fter stepping off the UK’s corporate ladder and moving to a small house alongside banana plantations on the cusp of Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava in Tenerife, I spent 14 years getting to know my adopted island and have authored several guidebooks. But you don’t have to invest that level of commitment to find a different side to the island – if you know where to look.

Lying in the centre of Tenerife, Teide National Park rises to 3,718m above sea level from within a vast crater of black, shiny obsidian and lava rivers of russet and ochre. Mount Teide is Spain’s highest mountain, the third-tallest volcanic structure on the planet and the source of archipelago-wide pride: its image adorns everything from goat’s cheese to cement bags. The sky around Mount Teide is also recognised as one of the world’s clearest.

Walk beyond the well-worn paths trodden by daytime visitors to explore a volcanic wonderland. Cross vast plains of lava, find surreal rock formations or climb to the highest section of the remaining crater wall and look down into the kaleidoscopic colours of the crater. Taking a sunset tour of Teide enables you to board the cable car after it has closed to visitors for the day, look down on the archipelago and witness the mountain’s shadow cast across the landscape as the sun sets. Returning to the crater for a stargazing session rounds off the experience, with a dazzling display of constellations glimmering in the black, infinite sky.

Pretty little Garachico was once the wealthiest town on Tenerife due to the presence of its deep, natural harbour, where merchant ships from the New World traded gold, silver and spices with sugar, wine and silk from Europe. An eruption in 1706 destroyed the harbour and buried much of the town in molten lava. The result is a fascinating mix of colonial architecture and rock pools hewn from solidified lava. Take time to explore these myriad pools teeming with tiny fish, find your spot to lie in the still, warm water and listen to Atlantic waves crashing onto the rocks beyond. Move a couple of streets back from the sea to find one of the island’s prettiest plazas, Plaza de la Libertad, and enjoy a barraquito – Tenerife’s addictively tasty layers of condensed milk, espresso and milk, anda shot of Licor 43 – with the locals at the bandstand café beneath the shade of Indian laurel trees.

‘Geographically, we belong to Africa; politically, we belong to Spain. But in our hearts, we belong to South America.’ This is an idiom proudly declared by Tinerfeños (natives of Tenerife) whose ancestors fled during times of famine to seek work in the New World of Cuba and Argentina. Many amassed wealth to invest back in their homeland, and those ties imbue the Canary Islands with a unique fusion of Latin American and Spanish culture. You’ll hear it in the music and in the language, which eschews the Castilian lisped ‘th’ sound in favour of South American Spanish. You’ll experience it in the joie de vivre, which places leisure time with the family above career advancement. And barely a month goes by without a local fiesta taking place somewhere on the island.

That Latin spirit is perfectly encapsulated in the capital city, Santa Cruz. Stroll its streets to discover the African Market with its cornucopia of fresh produce and lower-level fish market, where you can enjoy tasty seafood tapas and take in the landscaped gardens and eclectic sculptures at Parque García Sanabria. At the fascinating Museum of Nature and Archaeology, learn about the eruptive origins and turbulent history of the Canary Islands and see the mummified remains of their first inhabitants, the Guanches. Then head to the palm tree-backed, golden sands of Las Teresitas where Santacruceros (Santa Cruz residents) come to jog, practise yoga and stand-up paddle in the calm waters. Dining options range from tapas and a chilled beer or mojito at one of the chiringuitos (beach bars) to superb seafood in the little fishing village of San Andrés, where white houses tumble down the side of the Anaga mountains to the south of the beach.

Ubiquitous to the menus of San Andrés, and every traditional Canarian restaurant on the island, is papas arrugadas con mojo – tiny, salty potatoes with wrinkled skin, served with mojo verde or mojo rojo (green or red sauce). Originating from the Andes and brought to the Canary Islands by the conquistadors, these vintage varieties have today elevated the humble spud to gourmet status – they even have their own Certificate of Origin.