The north of Tenerife is not the south, and it is worth knowing that before you arrive with a towel. Here the sand is black, the Atlantic comes in hard, and many of the best places to swim are not beaches at all but pools carved out by lava. In exchange, they are almost never crowded.
The easiest: San Marcos
The most photogenic: Charco del Viento
A few kilometres east, already in La Guancha, there is a volcanic pool made famous by photographs: black lava flows running into the sea with a pool of clear water between them. It is not an equipped beach. A track leads down, there are no facilities and no lifeguard, and it is badly exposed to the northern swell.
The natural pools: El Caletón
In Garachico, minutes to the west, the 1706 eruption left a set of pools where the lava met the sea — Las Viejas, Los Niños, Los Chorros — which are now the most popular bathing spot in the north-west. They are maintained and connected to the seafront promenade, which makes them the most rewarding option when the sea is calm.
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