Tenerife Leisure

Tenerife has a vast array of water and beach sports as well as lots to do inland. There is one traditional sport which existed before the arrival of the Spanish, which is called Lucha Canaria, and involves a fight between two men in a ring. The winner is the one who makes his opponent touch the floor with some part of his body first. Two teams with 12 fighters each play against each other, with the winner being the team that eliminates all of the other teams players. This form of wrestling is practised throughout the island and is a popular tourist attraction.

Tenerife Waters

The real draw on Tenerife is the warm waters of the ocean, which along with the year-round warm weather, provide the playing field for many kinds of activity. The clear water around the island makes for excellent snorkelling and scuba diving. The coral reefs arent particularly spectacular, but there is an abundance of sealife including manta rays, giant groupers, barracudas, sea turtles and tropical fish. Guides will take you to feed the manta rays or swim with the dolphins. If youd rather catch fish than swim with them, most resorts organise fully-equipped deep-sea fishing trips. Barracuda, tuna, shark and sailfish are just some of the fish in the waters around Tenerife. Sailing is another popular activity around the island. The many marinas have yachts and catamarans which can be rented for a few hours or a few days, with or without a crew. Lessons are also available at many of the nicer resorts. Playa de las Americas is the place to go for waterskiing, jet-skiing and paragliding. Windsurfing has also become a popular sport on Tenerife. Most of the beaches havestrong enough breezesto get in a good ride and they usually have at least one rental shop.

Sports and Activities

If you get tired of the water, there is plenty to do on land. Golfers will appreciate the excellent Tenerife climate, which ensuresexcellent golfing all year-round. Between October and May, golfers from around the world come to the island to keep in practice. None of the islands courses require membership or have a strict dress code and all of them rent clubs. Away from the coast, there are some great hiking trails with wonderful scenery. The National Parkde lasCanadas has 21 marked trails. The Anaya mountain area in the northeast of the island and the Valle de la Orotava region also have some great hiking. Mountain bikes are another way to explore the countryside and every resort on the island rents them. If you want something faster, check out the two carting tracks. Carting Canaria and Carting Club Las Americas have different sized tracks and facilities, but both offer carts that will fit kids and adults. Tenerife is also home to one of Spains professional football clubs and during the season, games are regularly held at the stadium.