Tenerife is one of the more classic tourist resort destinations in the Canary Islands. Located about 20 minutes outside the main town of Santa Cruz is the huge golden sand beach of Teresitas. What makes this beach unique is that it was essentially manmade. In the 1950s, beaches in Tenerife were disappearing due to erosion and sand being used in construction. Locals decided to build a breakwater and rebuild the beach. However, at the time, golden sand beaches were most popular with tourists. Rather than relying on the local black sand, they shipped in 5 million bags of sand from the Sahara (approx 270,000 tons). The sand was again replenished from the Sahara in the 90s and now it's a popular tourist destination and a prime attraction on the island.
After our morning visit to the beach, we traveled that afternoon along a winding mountain road to the stunning village of Taganana on the other side of the island. This village is perched on the steep slopes of the north side of the island. There isn't much flat ground so agriculture is cultivated in terraces. At the base of the mountain is a small but exceptionally popular black sand surf beach, Playa Roque de Las Bodegas. When the tide is in, there's almost no sand to the beach, but the crashing waves are fantastic for surfers and boogie boards.
