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Attractions

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

Certainly worth a visit on one of the more cloudy days is the Bananera El Guanche, which is a private banana plantation 2km from centre of Puerto de la Cruz. As with the Loro Parque above, a free bus to the plantation leaves from Avenida de Colon throughout the day Entrance is quite reasonable at around 6€ for adults, which includes a short video on Tenerife, followed by a guided tour. At the end of the tour there is then an opportunity to sample their own brand banana licquer, or order flamingo flowers and bunches of bananas, which can be delivered to your hotel on the day of your choice. Contact details are:
Bananera El Guanche
Carretera del Botánico, 43
38311
La Orotava
Tenerife Norte
Telephone: +34 922 331 853
Fax: +34 922 332 692
Email: stephane@bananeraelguanche.com
Web site: www.bananeraelguanche.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 need to obtain a permit from the Oficina del Parque Nacional del Teide in Santa Cruz. These permits are free but applications must be made in person to:
Oficina del Parque Nacional del Teide
C/ Emilio Calzadilla, 5 (4th floor)
38003
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Telephone: +34 922 290 129
Fax: +34 922 244 788
Email: pnteide@teleline.es
As an added complication these offices are only open Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm, and you'll need to take a form of photographic identification with you. 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. Outside of carnival time, making the short journey over to Santa Cruz is very easy by public transport, as the Transportes Interurbanos de Tenerife, Linea 101 and Linea 103 routes both run on average every 30 minutes between the two towns.

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