Originally called Los Escurriales and still referred to by that name on directional signs, the Paisaje Lunar was formed around 500,000 years ago when a powerful jet of cinders, stones and ash from a volcanic eruption was carried on the wind, and rained down onto the slopes of the barranco, settling in a thick layer and melding the various elements together as they cooled. A further eruption then covered the area with another layer of harder, more erosion resistant materials.

Over thousands of years the top layer has been eroded to reveal the cinders and pumice layer beneath which, highly susceptible to erosion by wind and rain, has been sculpted into these fantastical shapes. Contrasting with the dark of the forested landscape, the white pumice towers are straight from the set of a SciFi movie. The layers in the columns betray the different materials from which they are formed and if you look at the sides of the ravine where the Paisaje begins, you can clearly see the thinner, harder surface layer which has eroded away to allow the elements to get to the pumice.

Fearful that the delicate site will suffer damage if too many footfalls interfere with nature’s work, the environmental department has now created a walking trail which takes you to a viewing platform on the far side of the ravine so it’s no longer possible to walk amongst the extraordinary sculptures in order to ensure their preservation. The photo below pre-dates the new route and gives perspective on the size of the sculptures.

Reaching the Paisaje Lunar is best done on foot from Vilaflor and is a beautiful 13km walk of around 4-5 hours, climbing above the village and through forests to the site before doing a circuit and then retracing your steps. The drive to Vilaflor from Los Cristianos, Playa de Las Américas and Costa Adeje begins on the TF28 above Chayofa. From El Medano and Golf del Sur you can drive up through Granadilla and San Miguel respectively.

There’s a shorter and less pretty walking route that begins on the TF21 outside Vilaflor en route to Teide National Park where you can leave the car and follow the path towards Madre del Agua campsite. The path to Paisaje Lunar is signposted to the left along that path.

Turning left from the forlorn, sealed entrance to Hell’s Ravine I took the short tarmac road before finding the sign post for my path to begin. A quick slalom around the intrusive aerial pylons and I was off over the chunky blocks of rock that soon rose up over greener meadows as pine trees began to appear. Adeje spread out below me and to the right the sides of the Barrnco del Infierno looked deep and dramatic as my eye traced them upward toward their source. Water has done much of the carving in this area and my path soon became a meandering bed of a stream.

My surroundings now were more like lush meadows with cactus and plants in flower, the water sources up here are now mainly encased in pipes but years ago were a magnet for farmers and traders. The paths were well used to link the small villages with Adeje long before the current landscape view of Puerto Colon, Playa de Las Americas, and Los Cristianos.

My walk was close to mid summer and the sun was scorching but as I got higher whisps of cloud floated across gradually obscuring the views below and adding a teasing veil to the volcanic outcrops that the tight corkscrew path now wound around. Up ahead large stacks stood like a fortress as the path wound tighter giving little progress for a lot of effort but once out at the top at Boca del Paso I was looking down a sheer drop with little cloud mattresses at regular intervals.

This point is a mere 3.9 kms from base camp, the other 1.1 kms of the Camino del Teresme is the stretch to El Aserradero. Walking this last stretch was very strange with the hard packed orange soil and rock, it was cracked and rutted by the weather and man made channels used by the old sawmill that gave El Aserradero it’s name. On this high land the cloud had got a little more dense and combined with the blackened trees from last year’s fires it was like nature’s graveyard. Reaching the shell of the sawmill there was the option to turn onto the Ifonche trail, it’s worth noting that this new 5.8 km route mentioned on the panel down in Adeje is extra to what I had already walked. Ifonche can also be reached on a more direct and slightly shorter walk from the main plaza at Arona town.

Retracing my steps it was good to climb down through the cloud layer back into sunshine. The walk was not an easy one but a good challenge with differing types of terrain, inspiring views, and a real insight into the historic and economic importance of this link. Arriving back at the start I had a peek over into Barranco del Infierno, it was nowhere near as overgrown as I expected and given the precarious higher paths on this and many other walks I couldn’t help wondering why we are still being denied the daddy of all the Adeje walks?

Starting point is at the top of Adeje town, past Casa del Fuerte; the three hours on the information panel is optimistic, add an hour, especially if you want to stop for photos and rests, and don’t forget to wear sturdy footwear and take water, snacks and sun cream.

By contrast, an upper courtyard was filled with stylish tables populated by equally stylish people. At this point the penny dropped that La Cuadra de San Diego was a restaurant. A look at a menu revealed that, as well as looking irresistibly inviting, La Cuadra de San Diego served food that was different from the norm. We vowed to return to eat there.

Six years later we kept our vow.

La Cuadra de San Diego is situated off the old road linking La Orotava with the northern hill towns; a 15 minute drive from Puerto de la Cruz and about the same from Santa Cruz.

The sun was shining so we opted for a courtyard table under a drago tree rather than one in the fern-filled rustic interior.

A first perusal of the menu had me wondering if the food wasn’t quite as imaginative as it had been 6 years previously. After a re-read it became clear that although tapas dishes sounded familiar, they had been given an off-the-wall twist; papas bonitas (speciality local potatoes) didn’t come with mojos (Canarian pepper and coriander sauces) they came with almond sauce. Almogrote (cheese pate) wasn’t orange, it was green; flavoured by coriander, not red chillies.

We chose a selection of tapas and a half litre of cherry coloured home-grown wine (La Cuadra has its own vineyard and finca) and sat back, enjoying having the courtyard nearly all to ourselves.

First to arrive was the almogrote verde which looked great and, if anything, tasted better than the pungent and spicy traditional version; coriander adding a calming contrast to the strong cheese. It was accompanied by a mountainous salad of spinach, leek and bacon that was quickly reduced to a rubble. Churros de pescado (battered goujons of fish) didn’t stray from the norm except the pieces were bigger than usual and the chunky white fish was clearly good quality.

Best was a fondue of Canarian cheeses in a huge roll. Devouring it was part unusual dining experience and part game as we each had to break off a part of the outer roll in order to scoop out the rich savoury sauce inside. The more the roll was reduced, the greater the risk of a collapse and a messy cheesy eruption.

It’s rare you get a dish that gives the taste-buds a treat and is good fun to eat.

La Cuadra de San Diego had lived up to our expectations. We won’t be waiting another six years before we return.

Lunch for four with wine, water and two desserts came to €52; excellent value considering the creativity of the cuisine combined with historic surroundings that had us lingering over a lovely, long lunch.

Calle Botella,2; (+34) 922 578 385; open Thursday 1pm- 4pm and 7.30pm to 11pm, Sunday 1pm to 4pm

Found extensively in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, the Canary Pine tree (Pinus Canariensis) has been the life blood of the Canary Islands since the conquest. The pine needles have provided stuffing for mattresses and were used extensively as packaging for banana exports; even today they are still collected and used as bedding for animals. Being the main raw material on the islands, the tree’s wood was used to provide fuel for heating and cooking; to build homes, churches, wine presses, water channels and furniture.

The Canary Pine produces three kinds of wood; white wood which is average quality, riga wood which is higher quality, and tea – the heart of trees 90 years and older. A heavy, hard wood, tea is incredibly durable and naturally resistant to pests and is high in resin content, so high that it was used as torches pre-electricity as it burned for such a long time.

Unfortunately, the resin was a double-edged sword for tea. Mixed with ash, it made pitch, a resinous substance used extensively in the manufacture of ships to waterproof hulls and seal joints. Pitch was so prized between the 16th and 19th centuries that, in Tenerife alone, it’s estimated 150,000 tons of tea wood were annually used to meet demand, leading to the destruction of much of the ancient forests of the island.

Tea wood is also very difficult to work with because of its strength and because the resin gets all over the woodworking tools which have to be cleaned constantly. Anyone who has ever got pine resin on their skin or clothes will understand exactly how difficult it is to remove.

But the rewards of working with tea wood more than outweigh the difficulties and you can see hundreds of examples of beautiful, traditional wooden balconies carved from tea wood in traditional towns and villages, much of it still looking as good as the day it was carved. Clearly the finest examples on Tenerife are the Casas de los Balcones but you’ll also find wonderful balconies in Santa Cruz, La Laguna, Puerto de la Cruz, Guimar, Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, Los Silos, Tegueste – in fact any town or village whose construction pre-dates the 20th century.

Pinus Canariensis continues to be the life blood of the Canary Islands, cleaning the air, condensing water from clouds, retaining soil, producing shelter for plants and animals and providing a beautiful environment for walkers, horse riders and cyclists to enjoy. So next time you’re out in the pine woods, look up and be thankful for this perfumed, wooden heart of the Canary Islands.

Like most people I always thought the oyster was the main worker on nature’s undersea production line to bring us these ageless and much desired precious stones. A visit to Tenerife Pearl made me realise that the pearl comes in many sizes, locations and a sliding scale of quality and value. Man started to give nature a little nudge at the start of the 20th century, before that the oyster and some lesser known 100,000 other species of bi valve mollusc had managed quite nicely on their own. Friction, as the old saying goes, or a natural irritant encourages the oyster to produce layers of calcium carbonate and conchioline. The nudge comes from putting the core of a mussel shell into the body of an oyster.

The technical description hardly does justice to the beauty of these lovely baubles and at Tenerife Pearl they are crafted into necklaces, bracelets, rings, and a myriad of other ways to steal the show at any social event. Being naturally curious I tried to find the lowest and highest priced examples on offer. Younger visitors will no doubt be tempted by a 9.95 euro bracelet that includes a one euro donation to the Spanish Red Cross but the big spenders will soon seek out a white Australian pearl necklace holding centre stage in one of the glass cabinets at 14,000 euros.

Talking of Australia it’s one of four hot spots for pearl divers; Tahiti boasts dark pearls with colours like peacock or pistachio; Asia is known for pastel colours from the fresh water lakes, rivers, and ponds, and Japan is where cultured pearls were first farmed on a large scale. This background information is just the start of the story that unfolds at Tenerife Pearl, there is an interactive video screen in several languages, each display gives a full pedigree, and there are even free guided tours if you want to immerse yourself in knowledge.

Even towards the end of the most frugal holiday, a spending binge here might be a bit beyond the budget but there are plenty of price ranges to choose from. How about dipping your toe in gently, or at least the net provided at the Pick A Pearl tank. For 24.50 euros a scoop in the tank will pull out an oyster to be opened so the pearl can be cleaned, measured, graded for quality and valued. The lucky dip results in a pearl ranging from 25 euros in value to 194 euros, this can be kept with a certificate and small holder or mounted in a piece of jewelry for an extra charge. At the open work station just inside the showroom you can see pearls being beaded and mounted, they are very versatile.

The free bus service from Los Gigantes, Callao Salvaje, and Playa Paraiso runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays and if you are in Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos or Playa de las Americas the pick ups are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and they allow you 90 minutes at the showroom before your return.

Tenerife Pearl, Carretera General del Sur 12, Armenime, Adeje; (0034) 922 741 250; open 9am to 8pm daily; admission free.

Santa Cruz
The cosmopolitan capital city of Tenerife, Santa Cruz is an easy city to explore on foot and has more than enough museums, art galleries, restaurants and nightlife to fill a long weekend. A short bus ride away, the beach of Las Teresitas is an idyllic spot to round off a city break with some golden sand time. The regular 111 bus service connects Tenerife South Airport to the city in around 40 minutes.

Top end of the market is the newly renovated, Hotel Mencey, a Colonial style mansion of a hotel completely refurbished in 2011. The Mencey is the city’s only five star hotel and has traditionally hosted visiting celebrities and dignitaries to the island. The refurbishments have replaced old fashioned opulence with contemporary chic but the hotel retains the air of a grand old dame of a hotel. Situated opposite Parque Garcia Sanabria, it’s in a tranquil spot, a 10 minute stroll or a tram ride away from the bustle of the centre and the lively Noria District.

Located in the heart of the shopping district and a short stride from the restaurant/bar district of La Noria, Hotel NH is the ideal city centre hotel. Rooms are comfortable and stylish although lacking in views, there’s a good breakfast in their ground floor, New York style deli’ and the price tag is distinctly on the wallet friendly side for a city centre hotel.

La Laguna
Tenerife’s former capital city and now a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, La Laguna hides a surprisingly lively heart behind its staid cultural treasures. Cobbled streets lined with beautifully preserved 16th, 17th and 18th century buildings; small boutiques and a good selection of tapas bars and restaurants are all in foot-friendly distance. At the gateway to the Anaga Mountains, you’re also ideally placed for walking and exploring some of the island’s most beautiful landscapes.

Located on Plaza del Adelantado in the centre of the old town, Hotel Nivaria is as traditional as they come. A former 16th century mansion, wooden floors and beamed ceilings abound while bedrooms are big on character and space if a little lacking in contemporary furnishings. Most of the standard rooms are in the annex so if you want to stay in the mansion itself you’ll have to stretch to a superior room.

Built in 1760 and a hotel since 1885, what the Hotel Aguere lacks in facilities it makes up for in character and a wonderful courtyard cafeteria where breakfast is served. Situated on one of the city’s main pedestrian streets, step outside and you’re right in the shopping and restaurant district. Some of the rooms are in need of a makeover and the en suite bathrooms are not built for space but everything is clean, comfortable and functional with more personality than you’ll find in any modern city centre hotel.

The building looks deceptively modern but they have been a fixture since 1993 and offer a terrific and well priced range from pepitos to croissants, pizza and through to full meals. A mountain of crispy dough churros with hot chocolate was my last memory of popping in but as they are only available evenings and weekends, this afternoon I tried another favourite, arepas. The Venezuelan speciality cross between a bread roll and a pancake can be found at many outlets in Tenerife but can be a let down if it’s not well risen and well stuffed. I had one with tuna and another with chicken and daubed both with mojo sauce of the smooth green and hot red variety, it easily passed the test.

The layout of Juventud is roomy with two small annexes feeding off the main body with its long bar. As well as eating in they do home delivery as far as Fanabe and take-aways. Choice is one of the big attractions, two big chilled cabinets offer a wide choice of ingredients for sandwiches, tapas, or main meals and you can pick up to four ingredients to create your meal for just 8.50 euros. The service is brisk and attentive and one of the side areas has a large screen for football nights plus there is free Wi-Fi throughout.

As well as the usual bar choices for drinks, the home made fruit milk shakes are good value for 2.50 euros and mixed fruit drinks are a healthy option at a mere 3 euros. They seem to have all the bases covered here. Bulk orders are sold by weight for parties including calamares and octopus, and they also do full catering for weddings, communions and other functions. My order wasn’t going to stretch them that much but now I have rediscovered their range I shall mix and match on my next visits – there’s always another bus anyway.

Restaurante Cafeteria Juventud, Calle Telefonica, Adeje; (0034) 922 780 589; open 10 am to midnight; home deliveries 12 to 4pm and 7pm to midnight. 

In 1926, having discovered that her husband was planning to leave her for another woman, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days, becoming the central character in her own real life mystery. In order to escape the ensuing press free-for-all, Agatha fled the prying eyes of the press to spend some time with her daughter Rosalind in Puerto de la Cruz. Unfortunately the crime writer wasn’t too impressed with Puerto as she found the Atlantic waves too rough for her daily swim, and quickly moved on to Gran Canaria.

During the 1960s, at the height of their fame and earnings capacity, Richard and Elizabeth Taylor spent some time in Los Cristianos, allegedly investing in a 685 acre finca with a banana plantation attached. Buying property all over the world at the time, publicity followed them wherever they went until finally, they bought a yacht to live on to escape prying eyes…for a while.

Fifty years ago, three lads from Liverpool showed up in Puerto de la Cruz to stay with a friend of theirs, Klaus Voorman. George, Paul and Ringo were missing their fourth man, John, who had chosen to vacation in Miami with manager Brian Epstein. Far from needing to hide from paparazzi, The Beatles were barely known on the islands at the time and were so unrecognised that when the Fab Three asked the manager of Lago Martianez if they could play some of their songs in his bar, he said “no”. Such a shame, it would have made a nice venue for an impromptu Beatles gig and they could have commemorated it with a festival. Oh, wait a minute…

In 1936 Jean Batten was the first woman to fly solo from England to New Zealand, a feat every bit as worthy of merit as Amy Johnson’s solo flight from England to Australia and Amelia Earhart’s solo Atlantic crossing. In the 1970s Jean bought an apartment in Puerto de la Cruz where she lived in anonymity for many years until the death of her mother.

Thor Heyerdahl became a household name in 1947 when he and five companions sailed a reed raft named Kon Tiki 4,300 nautical miles from Peru to French Polynesia to support his theories of early migratory routes. In 1991 Heyerdahl moved to Guimar to excavate remains and to set up the Pyramids of Guimar ethnographic park. He continued to live quietly in Guimar until his death in 2002.

Photo of Thor Heyerdahl (above) from the Piramides of Guimar

It’s claimed that Corpus Christi is the oldest religious festival on Tenerife with the first celebration dating back to 1496. However, religious pomp and circumstance aside, what makes it a feast for everyone’s eyes is that Corpus Christi on Tenerife means saying it with flowers.

From 1 June onwards, Tinerfeños across the island will lovingly lay out elaborate and vibrant floral depictions of religious and contemporary themes on the streets of their town or village.

Many flower carpets are laid this weekend and visitors to Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje in the south of the island have a couple of options to enjoy Tenerife’s flowery event. In both Adeje and Arona Town, Sunday 2 June is the best day to view the carpets.

Most older towns and cities have Corpus Christi carpets in one form or another, sometimes the best being in the most surprising of locations. For example Tacoronte has a decent display whilst the one in Santa Cruz is only okay.

But the big boys of Corpus Christi are La Laguna and La Orotava.

This year’s display in La Laguna takes place on Sunday 2 June and will involve around 60 different carpets lining the UNESCO World Heritage Site’s preserved old streets around Plaza del Adelantado.

Although a huge event, La Laguna’s Corpus Christi celebrations don’t attract many non-Canarios which means that there is plenty of space to wander at leisure, taking time to absorb the beautiful and occasionally poignant images.

A Lagunero told me that their carpets are better than La Orotava’s. Having seen both, I don’t share their view. The La Laguna carpets are wonderful and the setting is perfect but many of the carpets are made from coloured salt – it’s just not the same.

La Orotava, near Puerto de la Cruz, is where the tradition began on Tenerife and the alfombras de flores (flower carpets) that run from the Ayuntamiento building (town hall) up to La  Casa de los Balcones, down to the Iglesia de la Concepcíon and back to the town hall are all painstakingly constructed with flowers and seeds.

A party atmosphere from early morning on the day of the Corpus Christi alfombras (oddly in La Orotava it’s not actually held on Corpus Christi but a week later, so this year it is on 6 June) makes it easy to forget that it is actually a religious festival. Visitors ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the carpets to a soundtrack of local folk music mixed with Galician pipes.

The jewel in La Orotava’s Corpus Christi crown is the world record-beating tapestry made from sand and soil from Teide National Park that is laid outside the town hall. It’s a work of art constructed by master alfombristas (carpet-makers) whose intricate detail astounds year after year.

Because of the sand tapestry, the floral displays and an infectious atmosphere, La Orotava is still THE number one place to visit to experience a blooming marvellous Corpus Christi on Tenerife.

I had never been this close to nature’s hunting machines but as they swooped from all directions their trainers guided them in expertly to their arms or the perches just behind the enthralled audience. That was the first big surprise of the day, I had already admired the tigers and lions and had seen the cheeky Humbolt Penquins waddling around their keeper as he topped them up with fresh fish. Time to play the big white hunter and go exploring around the lush green layers of the park.

With signs in English, Spanish, and German it was easy to became acquainted with many species of monkeys, iguanas, and parrots. The sound of cascading water lured me across a rope and wooden board bridge over a leafy ravine. On one side alligators lounged at the waters edge and on the other a large area opened out with a tree house platform occupied by a large orangutan snoozing with one eye keeping watch on the monkeys scampering around the rock face where the fountain played.

This summer a new sea lion show was on my list of things to see so I headed around to the restaurant terrace and the tiered seating that spread downwards to the glass sided pool. The two sea lions slithered onto their stage with their trainers and went through their party pieces of looping through hoops, over small hurdles and posing with a lucky volunteer from the audience. There were a lot of families watching and the small children were particularly captivated by their antics. Next door on Gibbon Island the White Handed Gibbons wanted to be the star turns and were showing off their most gymnastic moves on their tall tree branches.

I had noticed earlier an even higher rope bridge so back-tracked and followed the trail that led across there for great views over the park. There were a lot of split level walkways and small paths adding to the enclosed feel of a jungle setting and plenty of benches in well shaded spots take a break. The Jungle Trail looked like a challenge, aimed at the younger visitors, us oldies were also welcome so I did my best not to look too clumsy as I climbed the rope ladders, crawled through the netting, and picked my way across the rope tunnel.

A tower at the end gave great views over Los Cristianos but passing down below was a sight that fired up many of the younger adventurers. The Bob is two shiny metal bobsleigh runs, I traced them back to the station where for 4 euros extra, adrenalin fans of all ages were boarding flat moulded sleighs with brakes. A hydraulic system hauled them uphill to the other end of the park and then released them to hurtle down at up to 45 km per hour around a twisting course.

In Tenerife, the chance to see so many wild animals at close quarters is a major pull at Jungle Park but it’s that added spirit of exploring and adventure that makes it really roar.

Jungle Park, Chayofa, Arona; (0034) 922 729 010; free buses, free parking; taxi 7 euros from Los Cristianos; open daily from 10am to 5.30pm; adults 24 euros, children (5 to 10) 17 euros, minis (3 and 4 years) 12 euros.