Tenerife is the largest island in the Canary Islands archipelago and has wonderful beaches and an ideal climate all year round. While these are the main reasons for visiting the island and enjoying a holiday with your friends or partner, if you’re travelling to Tenerife with children, spending a day at one of its water parks is almost compulsory. Wave pools, a floating market and endless slides that reach speeds of 80 km/h are some of the star attractions. Below are the most famous and impressive water and theme parks in Tenerife. You’ll find it hard to choose which to visit!

Siam Park in Tenerife

There’s no other park like it on the island… Or the planet! That might sound like an exaggeration but suffice to say that it has been voted the best water park in the world for the fifth consecutive year. And it comes as no surprise: this impressive complex inspired by Asia perfectly combines the exotic nature found in the area with a huge variety of water attractions.

Siam Park has flumes and fun for visitors of every type and level of experience. Ready for some examples? The Tower of Power is waiting for the very bravest visitors—it’s a 28-metre-high slide where you can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h during your descent before landing in a huge aquarium filled with sharks and manta rays. Does it get any more exciting?

Vulcano is another famous Siam Park attraction: ride a float with three other people and shoot down a huge flume in the dark before ending up inside a volcano to enjoy an amazing light show. To have fun in the park with the whole family—especially with smaller children—head to the Jungle Snakes area where you can ride down snake-like slides on a doughnut-shaped float. The slide is uncovered during parts of the descent so you can gaze out at the stunning landscape of the island.

And if you need a break, take a stroll through the Floating Market and buy a souvenir of your magical day out, or spend some time on Siam Beach, an exclusive beach which you can only find in this park. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office or on the internet, and it’s a good idea to plan your trip in advance to enjoy the park to the fullest.

Aqualand Costa Adeje

If you’re visiting Costa Adeje, plan your trip well and include a fun family day at Aqualand. Here you’ll have the chance to enjoy the most daring attractions, such as the Tsunami, a 180-metre-long ride with an incredible descent towards an 11-metre half-pipe. If that’s right up your street, make sure you also try the Ciclones, a 140-metre flume that speeds you past laser lights, through bowls and around multiple bends.

If you’re after something more relaxing, you’ll love the complex’s Chill Out & Play space, which has an outdoor spa with water heated to a perfect 25 degrees, hydromassage showers and loungers where you can unwind with a massage under the sun. And if that weren’t enough, there is also a dolphinarium where the whole family can watch one of the most renowned dolphin shows in the world. Both children and adults will learn about these animals’ lives and how they interact with humans.

Refreshing trips to lakes and parks

If there’s one thing Tenerife can boast about it’s the number of leisure options it has to offer tourists in an outstanding natural setting. Surrounded by water and native plant species, most of its parks give you the chance to appreciate views of beautiful landscapes as you enjoy a unique day out.

Lago Martiánez, the maritime park of César Manrique

One of the most important theme parks is Lago Martiánez, a 100,000-m2 complex in Puerto de la Cruz, the most tourist-orientated city in the Canary Islands. The park is also known as the Costa Martiánez tourist complex and boasts a main artificial sea water lake which is surrounded by 7 saltwater pools, gardens, viewpoints, solariums and restaurants: the perfect destination for a relaxing day out. It’s a unique spot where you can admire the beauty of the volcanic rock, undoubtedly the star feature of the park. Lago Martiánez was created by Lanzarote-born artist César Manrique, who imprinted his famous personality on every aspect of the complex and perfectly integrated its architectural features into a tropical-style setting.

Loro Parque

One of the theme parks most frequently visited by people who travel to Tenerife with children is Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz. This zoo is home to mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, which you can see up close. The beauty of the park lies in both its animals, the plant life and the natural setting where it is located.

If you’re visiting Loro Parque with children, look out for the story of Morgan, a killer whale that was rescued in 2010 off the Dutch coast of the Wadden Sea with skin abrasions and clear signs of malnutrition. Morgan was temporarily housed in the Harderwijk dolphinarium where specialists assessed how she could be returned to the sea; unfortunately they realised her life was in danger. The killer whale was transferred to Loro Parque where she was lovingly cared for by a team of experts until she fully recovered. Today she is one of the stars of the park and lives alongside other species far from any possible threats.