It was time to move on and explore another Canarian island and so we did an overnight journey to Tenerife and stayed in the marina in the islands capital – Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The island is the largest island in the archipelago and is home to Spain’s highest mountain, El Teide, at 3717m. El Tiede divides the islands climate and landscape resulting in a lush and verdant north, home to the capital city, and a hot and sunny south, home to lots of English tourists!

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the main commercial port, which we had to go through to reach the marina. The city is right on your doorstep but it was a bit of a trek through car parks and the Cruise Ship Terminal to get there and the whole area is surrounded by green mountains, very dramatic. The Nuestra Senora de Africa produce market is probably the best in the Canaries so we stocked up on all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables and some home-smoked sardines and mackeral. The city has plenty of leafy, shady places to sit and watch the world go by and a stroll along the waterfront brings you out at the auditorium, home to the city’s symphony orchestra, where local artists have painted portraits of famous musicians on the breakwater rocks. Right next door is the Parco Maritimo, where Cesar Manrique (the famous artist from Lanzarote) has had a hand in creating a fabulous recreational area with turquoise swimming pools, palm trees and lots of space to chill out in the sunshine.

With friends arriving in the south of the island, we headed down to Marina San Miguel and on the way saw a family of Short-Finned Pilot whales just floating beneath the surface, sending spouts of water up into the air. What a treat that was!

CRUISERS NOTES
Marina charges approx. 30 euros/night incl water & electricity
Free wifi but not very good signal
Washers & dryer in marina
All provisioning needs in city
Camping gaz exchange at chandlery but it is quite a way from marina.