Soil science field trip: Tenerife 2026

Tenerife and La Gomera 2026 – by Annalisa Lanza and Genevieve Kiero-Watson

The Canary Islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean known for their immense volcanic landscapes, rich culture, and delightful warm weather. With large hotel resorts offering all-inclusive packages it is easy to remain onsite, surrounded by a constant flow of food, drinks, and relaxation. However, for many who enjoy the outdoors or are seeking a whirlwind adventure, the Canary Islands has far more to offer.

It was this wilder side of the islands that a group of Envision students, including myself, got to discover in January 2026. By trading sun loungers for lava fields, cocktail bars for hiking trails and sandcastles for soil pits, we spent five jampacked days learning about the dramatic landscapes on both Tenerife and La Gomera.

We began at El Madano, a costal ecosystem located on the Southern coast of Tenerife before travelling to Guimar, Villaflor, Chio, the Tiede National Park, and Masca. Each new site provided the opportunity to take soil measurements to gain a deeper understanding of the processes of soil creation and transition. With soil ages varying from inceptisols (younger soils a couple of thousand years old) to Paleosols (older soils – hundreds of millions of years old), we were able to see the life cycle of soil firsthand, observing rock formations including basaltic dykes.

Furthermore, each site was uniquely situated in a different ecosystem, from arid desert landscapes to large laurel or pine forests, and vast volcanic plains. Here the natural environment could display its creative colour palette of rocks and vegetation, boasting a large array of endemic plant species with unique adaptations to suit their surroundings. Found across Macaronesia and Northwest Africa,  Zygophyllum fontanesii is possibly my favourite plant species of the trip. This plant is a halophyte (salt tolerating) succulent, commonly referred to as “sea grape” due to its grape-like appearance. This bush-like plant is low lying, often found amongst the sand dunes, far different to the large tree species found in the laurel and pine forests.

Image 1: the Sea Grape (Zygophyllum fontanesii), El Medano, Tenerife

After four days of travelling around Tenerife, we boarded a ferry to La Gomera, a smaller and less densely populated island in the archipelago. Here we visited two main sites – El Cepo and the Garajonay National Park, the first appearing almost Martian with bright orange soils and little vegetation. Whilst we did not manage to see La Gomera’s giant lizard (Gallotia bravoana), the smaller reptiles and native bird species did not disappoint. We were particularly lucky enough to enjoy lunch surrounded by several Canary Islands Chaffinches (Fringilla canariensis), similar to the Eurasian Chaffinch, but blue!

Image 2: Students collecting soil measurements, El Cepo

Image 3: Canary Islands Chaffinches (Fringilla canariensis), La Gomera

Thanks to these five fun-filled full-on days we were able travel far and wide across both Tenerife and La Gomera. We saw volcanoes, deserts, cloud forests and even went on a gorgeous hike along the Masca Ridge, all alongside developing a large array of field work skills and soil knowledge.

I would especially like to thank Envision for funding and organising this trip, as well as Professor Phil Haygarth from Lancaster University and Professor Davey Jones and Dr Kara Marsden, both from Bangor University, who planned and led this trip. It truly was an unbelievable experience that we will never forget.

Image 4: Group picture with Envision students and course leaders.