When it comes to the Canary Islands, Tenerife is the largest of them and the one that receives more visitors every year, thanks to its amazing landscapes, variety of views and surfaces, exotic beaches with aquamarine water that is perfect for surfing and water sports, due to outstanding breaks and high waves. 

There are plenty of different activities to carry out in Tenerife. Whether visitors are searching for a place to swim, a mountain to explore, sports to practice on the water or land, magic towns to visit and connect with the island's culture or to experience natural wonders, Tenerife definitely has it all. Here are some examples: 

Spend a Day in Siam Park 

The Siam Park is a water park in Tenerife that has been considered the best in the world for at least a couple of years in a row, due to the many entertaining features and things to offer that the park includes. For instance, the Siam is available anytime of the year and even in winters, with pools that provide waves and falls with heated water up to 24 degrees Celsius. 

Among other things, the Siam Park is perfect for children and the whole family to enjoy, with slides and other entertainment options on the water. Because of the perfect weather in Tenerife and conditions in the park, visitors should not get worried about the time of the year when to come, since the most comfortable conditions are always present at Siam Park. 

The exotic village of Masca 

The region and town of Masca is a very exotic and picturesque place in the island of Tenerife, from the cultural point of view since this is where people from the island got hidden when pirates and other criminals came to the city, also having landscape benefits with amazing views since Masca is surrounded by a mountain and the Rock Beach and nearby valleys, through roads that are ideal for hiking.

Masca is a very visited place and it gets crowded most of the days, so it is recommended to get there early to avoid traffic and enjoy the amazing landscapes and spots from the most comfortable views. People living in Masca are very nice and receive visitors with kindness, offering services as tour guides and there are also local companies focused on tourism.

Dolphin and Whale Watching Between Tenerife and La Gomera

Aquatic life in Tenerife waters is incredible, allowing visitors to enjoy dolphin and whale watching and other related activities and sports. However, to watch sea creatures there is no better place in the archipelago than the space between Tenerife and La Gomera, another Canary Island. 

For instance, 3-hour cruises are offered in which visitors can watch sea mammals, dolphins, whales and more from very close, as an activity that is quite exciting for children and families in general. In these cruises, Tenerife visitors may choose from many service packages that offer unlimited drinks, food and hotel pick-ups for best convenience. 

Splash in Aqualand in Costa Adeje 

Costa Adeje is of the most beautiful coastlines in Tenerife, with plenty of water activities to do that involve surfing, diving, swimming, dolphin sighting and more. Now, for those searching for a water park in this part of the island and be able to enjoy all of these activities mentioned before, Aqualand Costa Adeje is the perfect place to visit. 

Aqualand Costa Adeje is a venue that is designed for the whole family, including packages that allow interacting with dolphins, taking slides on water cannons and more, in a safe and comfortable environment. For visitors arriving to Costa Adeje with family, Aqualand is definitely an experience to have since children will have a blast with no doubt. 

Visit the Anaga Rural Park 

The Anaga Rural Park in Tenerife is a magical place to visit in the island, which is known for its laurel trees and beaches as the Benijo that is considered of while waters, perfect for surfers and other water sports. In winter, the Anaga Rural Park is quite crowded due to the amazing landscape with foggy clouds and an exotic feel, but never reaching uncomfortable temperatures thanks to the island´s ideal weather conditions. 

Culture and ways of life in Tenerife and in the Canary Islands in general are very interesting to see, since regarding this territory there is a particular phenomenon that is not common and is worthy of being addressed, from the cultural, anthropological to social and geographical points of view. 

You see, the Canary Islands is an archipelago or group of islands that are located in African waters in the Atlantic Ocean. 

All of the territories and islands in the archipelago: Tenerife, El Hierro, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, Lanzarote and La Graciosa belong to Spain and the administration and laws are ruled by Spanish Kingdom, due to historical reasons. 

Therefore, idiosyncrasy, language and other cultural and social elements generally recognized as Spanish are present in the Canary Islands and of course, in the residents´ ways of life. However, that influence is not that great in comparison to other countries and nations where the whole territory shares social and cultural elements alike. 

Unique Cultural Identity in Tenerife and the Canary Islands 

Residents of Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands share a unique and independent sense of proper identity, which is separated from Spain in almost every way. In simple words, Canarian people are Spanish but they think of themselves as something more, and this is not a coincidence by any means. 

This Canarian identity residents of the distinctive islands have, and of course including the people from Tenerife, which is so unique and separated from Spain have clear reasons:  

• The first one is separation and geographical motives, since the archipelago is completely apart from Spain and the Iberian Peninsula. Actually, the islands are located in African waters and the continent is nearby, closer to Africa than to Spain. Since 1982, Tenerife and the Canarias is a Comunidad Autonoma or Autonomous Community. 
• In direct relation to geography, culture and exchange between people from the African continent and Canarian residents is very rich, influencing food and gastronomy, behavior, social expression, ways of speaking or slang and even architecture.
• Canary Islands have been a territory of immigration since many decades, where Latin American communities thrived and specially settlers from Venezuela, bringing their own idiosyncrasy, food and customs to the island of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and the other regions in the archipelago.
• And last but not least, the owned and proper sense of identity of the Canarian is related to the Guancho; the Canarian native that lived on the islands and had their own culture and vision of the world, which is obviously apart from the Spanish one due to separation and geography. 

Also, it is important to point out that cultural elements and regional identity may differ from one island to the other, since the whole archipelago territory is quite extensive and there is even some rivalry present among them and the distinctive elements that make them unique. Tenerife and Gran Canaria´s rivalry is quite noticeable, although pride of being Canarian is also shared. 

Way of life, social and cultural characteristics of Canarians

Canarians and Tenerife residents are proud and kind people, hard workers due to the agricultural past of the island, before the industry of tourism took the main role for income in the archipelago. So, while small farms or “fincas” remain and have even reinvented themselves as restaurants, “guachinches” and more, most of them have disappeared and owners moved to the tourist sector.
 

Food, on the other hand, is an aspect that has been deeply influenced by multiculturalism, with dishes and ingredients, along with a general exotic feel provided by African and Latin American cuisine. Of course, this multiculturalism is due to immigration as a phenomenon that is quite known in the island for decades. 

Festivities are another important part of the Canarian and Tenerife residents. For instance, the Carnival of Tenerife is the second in importance worldwide, celebrated in January and February of every year and addressing different cultural expressions such as disguises, masks, dance and presentations.

People living in Tenerife and the Canary Islands are fun, kind, pride and sport lovers, quite aware of their own proper identity and the benefits of the territory they live in, from the tourist and cultural perspective to the one the islands develop and boost their economy.