Tenerife, the island of contrasts
At Route Mandarine, when we're not making very gentle natural soaps, we love to travel, discover new horizons, and explore other cultures. This is what inspires us to create the fragrances for our products. Today, we're taking you on a journey to the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands archipelago. Pack your swimsuits, but also your mittens; you'll see that Tenerife is a land of great contrasts, offering a multitude of landscapes, each more splendid than the last.
Where are we going?
The Canary Islands archipelago is a Spanish territory located off the coast of Morocco. It consists of 7 volcanic islands. We're taking you to discover the largest of them: Tenerife
It takes 4 hours to fly from Nantes to Tenerife South. The south coast is the most populated and developed. We rent a car to reach the north coast, which is more natural and authentic.
From Zero to over 3700m.
The island has 321 volcanoes. The main volcano is Teide, the highest peak in Spain. It culminates at 3700m altitude. It appears at every turn, and when it doesn't stand out, we find ourselves looking for it. It's time to go see it up close.
We're not going to climb to the summit, our legs wouldn't allow it. But we did several beautiful walks on its slopes. We even saw snow, even though 2 hours earlier we were in swimsuits by the water.
To learn more about the volcanoes and the formation of the archipelago's islands, we descended into the Cueva del Viento with a guide: an 18km long lava tube formed 27,000 years ago. Put on your best shoes and don't forget your helmet, let's go on an extraordinary journey underground!
From desert to humid forests.
What we particularly enjoyed during our trip to Tenerife was the diversity of landscapes. The island offers both extremely arid desert landscapes, and within a few kilometers, you can find yourself in a primary forest surrounded by ancient trees.
For the arid side, we return near Teide and go hiking in search of lava eggs: lava balls rolled down the side of the volcano, giving them this egg shape. We are above the clouds, there is so little vegetation and the earth is so red that you would think you were on Mars. It's cold, we are over 2000m above sea level.
In a hop, skip, and a jump, we head to El Parque Rural de Anaga: at the northeastern tip of the island, this nature reserve is home to a forest of tree laurels. We discover a fairytale landscape in the mist: a tangle of moss-covered branches and ferns that seem to protect a secret.
Under the sun, and in the rain.
The landscapes are beautiful, even when the weather is not. Under the sun, we marvel at the shades of blue offered by the Atlantic.
In the rain, we marvel at the blackness of the rock and the softness of the sand.
And here are our top 10 favorite things from this trip to Tenerife:
- The kindness of the people 🥰,
- The colors of the sea 🌊,
- The colorful vegetation 🌺,
- The weeds that grow everywhere and look a lot like the aeoniums our friend Hubert grows on his farm,
- The natural pools 🏊♀️,
- Fruits and vegetables 🌶,
- The very straight roads :-),
- The sound of the lava pebbles,
- The wine (in moderation, of course)🍷,
- We crossed a cloud 🌥 !
Soizic (and her family), May 22, 2022.
