Top 5 beaches in Tenerife
To begin with TOP 5 section, I have chosen for you the best and most beautiful beaches, both with light and black sand, which you should definitely not miss when visiting Tenerife. All photos are taken by me and the information is purely from my experience and visits to these beaches. Below you can also see a map with marked beaches from the article that I created for clarity and better orientation.
Playa de Benijo
Location: In the north of Tenerife, next to the forests of Anaga
Accessibility: Reasonable - longer dusty path down
Type: Wild beach with black sand
The beach called Benijo is located on the very northern tip of Tenerife. From the capital, Santa Cruz, you can drive through the Anaga Forest or take bus 946, which stops at Almaciga and from there it is a short walk to Benijo Beach.
The whole coast is lined with other black and sandy beaches. It is a very popular place for surfers, because the ocean is wild here and the waves break one after the other. Enthusiastic photographers will also enjoy themselves, captivating not only the rocks around and rocky formations rising from the ocean, but also the contrast of white waves breaking on the black sand.
For visitors by car, there are 2 parking spots upstairs near the beach, one of which belongs to the local scenic restaurant. This El Mirador restaurant serves typical Canarian dishes, fish and seafood with truly breathtaking views of Benijo Beach. After a snack in the restaurant, you can head down the lined path and enjoy jumping in the waves and the unique atmosphere of this place surrounded by rocks.
However, Benijo beach is at your own risk and in my experience the ocean is very strong and the waves pull quite back, so be careful when swimming.
Playa de Diego Hernández
Accessibility: More difficult
Type: Wild beach with light sand
Beautiful natural and wild beach in the south of Tenerife with light sand, which hides on a partially uninhabited coast. This beach was nicknamed Hippie because there used to be a lot of people living in this style. This year, in 2020, there is no sign of them and I have no idea where they could have moved. The local Hippies also gave this coast a touch of freedom. There were dwellings made of wood and palm leaves, fireplaces for cooking and the possibility to buy handmade products from them.
There are two ways to get to this beach. One of them is to go along the coast through Playa de Los Morteros, which is really small beach and surrounded by rocks. This trail is more challenging and you will need more effort, but the path is lined with cactuses and other plants in the arid wasteland and wonderful views await you. I recommend sports shoes, as it is a small hike.
If you prefer a more comfortable path, head to the beach from Golf Costa Adeje, just behind the roundabout. This path leads a short distance along the Golf Course until you reach the edge of a rock, where small dusty paths lead down to Diego Hernández Beach.
When I visited this beach for the first time, the worse way was chosen (did not know about the other) and I was told our destination is beach, so I automatically took only flip flops. Well, I managed it anyway, but I really don't recommend it!
Playa del Bollullo
Accessibility: More difficult - a long descent down
Type: Wild beach with black sand
Playa Bollullo is one of the most beautiful natural beach in Tenerife. How to get to this beach? Take a pleasant walk from Puerto de La Cruz through banana plantations and along the coast full of cactuses, other plants and lizards.
At the end of the road you will find a beautiful view of Bollullo beach and a scenic restaurant, where I recommend a local brunch or at least a drink to relax. Next door is a parking spot for those who arrived by car and just want to go to the beach.
You can descend to Bollulo beach from the right side, where there is a paved path along the rocks. At some point there is a view of the adjacent wild beach -Playa los Patos where entry is unfortunately forbidden. So we continue down to Bollullo and pass the first part of the beach, which is a bit separated by a small rock. So you can be right at the beginning or continue to the end, where there is more space.
Down on the beach is the so-called "Chiringuito" (= name for local beach bars), which was very pleasant to enjoy there a drink or spanish tapas. A small cable car is built on the rock above it, so they have a clever way of supply.
The beach itself with shimmering black sand and surrounded by rocks is simply beautiful. But be careful, because the black sand burns insanely during hot days and the waves are quite big and pulling back to the ocean.
Playa de Las Teresitas
Accessibility: Effortless
Type: Calm beach with light sand
Las Teresitas is a very large and palm-lined beach located in the north of the island near Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the town of San Andrés. This beach is very popular for its unusual golden sand, which was imported from the Sahara in the past.
Las Teresitas is a very relaxing beach that is easily accessible and there is a large parking along the way. The beach is guarded and fully equipped (there are beach bars, sunbeds, showers, toilets, etc.).
Although it is sometimes really windy at this beach, the water is almost waveless and beautifully clear, thanks to a quarry built from the sides and in the middle, as you can see on the photo above. It is a suitable place for snorkeling and photographers will also enjoy themselves. The target of my photos were mainly seagulls, that like to hang around people on blankets and fly all over the beach. In addition, I recommend going up the road to the rock where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the beach Las Teresitas.
Playa del Médano and La Tejita
Accessibility: Effortless
Type: Wilder beaches with darker sand
First of all, I couldn't resist not to mention these both beaches right away! They are situated very close to each other and separated only by Montaña Roja. When I visited this place for the first time I liked them immediatelly for several reasons. The beaches are very large, sandy, natural and most importantly not crowded with tourists. The only disadvantage is that this coast is quite windy.
On the beach of La Tejita there are sunbeds for booking right next to the already mentioned mountain, but only on a small area and a coast guard. The rest of the beach is untouched and you can enjoy this wild spot to the fullest. This mainly brings me to the fact that La Tejita beach is favourite for nudists. On this beach you will find some formations built of stones, behind which you can hide from the wind. The waves are wild here and after entering the water there is immediately depth.
On the other hand, El Médano beach has a very gentle entry into the water, so you have to walk a bit to swim. Therefore, jumping in waves and all possible types of surfing are the most popular here, especially Kite. The first part of the beach situated in the town is relatively small and mostly crowded with locals, so it is better to walk further and hide from the wind in the rocks. If you want to feel that you have a beach almost to yourself, continue towards Montaña Roja.