Los Gigantes Tenerife

One of Tenerife's most breathtaking sights is best seen from a boat: properly known as Acantilados de los Gigantes, the soaring dark rock face rising 600m from the Atlantic marks the abrupt edge of north-western Tenerife's Teno Massif. There's nothing more to the site but its sheer grandeur, but that's enough to attract almost all visitors to Tenerife. Come by car or coach and join a sightseeing boat when you arrive or, perhaps better, take a boat excursion from one of the resorts. Either way, it's not until you see another boat cruising gently at the foot of these cliffs that their true majesty becomes clear.

The cliffs rise from one end of a pleasant bay called La Canalita. At the other end of the bay there's a small resort with a quiet, civilized feel and a black sand beach called Playa de los Guios. Being slightly remote, it preserves a calm holiday atmosphere now rare on the island. The cliffs and the sea guarantee that this little resort cannot expand much.

South of Los Gigantes, however, the coast has been heavily developed, mostly with apartment blocks. An excellent black sand beach called Playa de la Arena near the former fishing village of Puerto de Santiago creates a focal point to the urban sprawl.