Insider tip Tenerife: the banana plantations

Insider tip Tenerife: banana plantations

Our insider tip for Tenerife: Holidays away from the tourist strongholds near the banana plantations. How do bananas grow TenerifeBananas in Tenerife are smaller than the ones we know from the supermarket! There are bananas grown on terraces. Bananas also grow on mountain slopes. Bananas grow in fields that slope down towards the sea.

The banana plantations on Tenerife are located in the southwest of the island in all sorts of locations: with mountain views, clinging to slopes, or in fields that gently descend to the sea.

There, they stretch their fronds towards the sun like toy soldiers. It's been a few years since we were in Tenerife, but the banana fields between Los Cristianos and Los Gigantes are still vivid in our memories.

They impressed us. Especially because some farmers cultivate their banana plants on terrain so rugged that it remains a mystery to us how they manage to harvest the bunches. After all, they can weigh up to 50 kg.

 

 

 

Banana cultivation in Tenerife Banana plantations

Tenerife has many banana plantations where the delicious fruit is grown. The banana plants are mostly cultivated in special banana plantations and require a lot of care and attention to grow optimally.

Thanks to its mild climate and fertile soil, Tenerife is a perfect place for banana cultivation. Banana farming is an important source of income on Tenerife, and many families depend on this tradition.

If you visit Tenerife, you should definitely try the bananas and visit a banana plantation to see how the fruit is grown.

 

 

Where do bananas grow in Tenerife?

How do bananas grow in Tenerife? We mainly saw the plantations in the south, but the plants are also cultivated in the north of Tenerife.

Bananas are delicate. Therefore, they are often covered with tarpaulins to protect them from winds and sunlight.

Tenerife bananas are smaller and sweeter than the eating bananas we buy in grocery stores. Around 90% of the annual harvest is sold to Europe, making bananas very valuable to the island's economy.

 

 

The banana harvest in Tenerife

If you visit Tenerife in the summer, you have the chance to experience the banana harvest on the island up close. Harvest time is an exciting time, as the sweet and juicy bananas are picked by hand.

Harvesting is hard work and requires a lot of skill and experience. The harvest workers move carefully between the tall banana plants and pick the fruit.

Bananas are packed into special boxes and taken to the processing plant, where they are washed and sorted.

Some of the bananas are sold on the island, while others are exported and available in many European countries.

Banana harvesting is an important tradition and a significant economic sector in Tenerife.

If you have the opportunity to visit a banana plantation, you should definitely take advantage of it to learn more about banana cultivation and the way of life on the island.

 

 

Why do they harvest bananas in Tenerife when they are still green?

The island's bananas taste best when eaten shortly after harvesting. No banana is harvested when fully ripe.

Bananas are still green when you cut them. Then you let them sit until their peel has turned a uniform yellow color.

This is why bananas can now be transported even to far-flung regions. Despite the long trade routes, they are delivered fresh to the end customer.

On board the ships, the growth of the fruit is slowed down. This is done by storing it at 13,2 degrees Celsius.

Only in the banana ripening facilities at the destination countries is the temperature raised again. This restarts the bananas' journey process. To further aid this, the fruit is sprayed with ethylene, a gas that the fruit itself produces.

 

 

What do they do with bananas in Tenerife?

Only ten percent of the banana harvest remains in Tenerife. Here, it is processed into products including banana liqueur.

Banana cake is frequently sold in the island's cafes. The small, squat bananas can also be bought in supermarkets.

You should definitely try these. They taste completely different from the ones we know from our local supermarkets. Much more intense and sweeter!

 

 

Our insider tip for Tenerife: the views of banana plantations in Tenerife.

 

 

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Travel Arrangements

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Arrival to the Tenerife banana plantations

For example, book your flight here.* There are airports in both the north and south of the island.

Rental car to the banana plantations on Tenerife:

Cheap Car Hire - Book Fast and Easy! *

Hotels in Tenerife

If this article makes you want to visit these plantations, then booking.com offers an extensive selection of hotels in the region *.

 

 

 

The outdoor activities are also interesting on Tenerifethat Paulina put together. Check it out.

 

 

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Source banana plantations on Tenerife: own research on site. In any case, our opinion remains our own.

Text insider tip Tenerife banana plantations: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline