Are you thinking of traveling to Tenerife?These are the advice and secrets of a local guide

A little more than two hundred years ago, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a small fishing port.Then they lived with the right.Fishing was your livelihood.Survive with Chicharos (or jurles), which was a very abundant blue fish in the Tenerife waters.It was poor food.And so, the inhabitants of La Laguna (former capital), with enough bad idea and contempt, put the nickname of "chicharreros" to their neighbors of Santa Cruz.

But life gives many laps and today Santa Cruz is the great capital of the island and the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, and the chicharro is one of the traditional dishes -it is normally eaten fried and accompanied by stewed potatoes and green or red mojo-more appreciated and healthy from the archipelago.Although the term "chicharrero" really refers to the inhabitants of Santa Cruz, the truth is that it has been extended to the entire island.

In Tenerife you have to be prepared for everything: beach, mountain, heat or cold

Teresa DíazGuía

Speaking of chicharreros ...

Yes, I am a chicharrera and with great pride.As the Carnival Song is "Chicharrera de Corazón".I was born and I have raised in Tenerife, I have worked many years in Madrid and I have traveled around the world.And yes, there is something in our DNA.I do not know how to explain or how to call the fact that the canaries, wherever we are, a deep feeling arises that always calls us to return to our island.

What does Tenerife have that they don't have other islands?

It is clear that not all the islands in this world are the same, so if you expect to find a Caribbean island in Punta Cana style, with kilometers from Playa Dorada and Aguas Azules, you will have a surprise.Tenerife is something else.It is a volcanic island, steep and bathed by the Atlantic, and you have to be prepared for everything: beach, mountain, heat or cold, because 3.000 meters of altitude in the Teide can be very cold!

So there is life beyond the sun and beaches

Exact.Tenerife is a paradise for mountain lovers and natural life.In fact, the Canary Islands is the Autonomous Community with the largest number of national parks;It has four.And it is the third, together with Asturias, with the largest number of biosphere reserves: seven in total.Tenerife, specifically, stands out for two extraordinary natural places: the Teide National Park and the Anaga Rural Park, recognized as the Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

I deduce that there are big walks

Yes, so not only do you bring your swimsuit and cholas, which is what we call the flip flops here, but also sports and some coat, especially if you plan to do any path, astronomical observation or visit the Teide National Park.

Route by car through the abrupt and authentic North of Tenerife

Luis Martí

Once on the island, how do I move?

In this sense it is important to say that Tenerife does not stand out precisely for its public transport, so it is convenient that you have more or less clear where you are going to move and what you want to do to organize your transport in advance.A taxi from the south zone to the northern zone costs you about a hundred euros the journey, so it will always be more profitable to hire a transfer or visit the most emblematic corners hiring one or more excursions.

In the event that I can only visit a place on the island, which one would you recommend?

It is clear that my first advice would be for you to spend a week or at least five days to enjoy it to the fullest.But, of course, the king of Tenerife is his great volcano: the Teide, 3.718 meters high that, in addition, is the highest peak in Spain and remains active.Formerly, the Guanches believed that the volcano was the abode of the demon Guayota, to which they made offerings to calm him and prevent him from taking the fire from his interior.The Teide is surrounded by an impressive National Park that is the oldest third in our country, and the ninth most visited in the world.And it is not for less: it has numerous casts of different rashes that form its characteristic landscape, and also houses many species of fauna and flora that you will only find there.The red tajininas, the Violet of the Teide, or the blue pinzón are just some examples.

What if we stayed longer?

The island literally has everything.And for all types of audiences: adventurers, hikers, bodybuilders, surfers, families ... The ideal is to take a tour and discover their most emblematic corners.To have an overview, I would make an excursion that combines the northern peoples with the Teide National Park: ICOD, Garachico and Masca.If you take a walk to the island you can visit the town of Candelaria, where is the Basilica of the Patroness of the Canary Islands;La Laguna, which is a city declared a World Heritage by UNESCO;The Villa de La Orotava, which was the first capital of Tenerife after the conquest by the Spaniards, and Garachico, included in 2021 in the list of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

What if I travel with family?

If your plan is to travel with children, in addition to the thematic parks Lor.You can also make boat excursions to see the dolphins and pilot whales;Astronomical observations, since Teide's sky is one of the best for the observation of stars;paragliding, kayaks, water motorcycles, quads, musical shows or medieval shows.

There are volcanic black beaches or blondes of great amplitude, quiet and underwater funds for divers

Teresa DíazGuía

I need a break ... Now it's a beach

That is a very hairy matter here on the islands (laughs).There are hundreds of options.There are volcanic blacks or blondes of great amplitude, or those of Callaos, that is, non -eroded stones, or there are others with underwater funds for divers.It depends a lot on each person.In Tenerife, for example, there are those who love El Médano Beach, an international reference of Windsurf, while there are others that avoid it because it is very suction cup.There are those who worship the southern beaches and golden sand, while others prefer black sand and typical locals.

And which do you prefer?

If you stay in Puerto de la Cruz, you can't miss beach garden.If you stay in Santa Cruz, you have the Teresitas or the beaches of Anaga.In fact, I have not known a Tenerife who has not fallen in love with the beaches of Taganana, Benijo and Almáciga.And if you are in the south, I would recommend the Tejita, Duke Play.In the latter, in addition, you can enjoy a spectacular sunset overlooking the gomera.

Do you tell us any secret that only the chicharreros know?

For me the best secrets of Tenerife are their myths and legends.One of my favorites is located in the dancer, one of the most forested areas of Anaga's massif.Legend has it that his name is due to the flowers of witches who gathered there to perform their songs and rituals the full moon nights.There are several paths that connect this area with others from Anaga, so you can make a walk and get carried away by the mystery.

Any suggestion to go to eat?

The most representative of Tenerife's gastronomy are the Guachinches.This is what the old wineries were called in which the surplus of wine was sold next to a lid or ration of food, today becoming a very typical restaurant concept from here.Canarian food is served and house wine.

In the Guachinches, Canarian food is served and wine from the house

Teresa DíazGuía

What dish do you recommend to ask?

Personally, I would ask for roast cheese with mojos, green and red;Old clothes, a chickpea stew, with meat, vegetables and potatoes;Gofio scald;Fishing fish;Almogrote, in any format: with bread, sweet potatoes or mushrooms and pot.If you have the opportunity, you can't leave without taste any of the most exquisite potato varieties in the Canary Islands, such as the "Pope Papa" or the "Black Pope".You can also ask about the specialty of the house, because in all guachinches they usually have one, and the staff will recommend what to ask according to your tastes.

A very island experience...

In the end that is what you take from the islands: people.In the Canary Islands we are very hospitable with our visitors, we have an open and friendly character and that is reflected in everything: in our way of being, speaking, and making our customs and gastronomy known.We are very proud of our islands and we will die to show them to everyone who wants to visit them.

Finally, for those who seek inspiration, would you recommend any book?

Well, there is a book recently published by the young author Andrea Abreu, also a native of Tenerife, which is called the Burro Panza, which has caught my attention.It is essential to know the chicharrero spirit we were talking about at the beginning of the interview.The title is a wink, since the donkey belly are those low and gray clouds that usually live in the sky of the northern peoples.It is a very inspiring work that immerses you in an atmosphere in which "canariety" is breathed in conversations, characters and narrative, and where the atmosphere is magical and extremely customary.