Los Gigantes (The Giants) is a small town located on the west coast of the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are an autonomous community of Spain located off the northwest coast of Africa. The town of Los Gigantes is known for its towering cliffs that rise from the sea and its black sand beaches. It is a popular destination for tourists due to its warm climate, beautiful beaches, and recreational activities such as scuba diving, whale and dolphin watching, and hiking.
The skyline is dominated by the “Acantildados” the “cliffs of the giants” that stand at an extremely impressive 500 meters above sea level. The Canary Islands are undoubtedly the warmest place in Europe winter, their geographical situation being off the coast of North Africa. Tourists flock in their millions every year to Tenerife, the South of the Island consisting of many man-made tourist resorts. Los Gigantes on the other hand has managed to keep much of its Canarian charm, and village life is set at a perfect pace for holidaymakers and residents alike.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Los Gigantes means The Giants in English and the towns name relates to the Acantilados de Los Gigantes the cliff formations near the town.
- The beaches near Los Gigantes are of black sand.
- Los Gigantes is a small town but close by are the resort towns of La Arena & Puerto de Santiago.
Must Do
There is a lot to do in Los Gigantes, considering that the town is only small and has only a few thousand permanent residents. It has an excellent bus service that provides routes to the south and the north of the island. The must do when visiting of course is taking photos of the giant cliffs. The only question that remains is which view point to take them from.
Going out of the village and following the road to the village of Tamaimo, you will find a perfect “mirador” to take your snaps from. Here you can use a carefully placed boat as the foreground for your photos, the giants providing an impressive backdrop no matter what the weather is doing. Two other impressive lookout points for photo opportunities are found as the end of the “Calle Adelfas” and “Calle el Pino”. Here you can admire the view of the harbour too, with its glistening water and impressive collection of yachts and sail boats.
Related Article – Things to do in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
What I Like Most About Los Gigantes
When it comes to this question, I definitely have two things I like most. One is that whatever day of the year it is, you will never wake up to less than 14 or 15 degrees Celsius (generally more) The warm climate puts you in a great mood to start your day, and one look at the giant cliffs and you will be reminded once again that you live in paradise. The other thing I love about Los Gigantes is how safe it is. It’s perfectly safe for kids to play out on the streets, and because of the carefully designed one-way system, cars simply can’t drive fast around the village.
Best Walk in Los Gigantes
The best walk from Los Gigantes will depend on your stamina and strength. As you look at the giant cliffs, you will notice a small hole towards the top. This from down below looks almost inaccessible; the truth is it’s not, and I personally have been up there and taken in the breathtaking views from high up. This walk to the “Ojo de Guama” or known by expat locals as the eye of the giants is perfect for anyone who is physically fit and is not scared of heights.
If you want to keep your feet nearer down to sea level, take a walk along the coast, past “Crab Island” and all the way to Puerto de Santiago, Playa de Arena, Varadero, and Alcalá. This walk has become more popular in the last few years, as a purpose-built path is now in place between Varadero and Alcalá. This walk is popular with families and pensioners alike, the preference for the elder generation being to walk to Alcalá, have lunch in a typical Canarian restaurant on the sea front, and then catch the bus back to Los Gigantes.
Best Restaurants in Los Gigantes
For such a small town, there is a wide choice of places to eat in Los Gigantes. The village has its own Michelin Star restaurant in the square “El Rincon de Juan Carlos,” or for something more informal you may like to eat a snack or tapas down by the harbor. “El Pescador” is the perfect place for a fish meal, CKs Bistro being a great choice for evening dining in style. If you fancy combining a lunch with mini golf or a game of tennis, try the superb “Tipsy Terrace” that is situated right by the bus terminal with beautiful grounds and a swimming pool (I may be biased here as before the Covid-19 outbreak, I worked here part time in the kitchen!)
Other restaurants include:
- El Meson
- El Pescadoro
- La Paloma del Puerto
- San Francisco
- Chicken Shack
- Las Brasas
- Fettucine Inn
- Sinatra’s
- El Dique
- Los Goteros
- Ocean Drive Cafe/Bar
- El Lucero
- Mariposa
- Juan Carlos
- Pancho’s
- Krishna’s
- Miranda’s
- Harbour Lights
- Mistinguett
- El Guanche
Best Places to Say in Los Gigantes
I’ve added a few local hotels. If you’d like more details hit the link and you will go to TripAdvisor for more detail and customer reviews.
- Royal Sun Resort Standing proudly against the backdrop of the majestic cliffs that give their name to the tranquil resort village of Los Gigantes (“The Giants”), the Royal Sun Resort is set on one of the cliffs’ highest points, with unsurpassed views of the village.
- Hotel Tui Blue Los Gigantes -Blue Los Gigantes aims to make your visit as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, which is why so many guests continue to come back year after year. As your “home away from home,” the hotel rooms offer a flat screen TV, a refrigerator, and air conditioning, and getting online is easy, with free internet access available.
- Aparthotel Los Dragos del Sur – Spacious, comfortable apartments all outdoor terrace and magnificent sea views, equipped with kitchen and utensils, independent air conditioning, bathroom, furnished 1 and 2 separate bedrooms, safe with charge in all apartments.
- Arena Nest Hostel – enjoy your holidays in a wonderful place with unforgettable landscapes, resting in a comfortable and quiet environment on the beautiful island of Tenerife
Best Music/Festival
The Canary Islands are renowned for their local fiestas. The village square comes alive with the sound of live music almost every weekend! But, the most noted festival in Los Gigantes has to be the carnival in March. After Rio De Janiero in Brazil, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is allegedly the second best in the world. And, I personally would put the local carnival of Los Gigantes as number 3. From a day carnival for kids, to a drag queen carnival, and activities in the square every day, many visitors to the town make sure their visit combines with this extremely special time of year.
Night Life in Los Gigantes
Unlike the Southern resorts of Tenerife such as Playa de Las Americas, Los Gigantes is quite low-key when it comes to nigh life. The last night club closed over a decade ago, making way for a holiday resort that is more geared towards the older generation and families. This does not mean that you can’t go out and have fun at night in Los Gigantes. From live concerts in the church square to karaoke in “Highland Paddy’s” there is always something going on.
Best Day Trips from Los Gigantes
In my opinion the best day trips from Los Gigantes go by sea rather than by land. Down at the harbor, choose a boat trip to suit your needs and budget. From private charter, to the famous “Flipper Uno” pirate boat, there are plenty of options available for all budgets.
A day trip can be organized that includes a paella lunch onboard. Or you can choose an afternoon or morning slot on a whale and dolphin watching tour. A day trip that is unfortunately unavailable at the moment due to safety reasons is a hiking trip to Masca Gorge. This would start from the nearby village of Tamaimo, a hiking route taking you to the breathtaking village of Masca. From here you would hike down the temporarily closed gorge, returning to Los Gigantes from the pier at the bottom on the “Masca Express”
Little Known Fact: Snorkeling with Turtles
As a visitor to Los Gigantes, there aren’t really any well-kept secrets about the village. It’s easy to learn about the history of the cliffs and indeed the history of Tenerife before tourism hit in the 1960’s. One lesser known fact about Los Gigantes that I will share with you today is that is you can go snorkeling with turtles. There are well renowned dive centres both in Los Gigantes and in nearby Alcalá. But, if you fancy meeting up with the turtles on your own, take a short bus ride to the “Mendez” beach in nearby Alcalá where the waters are so crystalline clear that you don’t even need to go diving deep down into the ocean to see the turtles.
Interesting facts about Los Gigantes
- The cliffs that are called Acantilados de Los Gigantes rise from the sea to a height of between 500 metres to 800 meters in some places.
- The main accommodation in Los Gigantes are apartments rather than hotels.
- The local beach near the marina is a black sand beach.
- At the marina there are whale and dolphin watching tours available and scuba diving is popular.
- Los Gigantes is a small town located on the west coast of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain.
- The town is named after the nearby cliffs, known as Los Gigantes (The Giants), which are over 500 meters (1,640 feet) high.
- The cliffs are made of volcanic rock and are a popular spot for rock climbing and base jumping.
- Los Gigantes has a subtropical climate, with warm temperatures year-round and very little variation between summer and winter.
- The town is known for its black sand beach, Playa de la Arena, which is popular for swimming and sunbathing.
- Los Gigantes is also home to a marina, which is a hub for water sports such as scuba diving, fishing, and boat rentals.
- The town has a rich history, with evidence of human settlement dating back to the Guanche people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands.
- Los Gigantes is located near the Masca Valley, a beautiful and rugged valley with a rich vegetation and a small village at the bottom.
- The town is a popular tourist destination, with a variety of accommodation options ranging from hotels to holiday rentals.
- Los Gigantes is also home to a number of restaurants and bars, offering a variety of local and international cuisine.
