Tenerife Information - Pests in Paradise

Things To Do

Diving in Tenerife
Watersports
Rock Climbing and Bouldering

I find it quite funny that since I first put up a page about Cockroaches in Tenerife I have been told that by doing so I am bringing down the image of the island. 

Umm. Why? Does anyone actually believe that Tenerife is cockroach free?

Going on holiday anywhere in the world, the old adage of forewarned is forearmed is one that we should all appreciate. If our holiday makers knew what to avoid when in Tenerife then maybe there would be a little bit less criticism about the island in the various forums and chatrooms on the internet, and Letters pages of the local newspapers.

Whether those who would have you believe that Tenerife is a pest-free paradise like it or not, I believe that in providing practical information (as opposed to negative mis-information) I am actually doing the tourism industry a service...

Cockroaches. Yes they exist, yes they are hideous, no, they won't carry your first-born off in the middle of the night. You can read about Tenerife cockroaches  here.

Looky-looky men. If you believe that the gold they are selling is real; if you buy a fake watch or if you are conned into a couple of copy designer shirts, don't come crying to me when your skin turns green, the hands fall off or your new duds shrink two sizes after the first wash.

Drunken Brawls and English Hoodlums
What do you expect? If you are out late mixing it up in Tenerife's wilder nightspots you will see some pretty ugly sights. You would see the same on any night in similar areas of London or Glasgow or Lisbon or Madrid. Sadly it is true, the rowdiest of the troublemakers do always seem to be embarrassingly British. 

Con Artists, pickpockets and bag snatchers
Again, you'll find villains of all stripes here just as you would in your own home country.  One Tenerife specialty to avoid is the notorious Find the Lady gangs that seem to sprout up like weeds in Los Cristianos. There is always a plant in the crowd who will volubly win the stake, encouraging all the onlooking tourists to delve deep into their pockets, eager as beavers to lose all their holiday money. 

Rip Off Merchants
If you use your credit card to buy camera equipment or other expensive goods here in Tenerife, be very careful what you do with the receipts. Keep the name and address of the shop safely too. If you have any reason for complaint at a later date, you will need both your credit card slips, shop receipts and some idea of shop location if anything is to be done to rectify any discrepancy on your credit card. (Why not take a snap of the salesperson and your spouse, standing in front of the shop doorway while you are at it? Great incentive for him not to play funny buggers with your credit card, don't you think?)

Well hopefully that little rundown of things to avoid hasn't put you off Tenerife altogether. Far too many tourist related websites and magazines paint such a rosy picture of destinations that our visitors are absolutely horrified to find that sometimes things to go wrong.

Wherever you go on holiday, a common sense approach to your health and safety and the security of your belongings is always to be recommended. If you walk away and leave your belongings unattended on the beach for example, do not expect them to be sitting waiting for you on your return.

If you wish to comment on this article send an email to pests@etenerife.com