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The Mariposario del Drago – Tenerife’s butterfly gardens |
 In Icod de los Vinos in the north of Tenerife, besides the attraction of the Drago Milenario thousand-year-old Dragon Tree, there is also another place that has proved to be very popular with visitors and locals alike, and that is the Mariposario del Drago butterfly gardens and centre.
The Mariposario del Drago is at the end of the road known as Avenida de Canarias that lies below the squares in the vicinity of the most famous Tenerife Dragon Tree, and so it is convenient for visitors coming to see this part of Icod. Once you have paid to enter you go into the glass-roofed building, which is full of exotic flowering plants, bushes and creepers with a water gardens included, and it really feels like some enchanted corner of paradise with all the beautiful butterflies flying freely around you
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Plenty to see and do in Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz |
 Santa Cruz, the bustling capital of Tenerife is situated on the coast of the island in the north and has plenty to offer with places to visit and things to do as well as boasting an excellent shopping centre. Santa Cruz is in an ideal location with the sea in front and the Anaga mountains sheltering it from above.
One of the landmarks of Santa Cruz is the Tenerife Auditorium (Auditorio de Tenerife), which stands shining in the sun like a gigantic helmet, and is easily visible from the main bus station. The Tenerife Auditorium was designed by Santiago Calatrava, and is the main performing arts venue on the island, staging big concerts by internationally famous names from all genres of music, from rock and pop through to chamber music and classical. Van Morrison, Jethro Tull and Paul Young are examples of acts that have performed there.
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The magic and majesty of Tenerife’s Mt Teide |
 In many ways the island of Tenerife is Mt Teide, because without it then there would be no island here. So it seems fitting that as you approach Tenerife by air the lofty peak stands out clearly and majestically, especially when it is covered in gleaming snow.
Mt Teide, or Pico del Teide, as it is also known, is a dormant volcano that is said to be 600,000 years old and it is also the highest mountain in all of Spain standing 3717 m above sea level and approximately 7000 m above the adjacent seabed. About 150,000 years ago on Tenerife as it then was, an immense explosive eruption occurred creating Las Cañadas, a large caldera at just over 2000 m altitude.
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Going Golfing Holidays Golf Challenge 2008 |
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The event this year commences on Friday 16th May 2008 for seven days, with up to 120 golfers from all over the world, competing for the great prizes on offer.
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La Orotava - interesting Tenerife town |
 La Orotava is a town in the mountains above Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife and, although it is easy to reach by bus or car, in many ways it is like stepping back in time because of the historic architecture and old cobblestone streets, its ivy-clad walls and sheltered exotic ornamental gardens.
La Orotava is famous for its Casa de los Balcones, (House of Balconies), which is located on the west side of the town in Calle San Francisco. Casa de los Balcones has an inner courtyard in which tall palms grow and staghorn ferns hang in baskets, while up above the ornate Canarian style balconies look down on it all. Local foods, wine, arts and crafts, clothing and textiles are on sale and Casa de los Balcones is very popular with Tenerife tourists.
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About Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest island of the Canary Islands archipelago. Mount Teide is Spain’s highest mountain (3.718 meters) and is situated in the middle of the island. Tenerife is located in Atlantic Ocean off the cost of Africa. Tenerife is the most populated of the seven islands. The island’s population is 839,000. It is estimated that of the total population, there are some 30,000 legally registered foreigners living in Tenerife. There are undoubtedly many more foreigners living on the island without being registered.
The capital city of the island is Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is the second biggest city in the Canary Islands archipelago. Island government is located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The city is also the capital of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and officially co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands together with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with whom shares the government institutions, such as Presidency, Parliament, ministries and Superior Court of Justice.
The climate of Tenerife can vary considerably depending where you are on the island. The south and west generally have the warmest climate. The weather in Tenerife is usually hot and sunny. Tenerife has a great variety of micro-climates in a very small geographic area and provides interest for many different types of tourist, not just those looking for beaches but also others that enjoy hiking, climbing, paragliding, cycling, photography or any other outdoor pursuit that benefits from the wonderful climate and diversity of topography and landscape available to visitors.
The Canary Islands have some of the cleanest beaches in Europe. Tenerife nonetheless has, along it's 358 kilometers (220 miles) of coastline with many good beaches. There are more beaches in the south of Tenerife than in the north. Tenerife is a volcanic island and on the most of the beaches you will find black, volcanic sand. The most popular beaches on the island are: Playa de Las Teresitas, Playa de la Arena, Playa de Las Americas, Playa de Las Vistas, Playa La Tejita.
Tourism is the most prominent industry in the Canaries, being one of the major tourist destinations in the World. Main tourist resorts are located in the south of Tenerife. The south’s main tourist resort, Las Americas has plenty of beaches along it’s vast seafront, some of which are partly manmade. The beaches are generally well maintained but can get quite crowded. There are a series of separate beaches (Playa del Bobo, Playa de Torviscas, Playa de Troya etc), but in reality they more or less run in a line along the coast so it’s only a short walk from one to another. A former fishing village situated next door to Las Americas, Los Cristianos is the south’s second largest holiday area. It boasts fewer beaches than Las Americas, including a very nice brand new manmade beach - Playa de Las Vistas - only completed in 1997. Near the island’s southern airport, El Médano is a small town with a large but often windy beach, and as such is a favourite haunt of windsurfers. In El Médano conditions are so good that international competitions are held here.
