Santa Cruz de Tenerife Red Cave

Sustainable experiences in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Stroll around the historic center and its museums

Our first suggestion for Sustainable Experiences in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is starting from its historic center and the museums that greatly describe the origins and developments of this vulcanic island. This helps understand many aspects of the land, its fauna and flora, and of course its people. Santa Cruz is said to be the heart of Tenerife and leads the entire island.

Visit the Museum of Natural Science and Archeology: 

Must see presentation of the origins of the Canaries as volcanic islands, and their historic development. Starting from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura around 20 million years ago, followed by Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and finally La Palma, La Gomera and Hierro all emerged from vulcanic eruptions. The evolution of its landscapes, vegetation and inhabitants over centuries are well illustrated.

Canarian Origins

 

Plaza de Espana and the Castle of San Cristobal:

By visiting the main square of the capital city you can see the ruins of the fortress that protected the city from foreign invasions. The museum is located under the ground of the Plaza de España, and accessible for free. It  displays the remains of the castle and the armament that helped win crucial battles against the British invaders. 

Castle of San Cristobal
Castle of San Cristobal

 

San Cristobal de la Laguna:

La Laguna, which was the first capital of Tenerife and twin city of Santa Cruz, is worth a visit for its historic meaning and flavour. It has been granted World Heritage status by the UNESCO since 1999. Built around 1500, it is considered a forerunner of unfortified colonial towns later founded in the Americas such as Cartagena in Colombia and la Havana in Cuba. 

The original layout as well as some of the historic buildings are still kept intact. The layout was planned on navigation principles, the dominant science of the time. The town map can be interpreted as a sea chart, or constellation map (of the stars) used for navigation in that period. It was inspired by philosophical principles, and space arranged for pacific social order. Free guided tours of the town are provided by the City: Visitas Guiadas Gratuitas – Turismo de La Laguna (aytolalaguna.es)

Visit la Laguna

The following link gives a number of walking tours around La Laguna: Footpaths – Turismo de La Laguna (aytolalaguna.es)

For sustainable transport, the old capital city is reachable by bus in 20 minutes from the Intercambiador Terminal of Santa Cruz. Also, a electric scooters Sharing services are available in both cities.

el carnaval de tenerife and other cultural events

The Carnaval of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the second largest in the world after the Rio Carnaval. In the Casa del Carnaval you can relive the emotions of the past events by watching videos of the street celebrations and dance performances. A multitude of costumes of the winning Reinas are on display, as well as some showcases the backstages.

The Fiestas de Mayo celebrate the foundation of Santa Cruz de Tenerife as the capital city of the island on the 3rd of May. In 1496 the island was incorporated in the Crown of Castilla (Spain), and its capital has since been developing as one of the most modern and welcoming cities of the Canaries. So during the whole month of May, crosses with flower decorations are displayed, and multiple events celebrate this historic date.

The influence of Latin American cultures derived from continous exchanges from the colonial times can be seen in the foods and dancing scenes. In particular, Salsa, Bachata and Merengue schools and clubs offer worldclass lessons and latin parties are organized throughout the island.

Taste local delicacies

Mercado Central Nostra Señora de Africa: Founded in 1943, the municipal market of Recova served as the main trading point of food not only for the city of Santa Cruz, but also for the entire island of Tenerife. After the intense and crucial activity in the sector for a few decades, the Mercado Central saw a decline in importance and volume because of the creation of Mercatenerife (a wholesale food commerce) in 1974, and other new food distribution practices.  

But in 1995, La Recova started a new recovery project based on the initiative of self-management from the part of its merchants. This project put the focus on the freshness and healthy quality of the local products sold in the Mercado Central, as opposed to big chain distributions supermarkets. As a particular service worth of note is the fresh seafood tasting accompanied with a glass of local wine, available in the fish market area. 

La Recova
La Recova

Tascas and Guachinches: Just outside and around the Mercado Central are some taverns that serve typical canarian food, generally called guachinches. They can be found around the city and the whole island, and tend to serve more meat dishes such as goat and other local specialties such as almogrote and red and green mojos (sauces for potatoes and other).

Excursions in Nature

Hiking or mountain biking in the surrounding hills: Just outside the city and easily reachable by public transport can be found some trails that take you in isolated areas. 

Camino de Las Lecheras
Camino de Las Lecheras

From the Cueva Roja begins a path that takes you around the hills and reaches La Laguna, for a 15km distance. This Camino de las Lecheras offers some nice views of both cities, as well as the island of Gran Canaria in clear days. The trail dates back around the XVIth century, and has been for a long time the only route connecting the two historic cities. Literally the ‘trail of the milk ladies’ it is said that it got its name from the fact that it was used to bring the milk taken from the cows of the mountainous areas to the cities. 

More of the official trails are available with all relative info in the following link: Las mejores rutas de Senderismo en Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias (España) | Wikiloc

Thank you, and let’s get ready for your next experiential trip!

1 thought on “Sustainable experiences in Santa Cruz de Tenerife”

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