Insider tip Tenerife: the banana plantations

How do bananas grow in Tenerife?

Insider tip Tenerife: banana plantations

Our insider tip for Tenerife: Holidays away from the tourist strongholds near the banana plantations. How do bananas grow Tenerife? Tenerife bananas are smaller than those we know from the supermarket! There are bananas on terraces. Bananas also grow on mountain slopes. Bananas in fields sloping down to the sea. The banana plantations on Tenerife can be found in all possible locations in the southwest of the island. Overlooking mountains. Clinging to slopes or in fields that slope flat to the sea. There they stretch their leaf fronds towards the sun like tin soldiers. It may have been a few years since we were in Tenerife, but we still have fond memories of the banana fields between Los Cristianos and Los Gigantes. You impressed us. Mainly because some farmers grow their perennials on terrain that is so impassable that to this day it is a mystery to us how they are able to harvest the bunches of bananas there. After all, they weigh up to 50 kg.

 

Book your hotel here with or without flight and transfer*

If you want to stay away from the tourist strongholds of the region, then take a look at these Fincas and holiday farms at. You need a rental car there:

  • The Casa Rural Tajona & Granero* is situated in the mountains and offers peaceful accommodation with magnificent views of the sea and the surrounding countryside.
  • In a village in the mountains lies the Casa Leandra with jacuzzi*, a holiday farm in an old stone house.
  • The Finca Gaia la Segunda* offers a quiet location surrounded by nature with a view of the sea. With good visibility you can even see as far as La Gomera.
  • The holiday farm offers a fantastic view of the Masca Gorge Sweet Home Masca*.
  • Nothing what you are looking for? Then you will find it here more accommodations*.

 

Bananas in Tenerife
The fields on the mountain slopes of Tenerife are laid out in terraces

 

Banana cultivation in Tenerife Banana plantations

There are many banana plantations on Tenerife where the delicious fruits are grown. The banana trees are usually planted in special banana plantations and require a lot of care and attention to grow optimally. Due to the mild climate and fertile soil, Tenerife is a perfect place to grow bananas. Banana cultivation is an important source of income on Tenerife and many families make a living from this tradition. If you visit Tenerife you should definitely try the bananas and visit a banana plantation to see how the fruit is grown.

 

Banana plantation
The finca can hardly be seen under the banana trees

 

Where do bananas grow in Tenerife?

How do bananas grow in Tenerife? We mainly saw the plantations in the south, but also in the north of Tenerife they grow the plants. Bananas are delicate. Therefore, they are often covered with tarpaulins to protect them from the winds and the sun. Tenerife's bananas are smaller and sweeter than the bananas we buy at the grocery store. 90% of the annual harvest is sold to Europe. Thus, the value of bananas for the economy of the island is very high.

 

banana trees
How do bananas grow in Tenerife? Banana trees to the sea

 

The banana harvest in Tenerife

If you visit Tenerife in the summer, you have the chance to see the banana harvest on the island up close. Harvest time is an exciting time as this is when the sweet and juicy bananas are hand-picked. Harvesting is hard work and requires a lot of skill and experience. The harvesters move carefully between the tall banana plants and pick the fruit. The bananas are packed in 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 an important industry in Tenerife. If you have the opportunity to visit a banana plantation, be sure to use it to learn more about banana growing and the island's way of life.

 

narrow mountain road
Tenerife Banana plantations on steep terraces in front of even steeper cliffs

 

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

The island's bananas taste best if you eat them shortly after harvest. You do not harvest ripe bananas. Bananas are still green when cut off. Then they are allowed to lie until their shell has assumed a uniform, yellow color. This is the reason why today bananas can even be transported to regions that are far away. There, they deliver them fresh to the end customer despite the long trade routes. On board the ships they slow down the growth of the fruits. This is done by storing them at 13,2 degrees Celsius. They raise the temperature again only in the banana ripening plants at their destination. This is how the banana ripening process gets started again. In support of this, the fruit is injected with ethylene, a gas that develops the fruit itself.

 

Tenerife banana plantations
How do bananas grow in Tenerife? Banana plantations on Tenerife with a view to the north

 

What do they do with bananas in Tenerife?

Only ten percent of the banana harvest stays in Tenerife. Here they are processed into banana liqueur, among other things. Banana cake is often sold in cafes on the island. You can also buy the small squat bananas in the supermarkets. You should definitely try these once. They taste very different from the ones we know from local supermarkets. Much more intense and sweeter! Incidentally, it is also worth taking a look at Tenerife's kitchens. Here you can find out more about what to eat in Tenerife.

 

Learn more about bananas on Tenerife banana plantations

 

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

 

Bananas on steep slopes
Bananas are also planted on steep slopes in Tenerife banana plantations

 


Travel Arrangements

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Arrival to the Tenerife banana plantations

Arrival by plane*. There is an airport in the north and in the south of the island.

Car Rentals:

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 *.

 

What needs to be in the  suitcase for a trip to Tenerife?

  • You need walking shoes for wide feet if you like hiking. The Canary Island offers numerous good opportunities for this.
  • A a daypack is enough., if you like to go hiking. In it you can pack a snack and accommodate everything you need for the day.
  • Remember to bring a  light jacket with you, which protects against wind and rain in summer.
  • You can also find more information about the area in these travel guides:

Travel Know-How Guide Tenerife
MARCO POLO Travel Guide Tenerife: Travel with insider tips. Including free tour app
Tenerife travel guide Michael Müller Verlag: Individual travel with lots of practical tips (MM-Reisen)
Experience Tenerife - The great Tenerife travel guide with 55 unforgettable experiences on the largest Canary Island (Gamikaze Reiseverlag)
Baedeker Travel Guide Tenerife: with a practical EASY ZIP map
Travel Know-How Guide Tenerife
MARCO POLO Travel Guide Tenerife: Travel with insider tips. Including free tour app
Tenerife travel guide Michael Müller Verlag: Individual travel with lots of practical tips (MM-Reisen)
Experience Tenerife - The great Tenerife travel guide with 55 unforgettable experiences on the largest Canary Island (Gamikaze Reiseverlag)
Baedeker Travel Guide Tenerife: with a practical EASY ZIP map
23,50 EUR
15,95 EUR
19,90 EUR
19,99 EUR
19,95 EUR
Travel Know-How Guide Tenerife
Travel Know-How Guide Tenerife
23,50 EUR
MARCO POLO Travel Guide Tenerife: Travel with insider tips. Including free tour app
MARCO POLO Travel Guide Tenerife: Travel with insider tips. Including free tour app
15,95 EUR
Tenerife travel guide Michael Müller Verlag: Individual travel with lots of practical tips (MM-Reisen)
Tenerife travel guide Michael Müller Verlag: Individual travel with lots of practical tips (MM-Reisen)
19,90 EUR
Experience Tenerife - The great Tenerife travel guide with 55 unforgettable experiences on the largest Canary Island (Gamikaze Reiseverlag)
Experience Tenerife - The great Tenerife travel guide with 55 unforgettable experiences on the largest Canary Island (Gamikaze Reiseverlag)
19,99 EUR
Baedeker Travel Guide Tenerife: with a practical EASY ZIP map
Baedeker Travel Guide Tenerife: with a practical EASY ZIP map
19,95 EUR

 

 

Maybe you are also interested in these outdoor activities in Tenerife, that Paulina put together. Check them out.

 

Tenerife insider tip
Click on the photo and then make a note of our “Tenerife insider tip: banana plantations” on Pinterest.

 

Do you also know:

 

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

Insider tip Tenerife: the banana plantations

Last update on 29.11.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API

Monika Fuchs

Monika Fuchs and Petar Fuchs are the authors and publishers of the Food and Slow Travel blog  TravelWorldOnline. They have been publishing this blog since 2005. TravelWorldOnline has been online since 2001. Their topics are trips to Savor, wine tourism worldwide and slow travel. During her studies Monika Fuchs spent some time in North America, where she - partly together with Petar Fuchs - traveled to the USA and Canada and spent a research year in British Columbia. This intensified her thirst for knowledge, which she satisfied for 6 years as an adventure guide for Rotel Tours and then for 11 years as a tour guide for Studiosus Reisen around the world. She was constantly expanding her travel regions, but curiosity still gnawed at her: "What's beyond the horizon? What else is there to discover in this city? Which people are interesting here? What do they eat in this region?" As a freelance travel journalist (her articles have appeared in DIE ZEIT, 360° Canada, 360° USA, etc.), she is now looking for answers to these questions as a travel writer and travel blogger in many countries around the world. Petar Fuchs produces the videos on this blog as well as on YouTube. Monika Fuchs from TravelWorldOnline is among Germany's top 50 bloggers in 2021. Find more Information about Monika and Petar Fuchs here.

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