El Médano - the windsurfers' favourite Tenerife resort in the Canary Islands

El Médano is where the surfers and windsurfing enthusiasts gather in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. El Médano has attracted the windsurfers because of the amount of wind the town receives, and they use the beach there to take part in their sport as well as holding contests.

It is a seaside resort on the coast on the southernmost tip of the island. El Médano's neighbour is the fishing village of Los Abrigos and it is also very close to the Tenerife South Reina Sofía international airport.

Many people consider El Médano's Playa de la Tejita as one of the best beaches in Tenerife with more than three kilometres of sand that it provides for users to enjoy.

El Médano has a lot more going for it besides windsurfing and its beach though. The town is popular with tourists and locals who enjoy relaxing in its main square and seing what bargains they can find in the regular market held there.

El Médano puts on plenty of live entertainment in its many bars and even boasts an underground rock music club.

The town has a good range of shops and local businesses, and by bus or car, it is also just a short journey to the tourist resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Américas.

Amarilla Golf and the Golf del Sur areas are only a short distance away from El Médano too, if you enjoy this sport.

El Médano´s neighbouring village of Las Chafiras has a range of furniture shops, supermarkets and several restaurants, and the Oasis FM radio station.

You can't help but notice the volcanic cone mountain known as Montaña Roja (Red Mountain), which rises above the sea on the Los Abrigos side of El Médano. This mountain is a popular place for people who love nature and enjoy walking in the countryside of Tenerife.

Naturalists and botanists will be fascinated by the Red Mountain too because of a number of rare and unusual plants that can be found there and on the dunes that surround it.

The weird greyish succulent stems of Ceropegia fusca,or Cardoncillo as it is known in Spanish, is one of these plants, and the Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias) is another. The latter species is one of the food plants of the colourful caterpillar of the Spurge Hawk Moth (Hyles euphorbiae).

Montaña Roja and the El Médano area are of interest to people who research the subject of UFOs too because these strange craft have been reported there.

El Médano is certainly worth visiting if you want to see all the different sides of Tenerife but try not to pick a day that is too windy!