1. Teide National Park
Volcanic land around Spain's peak
Accessibility: Moderate
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Sunset / Night
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours | 3 hours
Entry: Free / Paid areas
Ideal for: Adventure / Couples
Teide, Spain's highest mountain, reaches about 3,718 meters, and the park around it has been protected since 1954 and listed by UNESCO since 2007. The drive up climbs through pine forest into a huge crater floor of lava fields, cinder cones and red and ochre rock that looks more like Mars than a beach island.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Driving into the park is free, but the trail to the summit crater needs a permit and non-residents now pay for some routes, so we stick to roadside viewpoints and short trails. Sunset above the clouds is the main event, followed by famously dark skies. Flying a drone in the national park needs special authorization. Bring a warm jacket, as it gets cold up here even in summer.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Driving into the park is free, but the trail to the summit crater needs a permit and non-residents now pay for some routes, so we stick to roadside viewpoints and short trails. Sunset above the clouds is the main event, followed by famously dark skies. Flying a drone in the national park needs special authorization. Bring a warm jacket, as it gets cold up here even in summer.
2. Roques de García
Lava rock towers below Teide
Accessibility: Easy
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Sunset / Dusk
Duration: 30 min | 60 min
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Landscapes
These jagged volcanic towers stand beside the Parador hotel in the middle of the park, with Teide rising right behind them. The best known, Roque Cinchado, narrows near its base like a worn tree trunk and once appeared on Spain's 1,000-peseta note. Below them spreads the Llano de Ucanca, a flat plain of gravel and old lava.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: We start at the viewpoint by the car park, where Roque Cinchado and Teide line up, then walk a short stretch of the loop trail for quieter angles. At sunset the light comes in low from the west and turns the rock and the peak orange. Stay on the marked paths, as climbing the rocks is not allowed. Coach tours crowd it at midday, so later is better.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: We start at the viewpoint by the car park, where Roque Cinchado and Teide line up, then walk a short stretch of the loop trail for quieter angles. At sunset the light comes in low from the west and turns the rock and the peak orange. Stay on the marked paths, as climbing the rocks is not allowed. Coach tours crowd it at midday, so later is better.
3. Masca Village
Mountain hamlet above a ravine
Accessibility: Moderate
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Morning
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Landscapes
Masca is a tiny hamlet in the Teno mountains, perched on ridges above a deep ravine and reached by a narrow road full of hairpin bends. Stone houses, palms and terraced gardens cling to the slopes beneath jagged ridges, and the road down to it is part of the show.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: The road is narrow, with tight bends shared with buses, so we drive slowly and park only in marked spots. Our favorite frames come from the roadside lookouts on the way in, where the houses line up along the ridge with the ravine dropping away. Hiking down the Masca gorge needs advance booking, so we keep sessions in and around the village.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: The road is narrow, with tight bends shared with buses, so we drive slowly and park only in marked spots. Our favorite frames come from the roadside lookouts on the way in, where the houses line up along the ridge with the ravine dropping away. Hiking down the Masca gorge needs advance booking, so we keep sessions in and around the village.
4. Los Gigantes Cliffs
Sheer volcanic sea cliffs
Accessibility: Easy
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Late day / Sunset
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Sunset
On the west coast, the Teno massif drops straight into the Atlantic as the Acantilados de Los Gigantes, dark volcanic walls roughly 500 to 600 meters high in places. The small town and marina at their foot face the open ocean to the west, so the cliffs glow warm late in the day.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: From the marina breakwater and the little black-sand beach in town, the cliffs tower right over you. For a wider view, the Mirador de Archipenque on the hill above town looks along the whole wall. Boat trips from the marina let us shoot the cliffs from the water, but the sea can be rough, so we save that for calm days.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: From the marina breakwater and the little black-sand beach in town, the cliffs tower right over you. For a wider view, the Mirador de Archipenque on the hill above town looks along the whole wall. Boat trips from the marina let us shoot the cliffs from the water, but the sea can be rough, so we save that for calm days.
5. Benijo Beach
Wild black-sand beach in Anaga
Accessibility: Challenging
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Sunset
Duration: 30 min | 60 min
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Landscapes / Sunset
At the end of the road through Anaga, Benijo's black sand lies under steep green slopes, with sea stacks rising from the surf offshore. Big waves and strong currents make swimming risky. Since July 2024 the only path down to the sand has been closed because of rockfalls from the slope above it.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: As of late 2026 the beach path is still closed and police have cleared people who ignored the gates, so we don't take clients down. We shoot from the road and terraces above Benijo instead, where the sea stacks and the coastline line up well at sunset. Check local news before you go in case it has reopened, and allow extra time for the winding Anaga road.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: As of late 2026 the beach path is still closed and police have cleared people who ignored the gates, so we don't take clients down. We shoot from the road and terraces above Benijo instead, where the sea stacks and the coastline line up well at sunset. Check local news before you go in case it has reopened, and allow extra time for the winding Anaga road.
6. Playa de las Teresitas
Golden beach near Santa Cruz
Accessibility: Easy
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Sunrise / Morning
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Beach / Families
Las Teresitas is a made beach: in 1973 its rocks were covered with about 270,000 tons of golden sand shipped from the Sahara. An offshore breakwater keeps the water calm, palms line the back, and the steep green Anaga mountains rise right behind the village of San Andrés next door.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Las Teresitas faces east, so at sunrise the light hits you from the sea side, and the golden sand still has no footprints. For the overview of the golden curve against the mountains, we drive up to the Mirador de Las Teresitas on the hill road above. Weekend middays fill with locals from Santa Cruz, so we prefer early mornings during the week.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Las Teresitas faces east, so at sunrise the light hits you from the sea side, and the golden sand still has no footprints. For the overview of the golden curve against the mountains, we drive up to the Mirador de Las Teresitas on the hill road above. Weekend middays fill with locals from Santa Cruz, so we prefer early mornings during the week.
7. Garachico Natural Pools
Lava-rock sea pools
Accessibility: Easy
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Late day / Sunset
Duration: 30 min | 60 min
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Sea pools
In 1706 a volcanic eruption sent lava flowing into Garachico, burying much of what was then the island's main port. Where the lava cooled at the shore it formed El Caletón, a maze of black rock pools now linked by walkways and steps. Next to them stands the Castillo de San Miguel, a 16th-century fort that survived the eruption.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: The pools face the open Atlantic to the north, and in summer the sun sets over the sea to the northwest, giving warm, low light. We use the walkways and lava ledges with the castle in the frame. When the sea is rough, waves wash over the rocks and the pools can be closed, so we always check the flag and follow the lifeguard's call.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: The pools face the open Atlantic to the north, and in summer the sun sets over the sea to the northwest, giving warm, low light. We use the walkways and lava ledges with the castle in the frame. When the sea is rough, waves wash over the rocks and the pools can be closed, so we always check the flag and follow the lifeguard's call.
8. La Laguna (San Cristóbal)
Colonial UNESCO old town
Accessibility: Easy
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Morning / Evening
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Architecture
San Cristóbal de La Laguna was laid out in the late 15th century as an unwalled grid town, and that plan became a model for many colonial cities in the Americas. Its center, on the UNESCO list since 1999, is full of pastel facades, carved wooden balconies and patios hidden behind heavy doors.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: The pedestrian streets Calle San Agustín and Calle Obispo Rey Redondo are our favorites, with colored house fronts and wooden balconies. The town sits higher than the coast and is often cloudy, which gives soft, even light for portraits. Bring a layer, as it is usually cooler than the south. Some patios open in the daytime, and we always ask before stepping in.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: The pedestrian streets Calle San Agustín and Calle Obispo Rey Redondo are our favorites, with colored house fronts and wooden balconies. The town sits higher than the coast and is often cloudy, which gives soft, even light for portraits. Bring a layer, as it is usually cooler than the south. Some patios open in the daytime, and we always ask before stepping in.
9. Anaga Rural Park
Laurel forest mountains
Accessibility: Moderate
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Morning
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours | 3 hours
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Adventure / Couples
The Anaga mountains in the northeast hold one of the finest laurel forests in the Canary Islands, an ancient kind of humid woodland with mossy trunks, ferns and trailing lichen. The area became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2015, and its ridges fall away to tiny villages and black-sand coves.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Mist drifts through the trees on many mornings, and that is exactly what makes the forest look otherworldly in photos. We start at the Cruz del Carmen visitor center, where a short trail on wooden walkways leads into the woods, then drive to Pico del Inglés for the ridge view over both coasts. Bring a rain layer and shoes with grip, as the paths are often damp.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Mist drifts through the trees on many mornings, and that is exactly what makes the forest look otherworldly in photos. We start at the Cruz del Carmen visitor center, where a short trail on wooden walkways leads into the woods, then drive to Pico del Inglés for the ridge view over both coasts. Bring a rain layer and shoes with grip, as the paths are often damp.
10. Auditorio de Tenerife
Calatrava's seafront concert hall
Accessibility: Easy
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Sunset / Dusk
Duration: 30 min | 60 min
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Architecture / Couples
Santiago Calatrava's concert hall opened in 2003 on the Santa Cruz waterfront, and its huge curved wing sweeps over the building like a breaking wave. Most of the surface is covered in white broken-tile mosaic, so it shines in sunlight and takes on the colors of the sky at dusk.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: We walk all the way around: the plaza in front shows the full curve of the wing, while the seaside path behind puts the building against the ocean. We like the half hour after sunset most: the building's lights come up and the white tiled shell turns pale blue with the sky. The interior is for ticket holders, so our sessions stay outside, where white or bold single colors look sharp.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: We walk all the way around: the plaza in front shows the full curve of the wing, while the seaside path behind puts the building against the ocean. We like the half hour after sunset most: the building's lights come up and the white tiled shell turns pale blue with the sky. The interior is for ticket holders, so our sessions stay outside, where white or bold single colors look sharp.
11. Cueva del Viento
Volcanic lava tube
Accessibility: Moderate
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Morning
Duration: 60 min | 2 hours
Entry: Paid, book ahead
Ideal for: Adventure / Couples
Near Icod de los Vinos, the Cueva del Viento is a lava tube system with more than 17 kilometers of mapped passages, described as the largest in the European Union. Visits cover only a short section, on small guided tours that start from the visitor center, and give a rare look inside the plumbing of a volcano.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: This is a guided-only visit with small groups, so a full photo session underground isn't possible. We plan portraits outside, around the visitor center and the volcanic landscape nearby, and treat the cave as a short adventure. Ask your guide before taking pictures inside. Wear long trousers and closed shoes, and be on time, since latecomers can't join.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: This is a guided-only visit with small groups, so a full photo session underground isn't possible. We plan portraits outside, around the visitor center and the volcanic landscape nearby, and treat the cave as a short adventure. Ask your guide before taking pictures inside. Wear long trousers and closed shoes, and be on time, since latecomers can't join.
12. Charco El Diablo
Lava rock pools by the sea
Accessibility: Moderate
Popularity: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best time: Sunset
Duration: 30 min | 60 min
Entry: Free
Ideal for: Couples / Sunset
On the rocky shore at Puerto de Santiago, close to Los Gigantes, the sea has filled deep basins in the black lava, and waves spill in and out of them. There are no facilities here, just jagged rock and water, with the Los Gigantes cliffs standing along the coast in the distance.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Park at the free lot and take the path on the right down a few steps, it is only a couple of minutes to the rocks. The volcanic rock is sharp and wet near the pool, so bring sturdy sandals or water shoes and change into your outfit right before the shot. Only come when the sea is calm. At sunset the sun drops into the ocean and the Los Gigantes cliffs catch the last light.
📍 Wowtographer Tip: Park at the free lot and take the path on the right down a few steps, it is only a couple of minutes to the rocks. The volcanic rock is sharp and wet near the pool, so bring sturdy sandals or water shoes and change into your outfit right before the shot. Only come when the sea is calm. At sunset the sun drops into the ocean and the Los Gigantes cliffs catch the last light.