The Teide National Park is one of the main attractions of the Canary Islands

считается одним из популярнейших у путешественников мест на Канарских островах. The Teide National Park (Tenerife) is considered one of the most popular places for travelers in the Canary Islands. Its area is almost 19 thousand hectares. In 2007, it entered the list of UNESCO heritage sites. The most interesting are the local landscapes, various archeological monuments, which in their time played a very important role in the history of local natives, as well as the volcano of the same name.

The capital of Tenerife

. The capital of the island is the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife . Its population is a little over 200 thousand inhabitants, therefore it is still far from the status of a megacity. Nevertheless, it is the largest on the island. The first mention of the settlement was recorded in 1492, and during the 16th century the former fishing village acquired the status of an important sea port.

Since 1783, the city has already become a significant administrative unit. However, even now all its sights can be walked around during the day. Among the most interesting of them are the churches of St. Francis (the 17th century) and the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion (16th century), a memorial to the victims of the Civil War, and a wooden cross erected by the first Spanish settlers And which is now a symbol of all the Canary Islands.

It will be especially pleasant to visit Santa Cruz de Tenerife for lovers of relaxation in a mild climate, who want to get out of the noisy streets of big cities. Whatever it was, the most popular among tourists were the natural attractions of the island, one of which is the Teide volcano, along with the national park of the same name. More details about them will be discussed later.

Some historical facts

A few thousand years ago in the territory of the present reserve there lived a tribe of aborigines - Guanches. The Teide volcano was the place of their worship. This name in Russian translates as "devil" or "hell." Aborigines believed that inside him an evil spirit was imprisoned by the Supreme God. This is the reason for such an ominous name. Currently, Teide refers to sleeping volcanoes, but in the past eruptions have happened repeatedly. The last of them dates back to 1909.

General description of the park

располагается в кальдере Лас-Каньядас-дель-Тейде, которая возникла несколько миллионов лет назад. The Teide National Park is located in the caldera of Las Cañadas del Teide, which arose several million years ago. It should be noted that this is the largest protected area in Tenerife. It was founded in 1954 for the purpose of saving local animals, plants and volcanic landscape, in connection with which it is considered a reserve. Almost immediately after the opening, the Spanish authorities appropriated it as a national one. On the territory of many observation platforms for tourists, from which unique landscapes on the island are opened. Each of them has a special stand, containing information about what the visitor sees, as well as a brief scientific and historical reference in Spanish, German and English.

Flora and fauna

имеет уникальную флору, многие представители которой не встречаются больше нигде в мире. The Teide National Park has a unique flora, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world. There are 168 kinds of flowers on its territory. Every plant here is unusual and beautiful in its own way. On the slopes of the crater, as well as along the perimeter of the reserve, forests from Canarian pine grow. Its amazing feature is the ability to self-recover from fires.

As for the fauna, it is not so diverse and rich. Its representatives are mostly small animals, as well as canary canaries, eared owls, lizards, pigeons and crows. All of them are considered indigenous inhabitants of the park. The only local aborigines among mammals are bats. All other animals that were encountered here were imported from the mainland in due time.

sights

One of the main attractions of the reserve is the volcano of the same name. In this regard, it is not surprising that excursions on the Teide are very popular. Their cost is an average of just over 100 euros per person, without taking into account the price for the funicular. In order to climb on it, an adult needs to pay 25 euros, and a child - 12.5 euros. Despite this, many tourists claim that you can not go to Tenerife and yet not to visit the highest point of the entire Atlantic, which is at around 3718 meters. From here you can see unique views of the archipelago.

, являются местные скалы. Another attraction that the Teide National Park boasts is the local rocks. They contain a large proportion of copper, so they differ in their original greenish tinge. It should be noted that most of the local postcards and booklets depict one of these high rocks against the background of the volcano.

Infrastructure and travel

On the territory of the park is the hotel "Parador", in which many tourists stop before their further journey. Due to the large number of people wishing to book a room here is recommended in advance. There is an information center in the reserve, where you can watch a documentary film in different languages about the history of the reserve, its pedestrian routes and sights. Among other things, here is one of the largest observatories on the planet, research on which has been conducted for 40 years.

функционирует круглосуточно, а въезд на его территорию на автомобиле является бесплатным. The Teide National Park operates around the clock, and entry to its territory by car is free. You can also get here by taking a tour, or by buses that go to the reserve from several cities on the island.