Tenerife's Gardens & Green Spaces: Where the Island Feels Lush

Tenerife is famous for its beaches, but its greener side is just as rewarding — and often more surprising. Thanks to the mild climate and volcanic soil, the island grows things that struggle elsewhere in Europe: palm gardens, ancient laurel forest, a 200-year-old fig tree and pine forest that climbs to 2,000 m. Here are the green spaces worth seeking out.

Historic gardens

• Jardín Botánico — founded in Puerto de la Cruz in 1788 by royal decree, this is the island's grand botanical garden, a dense tangle of tropical and subtropical plants dominated by an enormous, more than 200-year-old Indian fig tree (€3 entry).
• Parque García Sanabria — the lush heart of Santa Cruz and the largest open-air sculpture park in Spain, with lawns, palms and some two dozen modern artworks.
• Parque Taoro — a historic hilltop park in Puerto de la Cruz shaded by century-old dragon trees and tropical greenery, with sea views.

Forest and wilderness

The island's real green heart is wild:

• Corona Forestal — at over 46,000 hectares the largest protected area in the Canaries, a ring of Canarian pine forest encircling the Teide crater; the island's "green lung" and the source of much of its fresh water.
• Anaga Rural Park — the north-eastern mountains hold one of Europe's finest surviving laurel forests, the misty, mossy woodland that once covered the island.
• Teide National Park — above the treeline, the volcano's slopes are a botanical treasure in their own right, with unique species like the red Teide bugloss that grows nowhere else on Earth.

Gardens with a twist

Two of Tenerife's most famous attractions are, at heart, gardens in disguise: Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz surrounds its animal exhibits with immaculate tropical planting, and the famous viewpoints of the north — such as Jardina — sit right in the middle of the forest. The greenest way to see the island's other La Laguna is to arrive by tram and walk the old town's tree-lined streets.

Practical notes

The botanical garden, Parque Taoro and the sculpture park all work well with a stroller and are free (except the Jardín Botánico at €3). The best months for greenery are November to May, when the winter rains keep everything vivid; in summer the forests of Anaga and Corona Forestal stay cooler than the coast and make excellent half-day escapes.