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The most beautiful beaches in Tenerife

Tenerife's most beautiful beaches

Below you will find some nice swimming spots and the most beautiful beaches in Tenerife. There are a number of hidden beaches on the Canary Island that are worth going to. The advantage is that those places are rarely or not visited by the general public. We always go on a journey to find remote places where we can swim and snorkel. Tenerife does not have many, but if you look for it, there are some nice swimming spots around. Here you will find the five most beautiful beaches in Tenerife plus 2 extra tips!

El Puertito - Tenerife

El Puertito

Number one on my list of "Beautiful beaches Tenerife" is the beach of El Puertito. For most people this beach will not be far from their residence or hotel. El Puertito is located at 13km from Playa de las Américas and 15km from Los Cristianos, two places where many tourists stay. The strange thing about Puertito is that there is a totally different atmosphere than in the aforementioned (for us too) busy cities. In my opinion the town of El Puertito has retained its individuality and has one of the best beaches on Tenerife for us. It is mainly the locals who come to enjoy the quietly located enclosed bay on weekends. How it is possible that no hotel has been built here is a mystery to us!

Tenerife's most beautiful beaches
El Puertito - Tenerife
Tenerife's most beautiful beaches - El Puertito - Tenerife
El Puertito - Tenerife

Best place to see water turtles

Be sure to bring a diving mask and snorkel, as it is one of the best beaches for spotting seaturtles and fish. We usually walk immediately after parking along the beach towards the rocks on the side of the bay. If the water is low, you can sit and lie on the flat rocks. The children also thought it was fantastic to play with their landing net. From the rocks you can sometimes see the turtles coming out of the water with their heads up to breathe. Note: There are some broken irons sticking out of the rocks here and there, which used to be used to attach boats with a rope. You can also lie on the beach, but found that part not very clean. People come to BBQ there and sometimes sleep in a tent on the edge of the beach. Right next to the beach there is a cafe, where it is not expensive to have a drink.

Playa de Ajabo

This black sand beach is located on the outskirts of the coastal town of “Callao Salvaje” in Adeje. The first time we came to Tenerife on holiday, we rented a holiday home in the part where Azul Beach Club is located. We had access to the sea from the apartment for fishing, but we could not swim safely in the sea. That is possible at the beach “Playa de Ajabo”. We went there twice and thought it was a good beach. It is quietly located and you can have a cheap drink in the adjoining bar or on the beach. In 2015, a beer at the beach cost 1 €! From the pier we saw small Portuguese warships drifting by ...

Playa de Ajabo - Tenerife
Playa de Ajabo - Tenerife
Playa de Ajabo - Tenerife - Tenerife's most beautiful beaches
Playa de Ajabo - Tenerife

Playa La Arena

A slightly busier beach in Puerto de Santiago, but for small children it is an ideal place to safely enter the sea. The black sand enters the sea fairly slowly and there are no boulders. The only disadvantage is that the black sand can get very hot, but with swimming shoes this is quickly resolved. Playa La Arene definitely belongs in the list of “Most Beautiful Beaches Tenerife”! While we were there, our kids got a free surfboard from people who went home. They enjoyed that throughout the holiday. At the end of our holiday we passed the board on to other children.

Playa La Arena - Tenerife - Tenerife's most beautiful beaches

Cueva la Vaca

At an 5 minute walk from the Playa La Arena, you can possibly take a look at Cueva la Vaca. The black rocks can be reached via a staircase at the parking lot. I went climbing with my son on the rocks. You have to pay attention, because the rocks are very sharp.

Tenerife's most beautiful beaches - Playa La Arena - Tenerife
Playa La Arena - Tenerife
Cueva la Vaca

Playa de Los Gigantes

This narrow beach is tucked away in the spectacular town of Los Gigantes. It has a black sandy beach that can easily be reached along the port of Los Gigantes via a shopping promenade (Calle los Guíos). At the end of the shopping street you come to the beautifully situated beach "Playa de los Gigantes" with a view of the cliffs of Los Gigantes. It is also called Playa de los Guíos. When we were there the sea was a bit wild, but the kids enjoyed playing in the waves. The surfboard came in handy. For small children, the beach with rough sea is less good.

Tenerife's most beautiful beaches - Playa Los Gigantes - Tenerife

Playa Abama

Playa Abama has a beautiful and quietly located golden sandy beach. It looks like this is the private beach of the 5 star hotel, the “Ritz-Carlton Abama" The hotel is right on the beach, but is actually a normal public beach and therefore accessible to everyone. Follow the TF47 motorway and take the exit to the Abama Resort and at the roundabout take Guia de Isora. You can't go all the way down by car. You will have to walk a little, but it is worth the walk. There is a breakwater off the coast so you can usually swim and snorkel in calm water. There is a bar on the beach and you can rent beach beds.

Extra Tip 1: Charco de los Frailes

Charco de los Frailes is one of those places that you happen to find. On the way from Masca to Icod, to have a look at the old tree, we passed the beautifully situated Garachico. We parked in the parking lot of "Mirador del Emigrante" to take a picture of the fishing village. A steep path leads down to the sea from the parking lot. After 100 stairs you can turn left and the path continues to the beach or you keep to the right and then you come to all kinds of tide pools where you can swim. When we were there the tide and the sea were fairly calm. We have only been there once, so I'm not sure you are able to reach the tide pools during high tide.

Charco de los Frailes - Garachico - Tenerife's most beautiful beaches
Great swimming spot

Better than the natural swimming pools of Garachico

We actually went for a swim in the natural swimming pools of Garachico, but stayed there for hours and didn't get there anymore. Our son was very well entertained in the many tidal pools with his landing net. Because the water can heat up longer, it is more pleasant to swim in April than in the cold sea. Also in the sometimes 2 à 3 meter deep pools are fish, which you can see with a diving mask. In most you can go in and out, but you always have to be a bit more careful than with a nice sloping sandy beach. But that makes it so much nicer for us.

Charco de los Frailes - Tenerife
Garachico - Tenerife
Charco de los Frailes

Extra Tip 2: Surfing beach El Médano

El Médano (the dune) is best known as the ideal beach for windsurfing. It is also one of the best beaches for kite surfing. The place has a wide sandy beach and the wind direction for surfing is perfect. Every year the windsurfing world championships are held here. The golden beach of El Médano is located in the southeast of Tenerife and offers good accommodation. As a normal sandy beach, the strong wind that blows constantly makes it less good. On the first part of the beach (closest to the city) you can stay a bit out of the wind.

El Médano - Tenerife - Tenerife's most beautiful beaches
El Médano - Tenerife
El Médano - Tenerife
El Médano - Tenerife

Less good: Playa Los Enojados

Unfortunately, this beautiful beach at Las Galettas has been ruined by a number of campers. Everywhere they leave garbage lying around and let their dogs roam free. The many tents, sometimes almost to the beach, have created a kind of intimidating atmosphere that makes me prefer to stay away. We made a nice walk along the coast, which started at Playa Los Enojados. Along the coast on the walk, there were home-made barracks and there was waste everywhere. Feel free to let me know if the place has been cleaned up in the meantime.

There is plenty to do for a fun holiday on the Canary Island of Tenerife. We were there twice for 2 weeks and were never bored. In "Tenerife - Nature Island with a fantastic climateYou will find all the sights and what to do in Tenerife!

Tenerife's most beautiful beaches: Map

Video El Puertito

Wim & Jessica

We created the travel blog "Globetrotter Avenue" as a hobby, but also to share travel experiences with others. In the meantime we have visited more than 40 countries. We love nature, forests and mountains, but also sun, sea and beach. When we are not traveling, you will find us in the garden. Enjoy reading!

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