What to Do in Tenerife: The Best Activities on Spain's Volcanic Island
Updated: 4 days ago
Tenerife in November is 23°C and sunny, which is the only fact you need to understand why the island fills up with northern Europeans every autumn and winter. But Tenerife is more than the beach resorts of the south — Teide National Park contains the third-largest volcano on earth by volume, the Anaga Rural Park in the northeast is one of the last laurel forests in the world, and the whale watching off the west coast is among the best in the Atlantic.
Here's what to book year-round, with November as the sweet spot.
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Best for First-Timers: Mount Teide Summit Tour with Cable Car & Transfer
Teide is 3,715 metres — the highest peak in Spain and the highest point in the Atlantic islands. The cable car takes you to 3,555 metres; the final 163 metres to the summit crater requires a permit booked separately (essential, limited daily capacity). The guided tour from the south handles the transfer, the cable car tickets, and the guide who explains the geology of what is genuinely one of the more extraordinary volcanic landscapes in the world. The views on a clear day extend to five other Canary Islands simultaneously.
November is good: the cable car queues are shorter than summer, the air at altitude is clear after the autumn, and the volcanic landscape with a dusting of early snow on the summit is one of the classic Tenerife images. Book the summit permit separately and in advance — they sell out weeks ahead.
Tours: Tenerife: Mount Teide guided tour with cable car & summit transfer · Tenerife: Teide sunset & stargazing night tour with pickup · Browse all Tenerife tours on GetYourGuide → · Search Viator →
Best for Families & Kids: Whale & Dolphin Watching, Los Gigantes
The waters off Tenerife's west coast — the channel between Tenerife and La Gomera — are home to a resident population of pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins that makes this one of the most reliable cetacean watching destinations in the Atlantic. The Los Gigantes cliff coastline (700-metre vertical basalt walls dropping into the sea) adds visual drama that makes this one of the more memorable boat trips in Spain regardless of the wildlife.
Short-finned pilot whales are the year-round specialty — a species that lives here permanently rather than migrating through. Sperm whales, loggerhead turtles, and occasionally blue whales are also recorded. Catamaran tours from Los Gigantes or Los Cristianos run daily; 3–4 hours, swimming stop included.
Tours: Tenerife: whale & dolphin watching from Los Gigantes · top-rated · Tenerife: Los Gigantes cliffs & wildlife catamaran tour · Browse all Tenerife water tours → · Search Viator →
Best if You Only Have a Few Hours: Anaga Rural Park Forest Walk
The Anaga massif in the northeast of Tenerife is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve containing one of the last intact laurel forests — the laurisilva — in the world, a relic of the subtropical forest that covered the Mediterranean basin 20 million years ago. The walking trails through the Anaga pass through forest at altitude that feels genuinely ancient and completely unlike the volcanic south of the island. The views from the ridge paths over the Atlantic and down into the barranco gorges are among the best on Tenerife.
November is good — the forest is wet and green after the autumn rains, the mist comes and goes through the trees, and the birdlife (Bolle's pigeon, Laurel pigeon, Tenerife blue chaffinch) is most active in the cooler weather.
Tours: Tenerife: Anaga Rural Park laurel forest guided hiking tour · Browse all Tenerife nature tours → · Search Viator →
Most Unique: Teide Stargazing Tour at 2,200 Metres
Teide National Park sits above the cloud layer that covers Tenerife's lower slopes for much of the year, and the altitude, the dry air, and the distance from urban light pollution make the night sky above Teide one of the clearest in the northern hemisphere. The guided stargazing tour takes you to the national park at 2,200 metres after dark, with professional telescopes, a certified guide, and the kind of sky that makes most people reconsider how much of it they've been missing.
November nights are cool at altitude (5–10°C) but the sky clarity after summer is excellent. The tour usually runs 2–3 hours and includes transport from the south coast resorts.
Tours: Tenerife: Teide National Park stargazing tour at 2,200 metres · Browse all Tenerife night & stargazing tours → · Search Viator →
Best Guided Experience: Tenerife Full-Island Day Tour — North, Teide & South
The full-island day tour covers what most visitors to the south coast resorts never see: the historic towns of La Orotava and La Laguna (a UNESCO World Heritage colonial city), the Teide National Park viewpoints, the Orotava valley banana plantations, and the Masca gorge viewpoint on the west coast. A single day that shows you why Tenerife is not just its beaches — the cultural and geological range of the island in 8 hours with a guide who knows which parts justify the time.
Tours: Tenerife: full-island guided day tour — north, Teide & historic towns · Browse all Tenerife full-day tours → · Search Viator →
Looking for Somewhere to Stay?
The south (Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas, Costa Adeje) for beach and resort infrastructure. Puerto de la Cruz in the north for the historic town atmosphere and access to Anaga and the Orotava valley. Teide itself has limited accommodation inside the national park. Browse hotels in Tenerife →
Where to stay: Where to Stay in Tenerife in November: The Best Hotels for Beach, Family and the Teide →
More on Tenerife and November in Spain
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