Tenerife North VS South - The Battle
So often Remote Workers and Digital Nomads ask us where on the island they should go. What is better, North or South? Isn’t it always cold in the North and isn’t the South full of tourists? In this article we will try to give you the answers. Spoiler alert: we believe the whole of Tenerife is amazing and, depending on what you prioritise, one part of the island may be better for you than the other. Oh and also, please don’t forget that we are a pretty small island and with a car you can reach everywhere in an hour. So, can you really pick wrong?
Sunset from El Sauzal
Local vs Touristy
What they say: The south is only tourists and all the locals live in the North.
What we say: of course it is true that main tourism is located around a few places in the South, manly Adeje, Los Cristianos and Las Americas. But let’s be real, Tenerife is a tourist destination and tourists can be found everywhere on the island. We do think that in the North of the island you will find more places where local Spanish life is more prominent than in the South, for example in the capital Santa Cruz and towns like La Laguna, La Orotava and Garachico. And of course the more remote you go, the less touristy it will become anywhere on the island.
But there is definitely also local culture to be found on the South. We personally love Candelaria, Villaflor, Acala and Playa San Juan for example.
A few tips to find local culture on Tenerife:
Visit local celebrations and festivals. What not to miss? Carnival in Santa Cruz (Feb/March), Corpus Christy in La Orotava (June), Noche de San Juan in Puerto de la Cruz (June), Boreal festival in Los Silos (Sept) and Virgen de Candelaria (August).
Visit a Guachinche, a typical restaurant located in local wineries. Our favorites? El Cubano in the North and El Nino in the South.
Almost every town on the island has it’s own Romeria, a local celebration with dance, music and original costumes. The most famous is the one in San Marcos.
Cold vs Warm
What they say: In the North it always rains and in the South it is always hot.
What we say: the South has definitely less rain than the North, especially during the winter months. But don’t get fooled - also in the North the weather is great all year round with average temperatures of 23 degrees! In the North it usually rains a few weeks during the winter months (between November and March). These rainy periods can last for a few days or a week and are almost always followed by sunny and warm beach days. In summer both the South and the North get warm and sunny and there is very little difference between the two.
What you shouldn’t forget as well is that Tenerife is a very steep and high volcano. So as soon as you go inland, you go up a few hundred meters fast. When it comes to altitude, the higher you go the warmer it gets in the summer and the colder in the winter. So higher up, the difference between warm and cold are more noticeable than on the coast.
Also, when you are above around 800 meters, you might find yourself in the clouds every now and then!
Nature vs Dry
What they say: All beautiful nature is in the North and the South is only a dry desert.
What we say: like we just described, the North has more rain than the South. This results in a greener landscape in the North of the island with kilometres of forest and the big highlight being Anaga Natural Park.
We can’t deny that there is a big difference in landscape and nature between the North and the South, but this definitely doesn’t mean the South is only a big desert.
Whereas in the North you will find banana fields and big cliffs with black sandy beaches, in the South you will find cactus fields and fisherman villages with natural pools and white beaches.
Not to forget, along the south coast of Las Americas and Adeje you can wales and dolphins watching all year round!
Last but not least, in the middle of all this you will find the magnificent volcano El Teide.
A few tips to find the best nature on Tenerife:
Best beaches: El Bollullo, Las Teresitas, Benijo, El Medano and Diego Hernandez
Best hikes: Punta de Teno, Masca, Caldera, Anaga, Guimar and Vilaflor
Best natural pools: Punta de Teno, Buena Vista del Norte, San Juan de la Rambla, Mesas del Mar, Acala and Los Gigantes.
Surf
What they say: Tenerife is only for sunbathing holidays.
What we say: Tenerife is an amazing island for adventure seekers and every day more known for its water sports. For all wind and kite surfers out there, you want to be in El Medano. This hip town on the east coast of Tenerife is the place for you to be.
For wave surfing there are more options, depending on your lever and what time of the year you are on the island. To give you an idea: in general the waves are bigger in the North than in the South since swells come mostly from the North. In winter the swell picks up and waves are often bigger than in the summer.
Where to Surf in Tenerife:
El Medano (wind and kite surf)
Playa de las Americas
Acala
El Poris
Bajamar
Puerto de la Cruz
So were to work and stay?
We hope it is clear… there is no battle between North and South, because Tenerife as a whole is an amazing destination for Remote Workers and Digital Nomads. In the last year more Coworking and Coliving spaces have popped up for you to enjoy and we are really exited about this movement. It seems that a few hubs are emerging for Remote Workers and Digital Nomads on Tenerife: Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz, El Medano, Amarilla Golf and Las Americas.
Here is a list of places we think you should check out when coming to Tenerife:
Coworking:
Coliving:
Maraya Coliving in Candelaria (coming soon)
We hope you enjoyed this article! Please share your experience with us and leave any tip about the island for other Remote Workers and Digital Nomads who are visiting Tenerife.