One of the best things about Tenerife is how much variety sits within an hour or two of the southern resorts. You can wake up on a sunny beach, drive into a volcanic national park, and be back for dinner. If you are staying in Playa Las Americas, Los Cristianos or Costa Adeje, these are the day trips worth building your week around.
Mount Teide is the essential one. Spain's highest peak and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a 60–90 minute drive up through pine forest into a lunar volcanic landscape. Ride the cable car toward the summit, walk the marked trails, and — if you can — stay for sunset and stargazing, as the sky here is among the clearest in the world.
The green north is the island most resort visitors never see. Spend a day in the colonial towns of La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz, the UNESCO old town of La Laguna, and the dramatic Anaga mountains with their ancient laurel forest and black-sand beaches. It is cooler, greener and completely different in character from the south.
The west coast delivers the island's most dramatic scenery. Hike the famous Masca gorge or take a boat along the towering cliffs of Los Gigantes, which also happens to be one of the best whale and dolphin zones — many visitors combine the two on a single boat trip. For a slower pace, the wine region around Tacoronte and the GüÃmar pyramids make an easy inland day.
A few tips: rent a car for the mountain and northern trips (public transport is slow for day-tripping), start early to beat both the heat and the tour-bus crowds, and always carry a layer — the summit can be 15–20°C colder than the coast. Round off an active day back near your base: Fun Zone in Playa Las Americas has axe throwing, escape games and quiz nights, and our things to do in Tenerife page maps out the rest.