Day Trips from Tenerife: Exploring Surrounding Islands & Coastal Towns

Tenerife, the biggest of the Canary Islands in Spain, is not just a destination by itself, but rather your ideal starting point to amazing jobs in this beautiful archipelago of the Atlantic. You can have holidays to Tenerife or soak up the year-round sunshine of the Canary Islands already, and you will be pleasantly surprised to find that some of the best Canary Islands experiences are only a short commute away by ferry or plane. Volcanic scenery and ancient forests, quaint fishing towns and beautiful beaches are some of the day trips from Tenerife to offer, the list of which will see your trip transformed between the brilliant and the unforgettable. This Canary Islands travel guide will assist you in manoeuvring the most ideal island-hopping tours and beach tours that reveal the true colour of this spectacular state.

La Gomera: A Journey Back in Time

Only half an hour by ferry boat out of Los Cristianos, La Gomera is like entering a different time. The island is a day trip that is one of the most fulfilling Tenerife attractions for families, and it is a total contrast to the busy resorts of its larger neighbour, the Canary Islands. The jewel in the crown is no doubt beautiful, Gara Jonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where banqueted old laurel forests, literally shrouding the place with an almost mystical feel that has not changed in a million years.

To get the best experience, it is better to book an organised day trip from Tenerife which includes transportation and a sightseeing visit or rent a car at the port to be more flexible. Valle Gran Rey, a beautiful valley of terraced hills falling to black sand beaches, and the terrifying basalt columns of Los Organos, best approached by a boat excursion along the northern coast, should not be missed.

La Palma: The Beautiful Island

La Palma is sometimes referred to as La Isla Bonita (The Beautiful Island), and it is a poetic name. Though it takes a short flight or a longer ferry trip to reach Tenerife, it is all worth it to those who want dramatic natural beauty and one of the best day trips from Tenerife for those who love nature. The Caldera de Taburiente National Park, which is the crown jewel of the islands near Tenerife encircled by pine trees and waterfalls that provide some of the best hiking in the Canaries.

The greatest attraction to La Palma is to watch the stars from Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. There are stringent laws here regarding light pollution. The southern volcanic terrain is there which is a result of the volcanoes as recent as 1971 (the latest ones were as of 2021), pits the alien terrain of black lava fields against a contrasting green north.

Should you consider that this is a day trip to Tenerife, either the north (Caldera and picturesque capital Santa Cruz de la Palma with its colourful colonial houses) or the south (volcanic scenery and the Teneguia volcano) should be given a high priority. It is necessary to hire a car as there is limited transportation.

El Hierro: The Canaries’ Best-Kept Secret

To all adventurous travellers, El Hierro is the last off-the-beaten-path experience that one can get in the islands near Tenerife. Being the least populated and the furthest of the primary Canary Islands, visitors here are less frequent, and this way, you will be exposed to the purest form of islands near Tenerife with few tourists. That is why it is especially attractive to solo travel Canary Islands fans, who want to find the real people and untouched nature.

The marine reserve of El Hierro is the dream of every diver and snorkeller, and the Atlantic waters are crystal clear and abound with life, such as groupers, rays, and even whale sharks (occasionally).

You cannot afford to pass by El Sabinar, with its juniper trees, many centuries old, blown by fierce trade winds, and turned into bizarre figures of some fantastic novel. The Mirador de la Pena is a structure that was created by one of the most famous local artists, known as Cesar Manrique, where you have a breathtaking view as you take lunch in their restaurant.

With the inconvenience of a few ferry services, El Hierro is more of an overnight trip than a one-day tour, although the people who travel to the Canary Islands get one of the purest Canarian experiences they can get. It is the ideal supplement to your Canary Islands travel guide in case you have a week or more in Tenerife.

Coastal Gems: Tenerife’s Own Hidden Towns

There is no need to go out of Tenerife to have great Tenerife day trips; the island itself conceals many treasures of the coast that so many tourists miss.

Los Gigantes, which is named after the spectacular cliffs that rise 600 metres above the ocean, gives boat tours as a way of viewing the dramatic coastline and, hopefully, dolphins and pilot whales.

Masca is a small village that is situated at a dramatic location in the Teno Mountains. It is an adventure getting there, witnessing mouth dropping scenery. Out of the village, trained hikers can take the popular Masca Gorge path down to an isolated beach- although it should be verified whether this is open at present, as the trail is at times shut down due to maintenance. This is some of the Tenerife island hopping itself as it passes along the coastline to the mountains within one day.

Tenerife Island Hopping: Practical Tips and Planning

It takes some planning, although the rewards are large, to successfully sail around the islands near Tenerife. The most common routes of the ships are to La Gomera (8 ferries per day at high season), served by ferry companies Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas on regular schedules between the islands. Purchase tickets beforehand in summer and during holidays because the services may be sold out.

The ideal timing consideration for the Tenerife day trips is La Gomera is an ideal day trip as it is best done with early morning departures and late evening returns. La Palma and El Hierro conveniently have options of staying overnight, but serious day-travellers can cope with La Palma with a very early arrival and a late departure.

In case you are committing to Tenerife Island hopping, then you may save money by buying a multi-island ferry pass. Most organised tour operators pack packages that take care of all the logistics, which can be worth the premium in cases where time is of the essence or when the traveller does not want to be on the road alone.

There exists a great variation in the weather patterns between islands and even the north and south coasts of the same island. The south of Tenerife may be blissfully sunny, and the north grey, and La Palma may be green and wet, whereas Tenerife is as dry as a bone.

Conclusion: Planning Your Perfect Island-Hopping Adventure

This Canary Islands travel guide can help you to explore more than one resort. Be it the old forests of La Gomera, the volcano theatrics of La Palma, the untouched natural beauty of El Hierro, Tenerife day trips open a new dimension of this intriguing archipelago. The diversity is such that one will find what to do–families will enjoy the commute to La Gomera by ferry, which is very easy, and adventure lovers will get infinite enjoyment by diving in the crystal waters of El Hierro, and those interested in culture will be entertained indefinitely by the old towns along the coast.

Are you willing to make your Tenerife vacation an island-hopping excursion? Travelodeal will assist you in finding the ideal hotel or resort based on Tenerife and offer professional guidance on how you can organise your excursions. The Tenerife day trips are there to be explored, whether you are looking forward to a relaxing week spent with one to two calming day trips or an island-hopping itinerary.