Tenerife: Teide, Anaga and the Vertical Island

Tenerife is the island of extremes: in a single day's riding you can go from tropical beaches at sea level, to laurel forest wrapped in cloud at 800 metres, to a lunar volcanic landscape at 2,000 metres, and on to the flanks of Teide — a 3,718-metre volcano that is the highest mountain in Spain and the third-highest volcano in the world measured from its oceanic base. The TF-21 climbing from La Orotava to Las Cañadas del Teide is one of the most striking riding experiences in Europe: over 40 km of continuous ascent through 36 numbered bends, dramatic shifts in vegetation, and the silhouette of Teide growing on the horizon.

Las Cañadas del Teide, the volcanic caldera ringing the peak, is a landscape from another planet: black lava flows, rock formations in impossible colours (the Roques de García, Los Azulejos), and light so clean and sky so transparent that NASA and ESA have used it as a Mars analogue for astronaut training. The Teide Observatory, at 2,400 m, is among the finest astronomical observatories in the world thanks to the clarity of the Canarian sky.

The Anaga massif, at the island's north-eastern tip, is the green, humid counterpoint to volcanic Teide. A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it holds the largest laurel forest in the Canaries: a subtropical jungle of laurels, tree ferns and mosses that is a relic of the Tertiary, when such forests covered all of southern Europe 20 million years ago. The TF-12, crossing Anaga end to end, is one of the most technical roads in Spain: narrow, with blind bends, frequent fog and tarmac often damp from condensing cloud.

Tenerife's cooking is among the richest and most varied in the Canaries. Papas arrugás con mojo — potatoes boiled in their skins in heavily salted water, served with green coriander and red pepper sauces — is the iconic dish. Gofio, toasted cereal flour inherited from the Guanches, is eaten a thousand ways. Tenerife's wines, especially those of the Tacoronte-Acentejo designation and the volcanic wines of Abona, are winning ever wider international recognition.

Practical notes: Tenerife is a year-round riding paradise thanks to its subtropical climate (20-25°C on average). But beware: Teide's altitude brings cold — it can be 0°C at the summit even in summer — and Anaga is often fogged in. The roads are excellent but technical in Anaga. To bring your own bike, there is a ferry from Cádiz (long) or container shipping. For a night to remember, the Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide at 2,150 m is the most singular option: sleeping on a volcano and watching the stars from the terrace.