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Tenerife resort Los Gigantes is famous for its cliffs |
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Written by Steve Andrews
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 Los Gigantes is a resort village on the southwest coast of Tenerife that gets countless visitors who come to see its amazing cliffs. These cliffs, properly known as Acantilados de Los Gigantes, rise some 600m above the sea on the northern side of Los Gigantes, the name of which in Spanish means “The Giants.”
Los Gigantes has a lot more to offer than just these incredible rocky attractions for sightseers though, and the harbour, which is full of boats, is where many excursions begin. There are whale and dolphin-watching trips, and cruises up the coast past the cliffs to the bay of Masca, the Shangri-La mountain village of Tenerife, which until recently was only accessible from the sea or over the mountains on foot or on a donkey.
 Masca now has a road built to it and the village has a barranco that leads down to the small beach. This beach is where boat trips take visitors to enjoy a dip in the sea, followed by a meal and the return journey back to the Los Gigantes harbour.
 Pilot whales can be found easily within a few sea miles of Los Gigantes marina and the Tenerife whale-watching trips guarantee you will see these amazing marine mammals or you’ll get your money refunded. The dolphins are to be found in areas near the cliffs of Los Gigantes. Turtles and flying fish can also be seen on these seafaring excursions.
 Back in Los Gigantes there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants as well as sports facilities, including a tennis club. The Oasis has a bowling green and lawns next to a swimming pool, and there is a restaurant and cyber-café too. You can get some splendid views across the sea of Tenerife’s neighbouring island of La Gomera from this location.
At night there is plenty of music and entertainment on offer with TJ’s being one of the most well known venues and the bar where much-loved Tenerife pop and rock act Old Dogs New Tricks regularly perform. Los Gigantes also has a traditional plaza next to an  attractive Canarian style church, and with café bars around it this is a good place to relax or meet friends.
The nearby Tenerife village of Puerto de Santiago and the black sand beach Playa de la Arena are also well worth a visit. Further south down the coast are the Tenerife resort seaside villages of Alcalá and Playa de San Juan, which are both also very popular locations with tourists and visitors to Tenerife.
Buses to the Los Gigantes area run from the north and south with the 325 from Puerto de la Cruz and calling in at Icod de los Vinos, the 473 from Los Cristianos and back, as well as the 493 and 462 from the Tenerife town of Guía de Isora.
One last “must-see” in Los Gigantes is the shoals of fish in the harbour. The local people and visitors delight in throwing bread and scraps to them.
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Tenerife Island 
