.

History

The islands are estimated to be 30 million years old, which is relatively young by geological standards. Their existence was known, or at least postulated, in ancient times.

Carbon dating has placed the earliest settlement at around 200 BC, although earlier settlement is possible. It was long suggested that Cro-Magnon, the Paleolithic predecessor to Homo sapiens, first inhabited the Canaries, although that is not now generally thought to be the case. One clue, apart from the ancient skulls of the original inhabitants, is the conquering Europeans' 15th-century descriptions of locals. Mainly on Tenerife, they found tall and powerfully built people with blue eyes and long fair hair. These people called themselves Guanches, from guan, 'man', and che or achinch meaning 'white mountain', in reference to the snow-capped Teide volcano. Suggestions for the origins of the Guanches have ranged from Celtic immigrants from mainland Spain or Portugal, to Norse invaders, supplying a possible explanation for the blonde hair and blue eyes. Berber immigrants from nearby Saharan Africa almost certainly inhabited some of the eastern islands, and place names bear a striking resemblance to Berber tribal languages. Occasionally blue eyes and fair hair crop up among the Berbers as well, so the Guanches' origin is still open to question.

By the time the Europeans began looking around the islands in the Middle Ages, they were inhabited by a variety of tribes often hostile to one another. Tenerife alone was divided into no fewer than nine tiny fiefdoms. The Guanches relied on limited farming, herding, hunting and gathering, and the majority of them lived in caves. The first vaguely reliable account of a landing by Europeans comes in the late 13th or early 14th century, when the Genoese captain Lanzarotto Malocello came across the island that would later bear a version of his name: Lanzarote. A host of dreamers looking for the legendary Río de Oro (River of Gold) that many thought flowed into the Atlantic at about the same latitude as the Canaries, missionaries bent on rescuing souls, and slavers looking to fill their holds passed by or came to stay, but it took a Portuguese-Italian mission of 1341 to finally put the Canaries on the map.

The first Europeans to attempt to conquer the Guanches were Normans from France in 1402, and the final campaigns more or less ended in 1495 under a Galician soldier of fortune. The century saw massacres, warfare and Guanches sold off wholesale into slavery, and within another century their language had all but disappeared, and the survivors had intermarried with the invaders, converted to Christianity and taken Spanish names.

Spain's control of the islands did not go unchallenged. First Moroccan troops occupied Lanzarote in 1569 and 1586, then Sir Francis Drake tried a little gunboat diplomacy off Las Palmas in 1595. A Dutch fleet reduced Las Palmas to rubble in 1599, then in 1657 the Brits under Admiral Robert Blake defeated the Spanish at Tenerife. The score: Spanish treasure fleet annihilated, British lose one ship.

Spain managed to hang on though, and the Canaries were declared a province of Spain in 1821. Santa Cruz de Tenerife was declared the official capital, adding fuel to the already low-level bickering between Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The inhabitants of Gran Canaria demanded that the province be split into two, which it was for a short and unsuccessful period in the 1840s. Several agricultural commodities followed boom-bust cycles on the islands: sugar cane, wine and then cochineal for making dyes all had their day, followed by bananas and to a lesser extent tomatoes and potatoes.

The WWI British maritime blockade of Europe destroyed the banana trade, and Canarios voted with their feet and fled the poverty at home in droves for a new life in Latin America.

The short period of hope that followed WWI was dashed when Spain fell into the chaos of civil war in 1936. In March of that year, the Spanish Republic transferred General Franco to the Canaries, under the (well founded) suspicion that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government. Franco seized the islands in July, then flew to Morocco to continue the fight, leaving the Nationalists to round up Republican sympathisers in the islands.

The Canaries suffered from the same post-war misery as Spain, and again thousands fled, although this time clandestinely and mainly to Venezuela. In the 1950s 16,000 left the country; a third of those who attempted the journey perished in leaky boats. By the early '60s, Franco decided to throw the country's doors open to sun-starved tourists. The latest and greatest boom - and the one that transformed the economy so miraculously and parts of the islands, well, less so - began. Millions of sun-seeking hedonists now flock to the islands annually.

The Coalición Canaria played a large role in the right wing Partido Popular's win at the general elections in 1996. They have lent their support to the government under the condition that consideration be given first and foremost to their needs, putting the interests of the islands before any national considerations.

Having been granted the status of a comunidad autónoma (autonomous region) in 1982, in recent times the Canaries have been leveraging their political strength. The islands made a rare entry into global headlines in April 2004 when 14 immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa drowned when their boat collided with another in waters near the Canaries.

Culture

The symbol of the Canarios' musical heritage is the timple, a ukelele-style instrument possibly introduced into the islands by Berber slaves shipped in for farm work by the Norman invaders early in the 15th century. The timple has travelled widely and been incorporated into the musical repertoire of Cuba and other Latin American countries. At traditional fiestas the instrument will accompany dances such as the isa and folía and, if you're lucky, the tajaraste - the only dance said to have been passed down from the Guanches.

The Guanches left cave paintings dating from the 13th and 14th centuries scattered around the islands, particularly in the cuevas (caves) of Gáldar, Belmaco, Parque Cultural La Zarza, and the Los Letreros. They mostly depict human and animal figures. It took centuries after the Spanish conquest for any artists of note to appear on the scene, but foremost among them was Gaspar de Quevedo, who painted in the 17th century. More notables from later centuries include Valentín Sanz Carta, who depicted the land in his 19th century works, and Manuel González Méndez, who was the islands' main exponent of Impressionism in the early 20th century. All the great currents of European art washed up on the Canaries. Among the abstract artists, César Manrique enjoyed a degree of international recognition. He is revered around the archipelago for his imaginative works and his tireless efforts to preserve Canary culture under the onslaught of mass tourism.

The Guanches do not appear to have known writing, but Italian historian Leonardo Torriani translated many of their ballads. Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) is considered by some to be the greatest Spanish novelist since Cervantes, and he grew up in Las Palmas and moved to Madrid in 1862. Isaac de Vega has been one of the Canaries' most outstanding novelists this century, and his novel Fetasa is a disturbing study of alienation and solitude.

Spanish, or more precisely, Castilian, is the official language of the Canaries, and only place names from Guanche survive. Roman Catholicism gained an early foothold in the islands, and although many Canarios' religious faith may be doubtful, the Church still plays an important role in people's lives. Most Canarios are baptised and have church weddings and funerals, although less than 50% regularly turn up for Sunday service.

People normally socialise in the streets, and dinner parties and gatherings in people's homes are the exception rather than the rule. Canarios enjoy Mediterranean hours, with a late morning start, a long break for lunch, siesta and family gathering from around 2pm to 5pm, and then a few more hours work before dining and more socialising well into the night.

Environment

Slightly smaller than the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, the Canary Islands consist of seven main islands and six islets, which are the tips of a vast volcanic mountain range lying beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Their nearest neighbour is Morocco, about 95km (59mi) east of Fuerteventura. The islands pack a huge variety of landscapes into a small area, including weird volcanic plateaus, cloud forest wreathed in mist, cliffs lashed by Atlantic squalls and green fields growing grapes and olives. Not to mention the block after block of apartments, international hotels and beaches coated in wall to wall holiday makers that are now as much a part of the Canaries as the natural attractions.

The volcanoes that form the islands' backbone saw the light of day at about the time the Atlas Mountains were formed in North Africa millions of years ago. The highest volcano, El Teide (3718m/12,195ft) is Spain's tallest peak and the third-tallest volcano in the world after two in Hawaii. All the volcanic activity has ensured that the soil is very fertile, but there are no rivers and the islands have been periodically plagued by water shortages. Most of the drinking water on some islands comes straight from desalination plants.

The varied altitude and rich volcanic soils have combined to create several biological treasures in the Canaries. About half of the islands' 2000 plant species are endemic, including the Canary Island palm, the Canary pine and the dragon tree, an ancient survivor that thrived before the last ice age. Microclimates in the islands allow for great variation in vegetation, from the Unesco-declared World Heritage sites of laurisilva, with lichen-covered laurels, holly, linden and heather, to the dry scrublands and semi-desert areas where saltbush, palms and the rare, cactus-like cardón de Jandía grow. The most interesting indigenous animal is the lagarto del Salmor, which grows up to 45cm (17in) long and is particularly ugly lizard found only on El Hierro. There are more than 200 species of bird, although many are no more than migratory visitors. The canary, of course, is found in the wilds, but don't expect the dainty caged varieties: the wild cousin of Continental Frilleds and Gloster Fancies is a dirty brown colour.

Theoretically, the Canary Islands are one of the most extensively protected territories in Europe, with 42% of the the land mass falling under some category of park land. The four national parks are the Parque Nacional de las Cañadas del Teide, with El Teide volcano as its centrepiece; the Parque Nacional de Garajonay, with a beautiful ancient rainforest; the Parque Nacional de Timanfaya, with active volcanoes; and Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente, which encloses an enormous eroded rock cauldron. The parques naturales form the second most extensive tier of parks, but they've generally seen a greater level of human intrusion, such as villages, farms and roads, than the national parks.

The Canaries bask in an eternal-spring climate, with mean temperatures ranging from 18°C (64°F) in winter to 24°C (75°F) in summer. On a hot day at the beach, it can still be pleasantly cool if you get up into the mountains, and you'll definitely need warm clothes if you reach any high altitudes during the winter. Except for Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the northern side of the islands is sub-tropical, while the south, including the first two mentioned islands, is drier and slightly warmer. There is not much rain except on parts of the windswept northern coasts, and what there is tends to fall on the northern side of the more mountainous islands. The flatter islands, with no mountains to trap rain clouds, receive hardly a drop of rain. On occasion, especially in summer, the sirocco (the hot wind from the Sahara) blows in from Africa, turning day into twilight and coating everything with grime. It's at its worst in the eastern islands, and is known locally as the kalima.

Getting There & Away

All the islands have airports. Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote accept the bulk of the international flights and those from mainland Spain. You can fly to the Canaries from most European cities, with or without stopovers in Spain. If you are flying from North America, flights usually go to Madrid, where you pick up a connecting flight. Your best bet may be to fly to London, or even Munich, and pick up a cheap flight from a discount travel agent there.

There is a weekly ferry from the southern Spanish port of Cádiz. Departure tax is factored into the cost of your ticket so you won't have to worry about last-minute cash searches as you prepare to fly home.

Getting Around

Binter is the local airline and although flying is not cheap, it is infinitely faster than the alternatives of bus and ferry. The islands are connected by roll-on roll-off ferries, hydrofoils and jetfoils. Buses are known as guaguas, which will bring a smile of recognition to anyone who has travelled in Latin America. Each island has its own service, which will get you to most of the main destinations, but the number of runs is disappointing, especially on the smaller, less populated islands where most people have their own wheels. All the big rental companies are represented in the Canaries, and there are also local operators. It may be worth booking a car in advance if you intend to stay for a reasonable length of time; if you decide to rent a car after you arrive, shop around to avoid the sharks. You can also take taxis wherever you go, but that is definitely the pricier alternative.