XXXI Feria de Artesanía de Canarias 2015

Every year shortly before Christmas, the Canarian Government organizes a Regional Arts & Crafts Fair. Last year’s was held in Gran Canaria, and this year’s will be in the Recinto Ferial in Santa Cruz between 3 and 6 December. There are normally around 150 or so arts and crafts stalls offering all kinds of traditional products, from food to jewellery, from leatherwork to lace, and from woodwork to carving, pottery to etchings. 


XXXI Feria de Artesanía de Canarias 2015

Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 30 November to 6 December

The outlook for the first week of December on Tenerife is looking quite good. The week should start with cloudy spells, sunshine and a good chance of showers at some point on Monday. Tuesday in the south looks cloudiest, but after that it should be a sunny week with some cloud and only a slight chance of showers. The week should start very warm, with shade temperatures reaching upper 20s in some parts of the coast before it settles at 19/22C in the shade more or less everywhere.

Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 30 November to 6 December

Tenerife Tourism: 5.3 Million Visitors by the End of 2015

Tenerife tourism board expects to close the year with an increase of about a 2% or 3% in tourist arrivals amounting to 5.3 million tourists by year-end.

The announcement was made by the Spanish island’s Tourism Minister, Alberto Bernabé, who attributed the total number so far to the recovery of the Spanish market in particular, and to the stability of international tourism this year.


"This is one of the highest totals recorded historically, together with 2006, with 5.4 million visitors, and 2007 and 2008, also with about 5.3 million visitors," the minister explained in a press release.


Tenerife Tourism: 5.3 Million Visitors by the End of 2015

Christmas programmes 2015-2016

This Christmas is now properly underway with Adeje, once again, being first off the mark with its Christmas programme of events, including concerts, carols, markets, nativity scenes (belenes), and religious services. Adeje Navidad 2015-16 is HERE (in English HERE), and starts this Thursday with the blessing in the Centro de Mayores of the first belén of many throughout the municipality.


Christmas programmes 2015-2016

A Warm Glow Of Chestnuts In Valle San Lorenzo

My nose was being tickled and teased by the warm waft of chestnuts roasting in tall metal braziers, and similar smells were drifting out of bars and restaurants as we walked up the main street of San Lorenzo. While rampant commercialism was whipping shoppers into a frenzy elsewhere, there was a traditional Canarian feel to the small town just above Los Cristianos.



A Warm Glow Of Chestnuts In Valle San Lorenzo

A Sleigh Full Of December Events In Tenerife

Brace yourself for the hectic run in to the festive season, Tenerife will build the excitement steadily with a diverse range of events aimed at all tastes and ages.



A Sleigh Full Of December Events In Tenerife

Something for the weekend: Tablas and Chestnuts

As every year, on the eve - 29th November - of San Andrés (St. Andrew's Day, which is on 30th November), Tenerife - which shares the St Andrew's Cross or Saltire as it's flag with Scotland - celebrates the event in its own inimitable style.

As much has been written about these events before, I won't reiterate all the detail, but in Icod de los Vinos, you really should see the The Arrastre de las Tablas, which Jack Montgomery describes, "this involves local lads and girls sitting on wooden and metal sleds and launching themselves down nose-bleed steep streets". The Safety Elf will have been banned from the town for a couple of days, while this happens on both the 29th and 30th November.

Las Tablas de San Andrés event has it's own website here. And, here you can read more about the origins of the tablas (in Spanish).

Meanwhile on the evening of 29th November, in Puerto de la Cruz' central Plaza del Charco, you might prefer to watch, and certainly won't be able to avoid hearing, the fiesta del cacharro y la castaña (the pot and the chestnut); "children dragging metal objects of all sizes through the streets to emulate wine barrels being dragged over the cobbles", whilst eating a poke of castañas (chestnuts).

Chestnuts, Wine and Sleds for San Andrés on Tenerife

Island Hopping from Tenerife to Cape Verde

Before I moved to the Canary Islands I mistakenly assumed that islands within an archipelago would bear a major resemblance to each other. I could not have been more wrong. Experience has taught me that time and weather can mould islands within a short distance of each other in very different ways. So how different would one entire archipelago could be from another?



Island Hopping from Tenerife to Cape Verde

Keeping Fit on Your Tenerife Holiday

Holidays can be a mixed blessing if you like to keep fit. You need to wind down without losing your fitness level. You don’t want to be in the hotel gym when the sub-tropical climate beckons but you would like to find a way to compensate for those papas arrugadas and ice creams. Welcome to The Canary Islands, where the climate actually encourages you to get out there and ‘do it’.



Keeping Fit on Your Tenerife Holiday

Vilaflor as a Base for Walking on Tenerife

Where’s a good base for being able to step from my hotel and onto various hiking trails on Tenerife?


There aren’t that many places on Tenerife where you can do this. One of them is Vilaflor on the edge of the pine forest way above the south coast.



Vilaflor as a Base for Walking on Tenerife

Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 23 to 29 November

The outlook is for end of November weather I’m afraid, with the cold weather front affecting Europe having an impact on the Canary Islands. In the south and south west the week should start bright but the second half of the week could be quite overcast. In the north it might be the other way around with a cloudier first half of the week and a brighter weekend. Santa Cruz and the east might be best for sun this week with only Tuesday looking sun free, although it will have cloudy spells on other days as well. Drizzle and rain could be a feature of the week with some rain forecast everywhere on every day. At this point Saturday looks best bet for most rain.



Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 23 to 29 November

Sunset and Stars on Teide Tour

It’s just after 5pm, the people around me are
wearing fleeces and long trousers. The temperature is about 8C and
dropping with the sun. A car pulls up and a man, woman, girl and boy get
out to check if the cable car is still running.
They are all wearing shorts and T-shirts. The family clearly haven’t
done any research into how the temperatures at altitude are
significantly cooler than at the coast.




On the beaches of Costa Adeje and Puerto de la Cruz it’s 30C, unseasonably hot for November, thanks to the presence of a calima.
The temperature at the upper cable car station is -2C. It’s lucky for
the T-shirt wearing family that the cable car is no loner running as far
as the general public is concerned. It is, however, going to transport
us to almost the top of Spain’s highest mountain as we’re on the Sunset and Stars on Teide.





Sunset and Stars on Teide Tour

My Favourite Places to People Watch on Tenerife

I sometimes think people watching should be classified as an actual activity, like hiking or shopping. I don’t know if it’s a particularly British trait or if every other nationality enjoys it too but for me, it’s a great way to relax, soak up the beauty of my surroundings and simply drift away. These are my personal favourite places to indulge …



My Favourite Places to People Watch on Tenerife

Legends come to Tenerife

REGGAE band UB40 kick-start an ambitious new project here in the South when they perform a special gig in March. They will play at the auditorium in the Pyramids of Arona on Friday, 18th March.



Legends come to Tenerife

Something for the weekend: Conmemoration of the eruption of the Chinyero volcano

Chinyero Volcano eruption 1909

This weekend, on Sunday, 22nd November, a commemoration of the 106th anniversary of the eruption of the Chinyero volcano - now part of the Reserva natural especial del Chinyero (Chinyero natural special reserve) - is being held. A committee of parishioners from the village of Tamaimo, along with the Santiago del Teide Town Hall organise this commemoration each year.

The last eruption of the Chinyero volcano in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, ran from 18th to 28th November 1909.

The event will begin at 13:00 with the traditional memorial Mass officiated by pastor Anatael Medina, followed by a procession of the image of Santa Ana, then a staging of the eruption, with a shared lunch for all participants to terminate.

Conmemoración de la erupción del Volcán Chinyero

Image: «Chinyero y lavas» por Mataparda - Trabajo propio.
Disponible bajo la licencia CC BY 3.0 vía Wikimedia Commons.

Elsewhere this weekend:

• Fiestas de Santa Cecilia 2015 in Güímar
• Baile de Magos Villa de Santiago del Teide
• VI Tapeando Isora 2015

Learning to Live With Lizards on Tenerife

We have at least four types who inhabit the same space as us. The Tenerife lagarto (lovely markings), copper-coloured skinks with a metallic sheen, a small striped lizard (no idea what that’s called) and the nocturnal geckos which we positively encourage to come into the house as they are mosquito munchers, not that we get too many of those.



Learning to Live With Lizards on Tenerife

Tenerife Walking Festival 2016

It was a great success on the first occasion last year (link), and now the Tenerife Cabildo has announced that the second Tenerife Walking Festival will be held between 29 March and 2 April next year. As before, attendees will be able to enjoy some incredible walks in Tenerife, where there are some 1,500 km hiking routes. The number of places for next year’s festival is limited to 300, and so those who are interested will benefit from early inscription – and there’ll be a discount as well for those who register before 31 December. For more information, and to register, the official website is:



www.tenerifewalkingfestival.com



Tenerife Walking Festival 2016

Adeje and the new Arona council again join forces, this time to tackle taxi fraud

Another example of the benefit of the political earthquake which took place in Arona in the last elections, and further proof of how that results in coordinated action between the two councils, comes in Adeje and Arona issuing a joint statement of policy to stamp out taxi fraud in south Tenerife. The two transport councillors of Adeje and Arona, Andrés Pérez Ramos and Leopoldo Díaz, met earlier this week with the Tenerife Cabildo’s Initiative & Mobility representatives, Miguel Becerra and Manuel Ortega, to look at this, and other related transport issues.



Adeje and the new Arona council again join forces, this time to tackle taxi fraud

Prado Museum Brings Madrid Art To Tenerife

There is a big appetite for culture in Tenerife, not just from local artists like Oscar Dominguez of La Laguna but also great painters from different countries and eras. Santa Cruz is fortunate that the Caja Canarias HQ in the capital has a steady stream of big exhibitions, the latest, Los Objetos Hablan (Objects Speak) brings 60 exhibits from the famous Prado Art Museum in Madrid until 16 January 2016.



Prado Museum Brings Madrid Art To Tenerife

Scenes of Isla Baja, Tenerife's Secret Corner

As secrets go, Isla Baja in the north west of Tenerife isn’t a well kept one. Well, it is and it isn’t.

Millions of visitors to Tenerife will have visited one of Isla Baja’s treasures. Masca falls within the boundaries of Buenavista del Norte, one of the municipalities (boroughs) that make up the area known as Isla Baja. Garachico, another favourite on the coach excursion circuit, is also part of Isla Baja.

Less visited are the towns of El Tanque and Los Silos. The prettiest part of El Tanque lies away from the main roads that link the north west coast with the south west coast, whilst the streets of Los Silo are far too narrow to accommodate coaches. These historic lands, so sought after by the richest conquistadors, have slipped from the beaten track. It’s ironic that many of the routes most modern visitors follow are not the same as those which our Victorian counterparts tread.

Isla Baja isn’t particularly easy to get to from the main tourist resorts. This little fact does actually keep much of it secret.



Scenes of Isla Baja, Tenerife's Secret Corner

Air accident simulation in TFS tomorrow morning

Granadilla’s Cecopal (Centro de Coordinación Operativo de Emergencias Municipales) has announced that there will be an air accident simulation in TFS tomorrow, 18 November, at 11am. If anyone sees smoke or an apparent plane crash, or emergency services in full action, this will almost certainly be related to this exercise, and should not give cause for concern.



Air accident simulation in TFS tomorrow morning

Tenerife’s Migrants

Many European retirees choose to escape the dark winter of their homeland in favour of the balmy temperatures of the Canary Islands, but don’t want to become full-time residents. We residents fondly refer to them as ‘swallows’ or ‘snowbirds’, but they aren’t the only species touching down on Tenerife’s shores as winter enfolds northern Europe. Birds, whales, sportsmen in training, people convalescing from illness, and more, all arrive with autumn temperatures, some pass on, some linger until warmer times arrive.



Tenerife’s Migrants

Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 16 to 22 November

The outlook for this week is more typical of November weather with temperatures dropping  from Wednesday to seasonal norms, plenty of sunshine everywhere with the south west and north looking best for sunshine hours. However, it’s likely there will be cloudy spells on some days and possibly showers on Wednesday. Sunday is looking most likely for rainfall everywhere… except in Teide National Park.



Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 16 to 22 November

Something for the weekend: Tapas and Bargain Fair

Does it get any better than this combination?

This weekend on both Saturday and Sunday, 14th and 15th November, the X Feria de Tapa y Saldo (10th Tapas and Bargain Fair) takes place at the Mercadillo del Agricultor, el Vino y la Artesanía (Agricultural, Wine and Crafts Market) in La Matanza de Acentejo. The fair is open from 9am to 4pm on both days and entrance is free. The tapas are an amazing bargain themselves at just €1 each and a glass of the local wine is just 50 cents!

X Feria de Tapa y Saldo

A few other things happening this weekend:

• Second Maratón Internacional Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• Adeje’s Degusta.me fair starts off November’s tapas route 
• Guía de Isora Feria de Saldo this Saturday, 14 November 
• Noviembre, mes del Vino Tacoronte-Acentejo 2015
• Paseo canino solidario en La Orotava 
• XII Feria de la Ciencia 
• IX Ruta de la Tapa 

Tenerife’s official public holidays for 2016

The Canarian government has fixed the calendar of public holidays for 2016:

– 1 January (Año Nuevo/New Year’s Day)
– 6 January (Epifanía del Señor/Epihany)
– 2 February (Tenerife’s “island day” for patron saint Virgen de la Candelaria)
– 24 March (Jueves Santo/Easter Thursday)
– 25 March (Viernes Santo/Easter Friday)
– 2 May (Monday in lieu of Fiesta del Trabajo/Workers’ Day)
– 30 May (Día de Canarias/Canaries Day)
– 15 August (Asunción de la Virgen/Assumption)
– 12 October (Fiesta Nacional de España/Spain Day)
– 1 November (Todos los Santos/All Saints Day)
– 6 December (Día de la Constitución Española/Constitution Day)
– 8 December (Inmaculada Concepción/Immaculate Conception)
- 26 December (Monday in leiu of Christmas Day, which falls on a Sunday.)

Ten of those are "fixed" National Fiestas, two are decided at the the level of the whole Canary Islands, then each island also has an additional day of it’s own, which in Tenerife’s case is 2 February (Candlemass – the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple a.k.a. Feast of the Purification of the Virgin) for the island’s patron saint’s day, the Virgen de la Candelaria, bringing the total number of public holidays in 2016 to 13.

Then, in addition to this, each municipality has a further 2 local days.

Calendario Laboral Tenerife 2016 (Download PDF)
Via: 2016 public holidays and local fiestas

Tenerife North Airport Gets a Food and Shopping Facelift

Departing for a flight at un-Godly o’clock has never
been my strong point. Luckily, most of my red-eye flights tend to
depart from Tenerife North airport where the vibe is much more relaxed
than in its southern counterpart. Arriving at the airport at around
5.30am a few weeks ago, I had to shake myself fully awake to take in the
transformation. Tenerife North airport just got a whole lot sleeker…



Tenerife North Airport Gets a Food and Shopping Facelift

Good News for the Island, Walking on Tenerife is on the Rise

More than five million people visited Tenerife last year, the greater percentage seeking sunshine and beaches. But of that 5 million, 16% went for a walk on at least one of Tenerife’s hiking trails. In real terms that amounts to 775,000 people enjoying walking on Tenerife. That’s a pretty serious figure.



Good News for the Island, Walking on Tenerife is on the Rise

Autumnal Tenerife – November’s chestnut fairs

Just as in the UK it’s conker time, November in Tenerife is a cosy and autumnal month with chestnuts roasting over many a live coal in braziers in the streets. The reason is a series of fairs in honour of San Andrés, who is, of course, the saint whose feast day in Scotland is on 30 November. Here in Tenerife, though, it’s celebrated on the 29th, though the fairs can take place several days either side of this.



Autumnal Tenerife – November’s chestnut fairs

All You Need to Know About Self Guided Walking on Tenerife

Whether you’re planning to spend your entire holiday enjoying the diverse walking Tenerife has to offer or whether you just want to take in a couple of routes in between sun bathing and relaxing, you’ll find everything you need to know about self-guided walking on Tenerife in Walk This Way Tenerife.



All You Need to Know About Self Guided Walking on Tenerife

Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 9 to 15 November

It’s change of season time which means the weather patterns can vary quite significantly. A calima which will mainly affect Lanzarote and Fuerteventura will have some impact on Tenerife with the south seeing the highest hike in temperatures. For the main it will be a warm and sunny week at coastal level. It could be a very different picture on Mount Teide where rain is forecast at crater level and… wait for it… snow on the mighty mount’s slopes. We could have a white volcano by the end of the week.



Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 9 to 15 November

Guía de Isora’s famous tapa route – Tapeando Isora

The sixth edition of Tapeando Isora will offer 28 specialities throughout seven towns in the municipality. The tapas route runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 19 November and 6 December, with tapas and a drink on offer for just €2.50. This tapas route is now getting a real name for itself, and marking Guía de Isora out as a centre of gastronomy in Tenerife.



Guía de Isora’s famous tapa route – Tapeando Isora

Something for the weekend: Bargain fair EXPOSALDO 2015

The place to go this weekend is the Bargain fair EXPOSALDO 2015 currently taking place at the Recinto Ferial in Santa Cruz (Avenida de la Constitución, 12, Santa Cruz de Tenerife).

The Exposaldo fair is dedicated to the sale of items in liquidation, offers and ends of lines. It's on from 5th to 9th November, 11 am to 9 pm daily, with 120 companies, including some well-known brands. Entrance is just €1 (children under 10 accompanied by an adult and the over 65’s go FREE).

Exposaldo Invierno – Winter Bargain Fair 2015

The Places In Between: Costa Adeje to Santiago del Teide

Thinking about visiting the pretty village of Santiago del Teide during your Costa Adeje
holiday? You have a choice of routes, including the recently-opened section of island ring road, or the coast road, snaking past Playa San Juan, Alcalá and affording a glimpse of the spectacular cliffs at Los Gigantes.

The Places In Between: Costa Adeje to Santiago del Teide

TFS Terminal Two will be operational in 2021, with works to start next year

Tenerife president Carlos Alonso says that TFS will finally have its second terminal in 2021. Works will start next year, after monies were confirmed today by the national Public Works minister, Ana Pastor, with over €120m coming from Aena alone. President Alonso said he was very satisfied with the announcement after Tenerife initially believed it had been left out with money for developments and improvements going instead to Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and El Hierro airports. The new terminal will expand the southern airport’s capacity by more than 30%.



TFS Terminal Two will be operational in 2021, with works to start next year

Author details surviving Tenerife aviation disaster in 1977

Alexander was a passenger on Pan Am flight 1477, one of two Boeing 747 jumbo jets that collided on the island of Tenerife in March 1977, killing more than 583 passengers and crew. It was the worst aviation disaster in history. He has written a book, "Never Wait for the Fire Truck," which recounts the details of the tragedy and how it led to reforms in commercial air travel.



Alameda: Author details surviving Tenerife aviation disaster in 1977

Adeje Ayuntamiento to participate in Remembrance Day this Sunday

Adeje will play an official part in Remembrance Day events this coming Sunday, 8 November, with deputy mayor Amada Trujillo Bencomo attending the service in Callao Salvaje Community Church in Sueño Azul.  The event will start a few minutes before 11am when people are asked to be in place to participate in the two-minute silence, which is marked throughout the British Commonwealth at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in memory of the minute the guns of Europe fell silent in 1918. This year the ceremony records a particular anniversary – 70 years since the end of WWII in 1945. As well as being recognized by Adeje’s deputy mayor, the Callao Salvaje service will be attended by British vice-consul Helen Keating as well as other representatives of the British community in South Tenerife.



Adeje Ayuntamiento to participate in Remembrance Day this Sunday

Tenerife in November

Find out what's on in Tenerife in November, what the weather averages are and grab a free copy of our exclusive image of the month.

Tenerife in November