In Tenerife you will find numerous black sand beaches, especially in the north of the island. While it is true that you can also find beaches of blonde sand and pebbles, these are not the most common.

Causes of black sand: the origin of the islands

The Canary Islands emerged from numerous volcanic eruptions over the years. The northern area of ​​the island is the place where we can find a lot of beaches, many of them sheltered by cliffs that in turn are responsible for perpetuating the renewal of materials which form these beaches.

The sediment of volcanic lava with the continuous roll of the sea is responsible for crushing this rock solidification to turn it into black sand.

Due to the mineral richness of volcanic lands, it is common to find a contrasting green colour in the surroundings of black sand beaches, since they are favorable for fertility.

Distinctive features of black sand beaches

Black sand has the peculiarity of heating faster and more intensely with sun’s rays.

Wonderful black sand beaches in the north of Tenerife

Among the wildest black sand beaches that can be found in Tenerife and that are isolated from urban areas, we include Playa del Ancón, Playa de Los Patos, La Fajana and Rambla de Castro. These black sand beaches are ideal to enjoy nature and tranquility away from noise.

If we look for more accessible black sand beaches in Tenerife and with all the comforts that the most urbanized environments provide, within Puerto de la Cruz we should mention Playa Jardín complex, made up by three consecutive black sand beaches.

Not far from the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, you can find a black sand beach well liked by the people of Tenerife, Playa de Las Gaviotas.

Special mention deserve black sand beaches located in the municipality of Anaga.

Other black sand beaches in Tenerife are Playa de la Arena in Mesa del Mar and Playa del Roque, as well as other black sand beaches in the south of Tenerife (Playa de los Guíos and Playa de Alcalá)

Other types of sand on the beaches of Tenerife

If we move towards the south of the island, we will see that it is more common to see blonde beaches, like the one of El Médano, since it was created from the erosion of sand accumulated in dunes.

Near the capital of Tenerife, you can also find the beach of Las Teresitas, although it is true that the sand of this beach is of artificial origin, since it was obtained from the export in the 60’s of more than 5,000 tons of sand from the Sahara desert.

Do you want more information about the beaches of Tenerife?

Visit our blog category about the beaches of Tenerife. We hope you have learned a little more about why the beaches of Tenerife are mostly black sand beaches.