Hidden Gems of Tenerife: 10 Places Most Visitors Never Find

Everyone lands and heads for the same beaches — but the Tenerife that locals love is made of quieter places: a cave village in the mist, a cove only fishermen use, pools carved by lava. Here are the island's hidden gems, worth the extra miles.

The north and north-east

• Chinamada Cave Village — an Anaga hamlet where people still live in troglodyte houses carved into the mountainside, wrapped in laurel forest and sea fog.
• Mirador de Benijo and the wild Benijo beach below — the dramatic north coast at its rawest, best at sunset and almost empty on weekdays.
• Puertito de Güímar — a tiny south-coast cove with palm-fringed sand, popular with locals and practically unknown to visitors.

Garachico and the west

• Garachico Natural Pools — lava-rock swimming pools on the edge of an old port town; the whole Garachico experience is a hidden gem in itself.
• Caletón de Garachico — a peaceful sunbathing slab of lava rock beside the pools.
• Puertito de Armeñime — a quiet family cove tucked between the resorts of the south-west, shallow and calm.

The south-east

• La Jaquita, Alcalá — a pebble beach with a local beach-bar scene, mostly Canarian families on weekends.
• Puertito de Armeñime — worth a second mention for being the only genuinely low-key beach in the busiest resort zone.

Staying in style

For a base that feels like a hidden gem itself, the Finca Salamanca farm estate above La Orotava pairs rustic charm with La Orotava's historic streets a short walk away. Pair the coast with the viewpoints that make the interior worth the drive.

Practical notes

The north-east gems need a mountain road and some nerve — drive slowly and park at the village entrance. Benijo beach has no facilities: bring water and shoes. Puertito de Güímar and Armeñime are family-safe, but La Jaquita is shingle, so waterproof shoes help. Mornings are quieter everywhere; by 11:00 the Anaga viewpoints fill with tour minibuses.