Without wishing to duplicate the content of our Tenerife Attractions pages, however, if you've ever visited Tenerife before you will be aware that Puerto de la Cruz is the home of one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island, namely the Loro Parque. The park is actually situated in the Punta Brava district of the town, near to the Playa Jardin beach. A free mini train runs from the Avenida de Colon in Puerto de la Cruz, which for those of you unfamiliar with the town is near to the Hotel San Felipe. Although the entrance fee to the park isn't cheap, it is however worth it, as it will take you the full day to fully explore all of the attractions. Contact details are:
Loro Parque
38400
Puerto de la Cruz
Tenerife
Telephone: +34 922 373 841
Fax: +34 922 375 021
Web site: www.loroparque.com

Although there is no free transport available to the El Jardin de Aclimatación de la Orotava, it is still nevertheless worth a visit, and is certainly within walking distance of the centre of Puerto de La Cruz. The gardens were originally founded in 1788 and now cover an area of some 2 hectares with examples of around 4,000 species of plants, including a giant 200 years old gum tree in the centre of the park. Contact details are:
El Jardin de Aclimatación de la Orotava
C/ Retama nº 2
38400
Puerto de La Cruz
Tenerife Norte
Telephone: +34 922 389 464
Fax: +34 922 371 596

I seriously doubt if any visitor to Puerto de La Cruz can miss the giant Mount Teide volcano, which dominates the sky towards the rear of the resort. A trip to Teide is an absolute must, although you should be aware that it is still an active volcano, even though the last major eruption actually took place over 300 years ago in 1706.

A cable car will take you part of the way to the summit of Teide, although to ascend beyond this point you will then need to obtain a permit from the Oficina del Parque Nacional del Teide in Santa Cruz. These permits are free of charge, and can be applied for, subject to availability until 2pm of the day prior to which visitors wish to use the trail.

The permits can be now obtained via the Internet on the reservation web page provided by the Autonomous Organisation of National Parks at:

www.reservasparquesnacionales.es/real/ParquesNac/index.aspx

or for more information please contact:

Oficina del Parque Nacional del Teide
Calle Doctor Sixto Perera González, nº 25
38300
El Mayorazgo
La Orotava
Telephone: +34 922 922 371
Fax: +34 922 244 788
Email: teide.maot@gobiernodecanarias.org

Please be aware that even with this permit, access to the interior of the crater is still strictly prohibited.

Although some 37km to the east of Puerto de La Cruz, a trip to the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz, is also highly recommended, especially if you are lucky enough to be on the island during carnival time.

The Santa Cruz carnival usually takes places during the last two weeks of February each year, and is widely recognised around the World as being only second in size to the annual event in Rio.

The central celebrations always take place on Shrove Tuesday, when huge processions and parades take over the whole of the city centre, with many of the participants wearing colourful costumes that they have spent the whole year making.

The carnival always closes with an open air party and massive fireworks display. More information on this year's programme of activities and events can be found on their official web site www.carnavaltenerife.com

Situated in La Villa de La Orotava in the north of the island, Pueblo Chico is the first model village in the Canary Islands. Opened to the public in 1999, the attraction covers an area of around 20,000 square meters and has permanent displays of a variety of traditional Canarian buildings and landscapes, as well as a scale model of South Tenerife Airport, all faithfully recreated on a scale of 1:25. The route takes you round the park to show you miniatures of the great urban facilities, right through to the representation of the Cliff of Los Gigantes and the lunar landscape of Mount Teide, two of the most outstanding attractive natural features of the Canaries. Admission to the park is quite reasonable at around £12 for adults and £6 for children over 4. Contact details for more information about the park are:
Pueblo Chico
Tf 5 - Salida 35
Camino Cruz de Los Martillos 62
38300
La Orotava
Tenerife
Telephone +34 922 334 060
Fax +34 922 320 660
Web site: www.pueblochico.com