As the largest of the Canaries, Tenerife’s coastline stretches out for 350km. The impressive shoreline is ideal for surfing, horse riding and, of course, sun bathing.

Tenerife Coastline, Spain by Jose Mesa

Put on your walking shoes

Further land inwards, a good pair of walking boots will come in handy as you’ll be tempted to foray into tropical-forest and volcanic lava. Almost 200 km² of the island is covered by the dramatic Teide National Park, which consists of 80% of the world’s volcanic formations. Over 37 marked walking tracks snake through rough badlands, past volcanic pipes, cones and smoothly twisted rock formations called pahoehoe and lajial lava. If you’re up for a climb, head to the northern end of Teide National Park where you’ll find the highest summit: Mount Teide. The park actually owes its name to this 3718m peak, which famously casts the biggest shadow on the sea worldwide. It’s a live volcano but don’t worry, it hasn’t erupted since 1909.

Unique species of Tenerife

Teide National Park is home to 14 plant species that don’t grow anywhere else on earth and 70 species of spiders, beetles and other invertebrates that have never been spotted anywhere else. But these rather wonderful little creatures aren’t the only endemic fauna of the island. The park also is the only home of the Canary Island Lizard, the Canary Island Wall Gecko and the Canary Island Skink.

If you’re into bird watching, keep an eye out for Blue Chaffinches, Bolle’s and Laurel Pigeons, tiny Tenerife Goldcrests, Crowned Cranes, Berthelot’s Pipits, Yellow Legged Gulls, Southern Grey Shrikes, Hoopoes and Canarian subspecies of Chiffchaffs, Blue Tits, Robins, Kestrels and Grey Wagtails as well as Atlantic Canaries.

Unexplored Guanche sites

As if this isn’t exciting enough, there also are hundreds of unmarked and unexplored archaeological sites with remains from the Guanches (the indigenous inhabitants). If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon one of these sites, admire what you see and do take lots of pictures, but please leave it exactly as you found it. Even taking just a small souvenir is plunder!

The Guanches are enveloped by mystery. All we know is that they migrated from North Africa to Tenerife sometime between 1000 BC and 100 BC and that they brought wheat, barley and domesticated animals such as dogs, goats, pigs and sheep with them.

Camels and Gorillas

The camels weren’t introduced to the island until after the Spanish Conquest, between the end of the 15th Century and the beginning of the 16th Century. But when you visit the Camel Park near Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas, you can see they’ve really taken to the island.

If the Camel Park sounds exciting to you, wait till you hear this: the largest all male troop of western lowland gorillas in the world is based in Villa Gorilla on Tenerife. The natural habitat for these gorillas consists of the rainforests of equatorial Africa, but zoo Loro Parque has managed to recreate the right environment in Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife. Gorillas tend to live in groups, but they usually emigrate from their natal troop when they grow up. When single males can’t attract enough females to form their own troop, they sometimes form an all-male troop. This is the situation that has been recreated in Villa Gorilla, the 3500 m2 area in Loro Parque that is reserved for the seven bachelor friends.

In March this year, the zoo keepers and vets of Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz left no stone unturned to celebrate the 40th birthday of the eldest statesman of the group: Schorsch. This is a very respectable age among gorillas, as only around 2 per cent of males in captivity reach this age. Schorsch, is only a couple of months older than the zoological park that he calls his home – Loro Parque will celebrate it’s 40th anniversary on 17th December 2012. If you want to escape Britain’s brass monkey weather this winter, book a flight to Tenerife for December and go ape at the zoo!

Experience this extraordinary beach destination for yourself. Prices for one way flights to Tenerife start at £51.49pp this January with Fly Thomas Cook.

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Area of Gennargentu National Park includes Gennargentu mountain that is mainly represented as the largest mountain complex in Sardinia, which peaks reach maximum heights of up to 1834 m above sea level (Punta La Marmora). During the brightest days you can see the entire coast of the island from those peaks. Other highest peaks of the mountain are Bruncu Spina (1.828m), Punta Florisa (1.822m), Punta Paolina (1.792m), Punta Erba Irdes (1.703m), Bruncu Allasu (1.701m), Monte Iscudu (1.676m) and Monte Spada (1.595m).

View Gennargentu National Park – mountains, meadows, rocks, canyons, valleys, forests, shrubs, beaches, cliffs and crystalline sea Sardinia, Italy in a larger map

Gennargentu mountains are connected to the mountains della Barbagia and extends to the sea where forms the bay of the Golfo di Orosei, wildest place over the Mediterranean.

The original idea of ​​establishing a national park in this area relates to people rather than nature itself. Recent local research has indicated that the area starts to slowly deteriorate and devastate and there was a noticeable decline in population. Unemployment also reached alarming values, the traditional sources of livelihood are dying and lack of employment alternatives.

Already in 1962 a plan to restore Sardinia was established, knowing that this exceptional region contains all the elements that clearly indicate the specific nature: richness of vegetation, flora, fauna, strong traditional economy (grazing) and also a very important historical and cultural aspects.

The climate of the national park is Mediterranean, with rainfall mainly concentrated in autumn, winter and spring. The higher mountain areas are characterized by a cool Mediterranean climate, which contributed to the maintenance of a typical high mountain vegetation. The snowfalls are frequent during the winter season but the length and thickness of snow cover is low.

View Gennargentu National Park – mountains, meadows, rocks, canyons, valleys, forests, shrubs, beaches, cliffs and crystalline sea Sardinia, Italy in a larger map

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Peneda-Gerês National Park has been established on 8 May 1971 due to its national and international scientific interest, and to protect the soil, water, flora, fauna, and landscape, while preserving its value to the existent human and natural resources. Therefore it is also the most important park in Portugal. Education and tourism are also goals of the park.

Peneda-Gerês National Park is blessed (or cursed) with more rain than anywhere else in Portugal.

Due to the difficult living conditions, there have never be lots of residents here, so the ecosystems was saved and now you can still see wolves, eagles and other predators king. Once an area was also a home to brown bears but it is not at this time.

The peaks reach a height of about 1 500 meters. You will find here beautiful, untouched picturesque landscape with nice peaks and forested valleys with oaks, pines and yew. Park is one of the most visited areas of the Minho region, but you can easily climb into the mountains, where you will meet only herds of mountain goats.

The Peneda-Gerês National Park is divided into two main areas: the southern part Serra de Gerês which is a very popular for hiking and quieter and wilder hills of the Serra da Peneda, with much lower number of tourists.

The main starting points are the towns Mezio, Lamas de Mouro and Geres, where you also find information centers providing detailed information on the most interesting places in the park. They also can advice you on accommodation and are familiar with the possibilities of sport activities such as horseback riding. The whole area is covered by numerous hiking trails leading to many places around the reservoirs, where you can refresh after the whole-day tour.

In the park you will find mountains, river valleys, the megalithic monuments (Antas), waterfalls and small mountain villages. You can observe many different species of animals (such as deer, wolf, fox or wild horse or eagle) and plants. The rarity of the park is in 15 kinds of rare wild flowers. In some parts of the park you can see the extraordinary interesting flora (including remnants of oak forest).

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