3-day Tenerife in the Canary Islands itinerary on Unanchor

A new itinerary on Unanchor.com recommends 3 day-trips by bus that visitors to Tenerife in the Canary Islands can go on. It starts each journey at Playa de las Américas bus station as a well-known place in the south of the island.

The author takes travellers to Icod de los Vinos on Day 1, Puerto de la Cruz on Day 2, and finally to Mt Teide on Day 3 of the itinerary. Maps and directions are included for each of the destinations, as well as colour photos of some of the places of interest and sights to see.

The first journey takes travellers on the 90-minute bus ride from the south of Tenerife's tourist resort area up through the mountain villages and towns into the greener and cooler north with Icod de los Vinos being its destination. Along the way the bus goes through interesting places like Santiago del Teide where the road to Masca begins. Masca is an unspoiled mountain vilage that was isolated until a road was built to it.

The bus ride continues through Erjos where there are freshwater ponds. The road skirts the coast but from on high and there are fantastic views down to the seaside town of Garachico and its islet known as El Roque de Garachico. This place survived a volcanic eruption back in 1706 which makes it of special interest.

Finally the bus descends into Icod the City of the Dragon Tree. We arrive at the bus station and a map is provided showing you how to walk to the main square and find the park where the "Drago Milenario", 1,000-year-old Dragon Tree stands.

The option of visiting the Mariposario del Drago butterfly gardens is presented and the suggestion of sampling some cheese, local wines and liqueurs in the tourist shops around the square.

Another short ride by bus takes you down to Playa San Marcos where you can relax for the rest of the afternoon and enjoy a meal at one of the seafront restaurants such as Italia in Bocca.

For the second journey we take the bus from Las Américas all the way to Puerto de la Cruz in the north-west of Tenerife. In this tourist resort for the north of the island the user of the itinerary gets to visit the main square, go to the amazing El Botánico botanical gardens, enjoy a meal in the peaceful suburb of La Paz, walk along the seafront and to see the Hermitage or Chapel of San Telmo and the Lido de Martianez with its swimming pools, sunbathing areas and palms.

Once again a map is provided to show you your way on foot from the bus station.

Mt Teide really is a "must-see" for anyone visiting Tenerife and taking a Titsa bus there and back is the cheapest way of seeing it and the best value for money. There are excursion companies that go there but they hardly give you any time on the mountain and usually include a hard-sell session for blankets, mattresses or some other merchandise.

The journey to Mt Teide is of interest because you travel through some spectacular countryside and pass through Vilaflor which is the highest mountain village in Spain. It seems apt that you should go through this place on your way up the highest mountain in the same country.

The bus arrives at the Tourist Centre where you get out, and again a map is provided with the itinerary to give you directions. You will want to see the weird rock formations across the road and the view over the Ucanca valley that looks more like a beach transported high in the mountains. The whole area really looks like another world.

Your visit to Mt Teide completes the 3-day itinerary but there are suggestions given too for other places to visit if you come to Tenerife again.

Tenerife Outdoors, run by David Parkes, who has been interviewed for Tenerife Islander before, is one of several information sites listed in the itinerary.

There are also several locations, including the mysterious Pyramids of Güímar, Los Gigantes and its giant cliffs, and Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, for you to visit again.

Travelling by bus is recommended throughout the itinerary because you stand to save 50% discount on journeys if you purchase a Bonobus voucher, or "Bono" as they are more often called. You can also see a lot of the varied countryside of Tenerife as the bus takes you through it on the way to and from your chosen destinations.

The focus of the itinerary is to provide an easy to follow guide that will help visitors to Tenerife see a lot more of the island than they otherwise would if they stayed in the resorts down south.

Because Tenerife is a Spanish island a selection of useful phrases, words and terms you might need is also supplied.

It is to be hoped that users of the itinerary will enjoy the locations covered in this 3-day guide.