La Tejita
Best for. Windsurfers, kitesurfers and anyone who wants a long wild natural beach with space to breathe, plus early swimmers before the wind fills in.
Best spot. The open sand below Montana Roja to rig and launch, with the far end toward the cone for a naturist and quieter stretch.
Know this. The trade winds that make it fly also bring chop and sandblast on big days. Swim early, ride later, and bring your own shade.
This is the one the active traveller comes for. La Tejita is a long, wide, wild beach running below the red volcanic cone of Montana Roja, just east of the windsurf town of El Medano. While the south's resort beaches are tamed by breakwaters, La Tejita is left natural and open, which is exactly why the wind matters here more than anywhere else on the island.
The trade winds funnel across this corner of Tenerife with rare consistency, and that has made El Medano and La Tejita the windsurf and kitesurf capital of the Canaries. Through the summer the sand fills with riders rigging up, schools running lessons and a steady parade of sails and kites working the bay. If you read wind for a living or for a holiday, this is your beach, with reliable breeze, plenty of room to launch and a real community around it.
The honest flip side is that the same exposure that thrills a windsurfer can frustrate a sunbather. On a strong afternoon the wind picks up the sand and turns a lazy lie down into a gritty endurance test, and the chop and current build with it. The trick locals use is simple: swim early, when the water is often glassy and calm at the start of the day, then let the wind fill in and switch from swimming to riding or watching.
It is also a genuinely natural beach, which cuts both ways. The setting under Montana Roja is beautiful and the cone is a protected nature reserve worth the short climb for the view, but the services are thin. There is a beach bar and some parking near the access, yet little shade and few facilities along most of the long sand, so you bring water, sun protection and your own shade. The far end toward the cone is a well known naturist stretch, while the section nearer the access is mixed and clothed.
Who should skip it. If you want a calm, serviced, easy family swim, the wind and the wildness will work against you, and Los Cristianos or Las Teresitas are the better call. But if you want space, nature and the best wind on the island, La Tejita is essential, and it is honest about being a beach for doing rather than just lying still.
Clubs on this beach
La Tejita is a wild, protected beach with a single beach bar rather than a daybed club, so for loungers, pools and table service we route you to the southern beach clubs of Tenerife.
No beach club on this beach
This is a natural protected beach with a simple beach bar rather than a daybed club, kept wild by design. For a club style day with loungers, pools and table service, the scene gathers a short drive west on the Las Americas and Costa Adeje strip, and we list every option in the Tenerife beach clubs directory.
El Medano, Granadilla de Abona
La Tejita sits on the south coast in Granadilla de Abona, just east of El Medano and below the protected cone of Montana Roja, only a few minutes from Tenerife South airport.
There is parking near the access and a beach bar, but the beach is natural and the services thin, so come prepared with water, shade and supplies for the day.
Check the wind forecast before you go. A calm early morning is a fine swim, while a windy afternoon belongs to the boards. The short climb up Montana Roja rewards you with the view over the whole bay.
Photo: Nowhere Man via GoogleBook a beach club
Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a daybed or table at a beach club on the south coast, an easy drive from La Tejita and El Medano. We reply by email.
We are an independent editorial resource. Booking requests are passed to clubs and operators, and some may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices, availability and opening status are set by the venue and are to be confirmed at the time of booking.
Common questions about La Tejita
Is La Tejita good for windsurfing and kitesurfing?
Yes, it is the heart of the scene. The steady trade winds that funnel across the south end of the island make El Medano and La Tejita the windsurf and kitesurf capital of the Canaries, with schools, rentals and reliable wind through the summer. The long open sand gives plenty of room to rig and launch, which is why riders gather here from across Europe.
Can you swim at La Tejita?
You can, but pick your moment. Early in the day before the wind builds, the water can be calm and clear and a lovely swim. Once the trade winds fill in, the same exposure that makes it great for boards brings chop and current, so it is less relaxing for swimmers. On windy afternoons the sheltered bays of Los Cristianos and Las Teresitas are the calmer swim.
Is La Tejita a naturist beach?
In part. La Tejita is a long natural beach and the far end toward Montana Roja is a established naturist stretch, while the section nearer the access and the beach bar is mixed and clothed. It is relaxed and well known, so you can choose your spot along the sand to suit your preference.
Does La Tejita have facilities?
Few, because it is a protected natural beach rather than a resort one. There is a beach bar and some parking near the access, but little shade and limited services along most of the sand. Bring water, sun protection and your own shade, and treat it as a wild beach, which is part of its appeal.
Where is La Tejita?
It lies on the south coast in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, just east of the windsurf town of El Medano and below the red volcanic cone of Montana Roja, which is a protected nature reserve. It is only a few minutes from Tenerife South airport, so it is one of the easiest beaches on the island to reach.
