Wild Swimming in the Canary Islands

Tenerife - Masca

For the adventurous, a 'bucket list' round trip Wild Swimming Masca Tenerifebetween Masca and Los Gigantes is a must. Park your car at Los Gigantes and Masca Tenerife wild swimmingget a taxi/boat-taxi deal (available from all drivers) and you'll be taken up to Masca through stunning scenery. Arrive early, so that you have plenty of time to descend through the breathtaking sub-tropical ravine to the beach. The boat-taxi picks up three times a day with the last sailing at 4.30 pm. The descent is difficult in parts; the path criss-crosses a stream with many waterfalls and plunge pools along the way. With the view of cliffs towering above you scraping the clouds, time spent taking photographs and plunging into the pools (each one modest but with an irresistible setting) an early start is essential!  Allow a good four hours for the descent alone (some say it can be done in two, but that's for teenagers and mountain goats) and add on time for sightseeing, swimming and picnicking. At the end of your trip you can jump or dive into the sea from thequayside and swim beneath the imposing vertical cliffs whilst you wait for the boat-taxi to take you back to civilisation.  This wild swimming experience is unsuitable for small children and the less able.  

Los Cristianos and Las Americas - Tenerife 

The Canary Islands have a great deal to offer the wild swimmer; with historic swims, majestic cliffs and vistas that take Wild Swimming to new heights. Tenerife is the most popular and urbanized of the Islands with Los Cristianos and Las Americas offering all that is available at the British seaside with the added appeal of warm sunshine all year round. The mountainous nature of the Island generates a number of climate zones with the best of the weather to be experienced on the south coast. The fact that two substantial Water Parks attract visitors all year round tells you something about the sub-tropical climate. Siam Park is the most recent and up to date, with water slides built to enable friends and families to share the experience riding together in giant rubber rafts.

The Las Vistas beach of Los Cristianos looks commercialised, yet swimmers cross the bay at its widest point, and once away from the hubbub, views from the water stretch right to the top of Mount Teide. The cone of an extinct volcano forms the hillside to the back of the beach which is lined with shops and restaurants. Countless other volcanoes catch clouds, which ripen to plump purple, adding greatly to the drama of the landscape. When you are swimming in clear blue water with your back bathed in sunshine it feels like you are swimming in paradise. Looking up to these peaks swaddled in blue-black threatening clouds and with the snow capped Teide summit rising above them makes swimming at Las Vistas a particularly memorable experience. You feel as if you are far away from it all and yet after your swim you are within easy reach of all the amenities you could wish for at a family resort.

Walking along the shoreline from Las Vistas beach towards Las Americas, silver sand beaches give way to a more rugged coast. And here you will find a tidal pool open from 10.00 am until 6.00 pm (but sadly, not every day).

Tenerife -Alacala'

Heading North along thecoast you come to Alacala'- a swimmers joy. Diving from the key into the swirling waters is a delightful experience.As the resort has no beach to speak of, a sunbathing terracehas been constructed with several sets of steps to tempt swimmers into the water. The brilliance of the chrome handrails givesthe place the feel of a true lido. Just around the corner a café revives travellers and refreshes swimmers with sea views across a tiny black sand beach to the rock formations beyond.


 

Gran Canaria  - Playa de Mogán  

This is a wonderful location, combining a handsome port nicknamed 'Little Venice', with a small and attractive beach resort. You can swim from the beach to the hotel opposite, where you can dive from the steps or swim to the neighboring resort of Taurito beneath the cliffs. Sea races are held between these resorts and no one will find it strange when you set off swimming.  Along the way you will discover caves to explore, both large and Wild Swimming Playa de Mogán - Gran Canariasmall, with one of particular interest. Swim along until you find a do-nut shaped rock about six feet underwater. If you come to the caves first you will have missed it, so head back and try again. We had great fun diving down and swimming back up through the rock circle, that is, until a Spanish swimmer pointed out that if you climb out onto the rocks and walk to the cliff there is a circular plunge pool with two underwater exits. The easier of the two heads away from the beach through a long underwater tunnel.  Once you plunge into the pool there is no way out other than by swimming underwater through the cave. Please note that these activities are for experienced swimmers only. The view from the dark tunnel out to the bright blue sea is addictive and you will want to do it over and over again! Swimming activities here vary with the tide; jumping from the bridge (which joins the port to the beach); diving from a detached part of the sea wall; snorkeling (I saw a ray), and even a ship wreck. For the less adventurous members of the family, a trip on the yellow submarine will provide a voyage to be remembered. Enjoy!