10 najlepszych wycieczek i zwiedzania na Teneryfie (2026)

Tenerife is really two islands sharing a coastline. The south is dry, bright and built for holidays. The north is green, wet, older and where most of the island's everyday life happens. Between them sits Mount Teide, a 3,715-metre volcano with a national park on top and, for much of the year, a sea of cloud halfway up it.

Most of that is not walkable from a resort, which is why a guided excursion is the practical way to see Tenerife. This list picks the ten best tours and experiences on the island, from Teide sunset and stargazing trips to whale watching, the Masca ravine and the island's two famous parks, and explains what each one is for.

1. Teide sunset and stargazing above the clouds

The flagship, and the one that justifies a full evening. This premium Teide sunset and stargazing experience climbs into Teide National Park for five hours, timed so you are above the cloud layer as the sun goes down and still up there when the stars come out. A picnic is included, with hotel pickup from South Tenerife or transport from a meeting point in Los Cristianos. Teide's skies are some of the clearest in the world and are protected as a Starlight Reserve, so the second half of the trip shows you a sky that most of Europe cannot see.

2. More ways to see the stars on Teide

Stargazing is the reason many people come to Tenerife, and there is a version for every plan. The Teide sunset and stargazing tour lets you drive yourself (about 3 hours), add a three-course dinner, or take a bus transfer from the south. The Teide stargazing and astrophotography tour adds Canarian tapas and help photographing the night sky, in a small group of up to 16 people with hotel pickup. For a full evening with hotel pickup from the south and an optional Canarian dinner, choose the Teide sunset and stargazing coach tour. Bring a warmer layer than you think you need: it can be twenty degrees colder at 2,000 metres than on the beach you left.

3. Above the Clouds: a morning on Teide

The contrarian choice. Teide in the early morning, above the clouds is a quieter experience: five hours in a volcanic landscape before the coaches arrive, with the cloud sea still below you and the light soft and wide. If you have done a sunset trip elsewhere and found it crowded, do this instead.

4. Masca, Teide National Park and sunset in one day

If you have exactly one free day, this is the one that does the most with it. The Masca, Teide National Park and sunset small-group tour lasts six hours, with meeting points in Los Cristianos and Las Américas. It links the island's two signature landscapes, the ravine village of Masca and the volcanic caldera of Teide, and finishes above the clouds at sunset. It is a long day, so it is not the best choice with young children.

5. Masca, Los Gigantes and the natural pools

The classic west-coast day, and the best introduction to the wild side of the island. This small-group trip to Masca, Los Gigantes and the natural pools lasts five hours: the hairpin road down into Masca village, the Los Gigantes cliffs dropping about five hundred metres into the sea, and a stop at volcanic rock pools, with a picnic included. A small group matters here, because the road to Masca is narrow and steep.

The cloud sea from the Teide National Park road at sunset, Tenerife

6. Whale and dolphin watching

The strait between Tenerife and La Gomera is home to pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins all year, so sightings are very common in any season. Pick the boat that suits you. The Los Cristianos whale watching cruise sails on the Peter Pan, a traditional schooner, for two hours with a swimming stop. The Viking ship whale watching cruise is a two-hour trip from Los Cristianos and a good choice for families. For a longer trip, the 3-hour whale and dolphin sailboat tour leaves from Puerto Colón in Costa Adeje with sandwiches and drinks on board.

7. Sailing under the cliffs of Los Gigantes

See the Los Gigantes cliffs from the water, where they look their tallest. This 3-hour sailing tour to Los Gigantes leaves the marina of Los Gigantes on the Sangria sailboat, stops in a quiet bay to swim and snorkel, and serves a drink and tapas on the way back. Watch for dolphins as you sail along the coast.

8. Hidden waterfalls and the wild north coast

The trip that surprises people who booked a beach holiday. This hidden waterfalls and wild north coast experience takes you for six hours, with hotel pickup, into the green and humid north: waterfalls, cliffs and villages that look nothing like the resorts. Go on a day when the south is hazy. The north is often clear when the beaches are not.

A waterfall in the green north of Tenerife

9. Private Anaga Forest, La Laguna and the north villages

Seven hours, private, and the most rewarding trip here for anyone who has been to Tenerife before. The private Anaga Forest, La Laguna and north villages tour covers the Anaga massif, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of ancient laurel forest, plus the old capital of La Laguna, the village of Taganana, Benijo beach and Las Teresitas. Private means the stops follow your pace, which matters on Anaga's winding mountain roads.

10. Loro Parque and Siam Park

Tenerife's two famous parks are a full day each. Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz is an animal park in tropical gardens, with live animal shows and a free mini train from the town centre. Siam Park in Costa Adeje is one of the best-known water parks in the world. To visit both, the Loro Parque & Siam Park combo ticket covers the two parks, but plan a separate day for each, because they are on opposite sides of the island.

For an easier day, choose an all-inclusive ticket. The Loro Parque all-inclusive pass adds a 1.5-hour guided tour, reserved seats at the shows, and unlimited meals and soft drinks. The Siam Park all-inclusive ticket adds a fast pass, food, soft drinks, a towel and a locker. For a smaller water park with a daily dolphin show, try Aqualand Costa Adeje.

More things to do in Tenerife

• Masca village with wine tasting and tapas – the gentler Masca day, with volcanic wines and Canarian food. Tenerife's vines escaped the phylloxera plague, so some of its wine comes from ungrafted vines that mainland Europe lost in the 1800s.

• Masca, Garachico and natural pools – a five-hour trip from Puerto de la Cruz to Masca and Garachico, the town that a 1706 eruption buried and reshaped, with a picnic by the ocean.

The volcanic tide pools at Garachico, on Tenerife's north coast

• Submarine dive – go 30 metres under the Atlantic from Amarilla Marina without getting wet.

• Paragliding over Costa Adeje – a tandem flight from 1,000 metres with a qualified instructor.

• Pyramids of Güímar – six mysterious stepped pyramids of volcanic stone in an ethnographic park.

• Casa de los Balcones – a 17th-century manor in La Orotava with carved wooden balconies.

• History the Show – more than 30 performers take you through music history, every Saturday evening in Playa de las Américas.

Group or private, and how to pick

Two of the routes above also run as private trips, which is worth considering for three or more people. There is a private Masca, Los Gigantes and natural pools tour and a private Masca, Teide and sunset tour, both six hours, with the stops set by you.

If you are choosing between Teide trips: morning for quiet, sunset for the spectacle, and the shorter self-drive version if you have a car. If you are choosing between coast trips: west for cliffs and swimming, north for green forests and villages. One Teide trip, one coast trip and one day on the water is the strongest three-day plan on the island.

One practical warning. The Teide cable car and the permit to walk to the summit are separate from these tours. The summit permit often needs booking weeks ahead, and the cable car closes in high wind. None of the tours above depend on it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best excursion in Tenerife? For most visitors, a Teide sunset and stargazing trip. It shows the volcano, the sea of clouds and one of the clearest night skies in the world in one evening.

How many days do you need to see Tenerife? Three days covers the highlights: one day for Teide, one for the Masca and Los Gigantes coast, and one for whale watching or a park.

When is the best time for whale watching in Tenerife? Any time of year. Pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live in the waters off the south-west coast all year round.

Is it cold on Teide at night? Yes. At 2,000 metres and above, the temperature can be close to freezing after sunset, even in summer. Bring a warm jacket.

Current prices, departure points and live availability for everything here are on our Tenerife tours and excursions page.