Travel with Manfred

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Copyright © 2000 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

Apr 21 - 30, 2000

The Perfect Cone

Volcanic Island of Tenerife

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: Spain, Islas Canarias, Canary Islands, Tenerife, Teide, La Laguna, Garachico, Masca, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

For Easter my girl friend and I wanted to spend a week in a pleasantly warm environment and surrounded by beautiful nature. Like many times the vacation started with a trip to the local bookstore. Choosing the Canary Islands was easy, but which one of the 7 islands? La Palma and Tenerife ended up on the short-list and Tenerife won.

We planned to see a bit of everything by electing to do a circle around the island starting in the north and with the climb of Spain's highest peak in the center of the island as a highlight. Tenerife is a small island, about 40 by 50 miles (70 by 80 km). There is only one freeway and it circles three quarters of the island. The whole island is a volcano and in its center is the cone of Teide. Around Teide is a national park. There aren't that many roads on the island and people say you can drive along all the roads in a single day. You get the idea.

We were equipped with beachwear, warm mountain clothing and sleeping bag. Our back bags were full and heavy. There was no way around it; we would need all items. At the beaches it would be hot and at 12,000 ft (3,500m) it would be cold. For transportation we chose the bus and our own feet. The public buses literally run on all roads and have a very dense network. They do not run frequently but we could live with that. We were in no hurry. Purposely avoiding the rental car, would assure us that the trip would be more memorable and more of a physical experience. I wanted the vacation to be a real exercise. Using the bus would allow us to get off anywhere, walk a distance and get on the bus again further along our way.

The vacation got off with a bad start. I had a terrible cold and cough. It is not the first time that happened to me. La Laguna, near the northern airport, was our starting point. La Laguna is small, relaxed town. It is famous for its architecture, primarily the balconies on the first or second floor of the old houses. Easter celebrations were ongoing and a procession led through the town. Religious statues were pushed on highly decorated carts through the streets. And the crowd of the village followed. In many countries these religious festivals are only of interest to old people that are still religious. Not so here, youngsters were very actively participating in the procession. They were under the carts pushing them and in the crowd following them. These festivals, all over Spain I was told, are very much a group affair and these groups prepare for months decorating the carts. I had to think of the carnival in Rio where the participants also prepare for months for the big day in the Sambadrome. I would not be too surprised if these two events, the religious processions and the samba, have a common historical root.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the island and the dominating city in the northern half of Tenerife. It is an industrial city, with an international cargo harbor, oil tanks, refineries and industrial infrastructure. Downtown has tall buildings and right now they are constructing a modern conference and music center that looks like a mix of an arch and large sail. It mimics a bit the opera in Sydney. A bit to the south is a tiny fortress right on the ocean. Young people hang out here to smoke, to sunbath and to swim. It is a pleasant spot actually. Perfect to read a few pages in a book or bask in the sun without having to leave town.

Those with their own set of wheels, head a few miles north to the beaches of Playas de San Teresitas. This is a long stretch of flat coastline, with nearly white sand, and a shallow ocean. Nice but being so close to Santa Cruz and directly on the main coastal road it gets very busy. We thought that the rougher coastline on the west-side of the appendage of the island would be more rewarding. By bus we crossed the from Santa Cruz on the east to Roque de las Bodegas on the west. The road itself was worth the trip. It was windy, very steep and we had to set back a few times to let other cars pass. On this twisty road we climbed up into the clouds and then dropped down again until we reached the first village, Roque de las Bodegas, again located on the coast. From here the road continues 20 minutes north, passing Almagica and then ending in Benijo. From here you can only continue on foot or with a dirt-bike.

Benijo is popular with the locals. The coast is precious; it is the contrary of San Teresitas. Here the coastline is rough, with cliffs and a lot of rocks, instead of being straight, it goes in and out, up and down, and there is no single flat spot. There is also very few precious sand. There is a small village up the hill overlooking a small portion of the coastline. At the very end are a handful of bars from where you can descend down to the beach again. This time of the year, with all the locals having Easter vacation it was crowded. Parked cars lined the road for a mile and a lot of people were from the hippie generation - smoking dope on the beach and spending the night in their cars and minivans. We witnessed a helicopter rescue operation as a person had slipped on the rocks and had seemed to injure himself severely.

We tried to catch the bus back from Benijo to a beach just a few miles south, Playa de San Roque. We learned the hard way that on Tenerife sometimes the buses leave right on time, like clockwork. We showed up without a minute of delay and could only watch the dust settle and the bus disappear behind the corner. In Playa de San Roque we watched the sunset from a beach restaurant while chowing on local food: fish with papas arugadas ("wrinkled" potatoes) and "mojo" (a spicy sauce eaten with the potatoes). I still remember how stuffed I was after this full meal. At night we headed back to Santa Cruz. This time the steep cliffs of the mountain road passed by unseen in the darkness.

The next day's goal was to explore the eastern side of the island from north to south. We started at Santa Cruz and the first interesting stop was at Candelaria. The city impresses with a huge city square at the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Candelaria was clean, and prepared for tourism. Some streets have been converted to pedestrian zones and the stores have added souvenirs and local art to their offering. We joined a mixed local and international crowd in a bustling bar at the big town square for breakfast coffee.

Before the Europeans came to claim the islands, indigenous people had made these islands their own. Different islands had different tribes and different languages. Here on the city square right on the ocean was on of the few spots where today's society is paying tribute to the indigenous people. A row of more than life-sized statues of the tribe chiefs of the indigenous population of Tenerife line the ocean side of the square. In contrast to it is the Spanish cathedral that sits on the south side of the square.

In Guimar, the next town to the south, are some more remnants of times gone by. Stone-built flat pyramids have been restored and are accessible through an outdoor museum. From here we walked and hitch hiked with an elderly Belgian couple to the Mirador de Don Martin. This roadside viewpoint situated on a hill gives good views of the coastline. I also remember how windy it was and how the wind continuously tried to kick dust into our eyes.

The area between Guimar and Arico Viejo is covered with lava terraces. Most people nowadays commute on the highway that runs along the coast; we however took the scenic road up in the hills. These terraces are everywhere, what is not clear is how old they are. They certainly have been used for agriculture in the past. Today they give a rather unused impression. They are impressive as they run as far as they eye can see. Canyons run through them and they road is twisty and small bridges cover the many canyons.

Being in the hills, at a higher elevation, Arico Viejo is cool in comparison to the villages on the coast. We went for a walk. It was cold and we were close to freezing. Eventually we sought shelter in one of the few bars. The clientele was local and the atmosphere relaxed. Wine, tea and cheese helped to warm up again. While buses sometimes leave on or even before time, here we waited and waited. With more than an hour delay the bus showed up and as the only passengers in the big bus we were chauffeured to Granadilla de Abona.

The next morning we didn't have more luck with the buses. In Granadilla de Abona we wanted to take a bus up to the Parador de Cañadas and from there we wanted to start our hike to the peak of Teide. In Granadilla we again waited an hour together with another pair or tourists. Eventually we figured out that the route had a little asterisk indicating that the buses do not run on Sundays. Stuck without a bus we took a taxi to Vilaflor were we were supposed to connect to another bus line which does run in Sundays. The taxi driver dropped us off in the village center and told us that we have plenty of time before the bus on this other line would show up and that we don't have to wait on the main road for it. Following the advice we strolled into the village, nice and beautiful with lots of flowers as the village name indicated. Hearing someone honk we turned around. It was our taxi driver. He told us that he just saw the bus drive by and apparently on Sundays it doesn't stop in the village, just on the main road. We hop into the cab and the driver tries to catch up with the bus, in vain. Eventually we stopped on the side of the road, realizing that we simply couldn't catch up with the bus.

Right there on the side of the road some miles north of Vilaflor we started with our ascent of Teide. With full luggage in our backpacks we started walking on the side of the road. After about four hours we reached the Parador de Cañadas, a famous historic landmark hotel. During these four hours the mountain didn't move a lot closer. Our walking vicinity and everything was in tune with the volcano that created the island. The whole island of Tenerife is of volcanic nature and the cone of Teide is in the center of the island visible from nearly every spot. Teide is crucial to the climate on the island. It creates the rain by forcing the clouds to climb, it creates the wet region to the north and the dry region to the south west, it stores fresh water underground and dominates the landscape. The whole island has volcanic rock as soil. The island is littered with these black rocks. We walked for hours through this moon-like terrain.

From the Parador we had another two hours of walking through a flat dry and lifeless desert until we reached the foot of the cone of Teide. It was 4 or 5 p.m. as we reached the traditional starting point of the Teide ascent. From here on only one thing changed. The landscape didn't change. It continued with rocks, lifeless desert, and with heat. What did change was that from now on the trail went uphill. The colors of the rocks ranged from true black, red to light brown. One of the peaks we passed with a light brown color was called Montaña Blanca, the White Mountain. From here on it got steeper and steeper. Only minutes before it got dark at 7 p.m. we reached the cabin.

We were happy to have reached today's destination, a place with a roof and a soft bed. The weight of the backpack was heavy on our shoulders. What pleasure to take it off. We had built up a good appetite and the first thing was to sit down, rest a bit and eat. The cabin even had a full kitchen and we enjoyed a warm dinner and hot tea. The elevation gave us a light headache and being drained of energy we went to bed very early. The alarm clock went off at 5 a.m. and while still being pitch dark we started climbing towards the peak. In about an hour we had reached the upper station of the gondola. Yes, you can get here also without any physical exertion between 9 am and 5pm. If you get here by gondola however you cannot continue to the top. Why? A guard comes up on the first gondola and goes down with the last one. And the guard prevents anyone from walking from the gondola to the peak of the volcano to protect the volcanic formations. If you walk up like us you reach the gondola at 6 a.m. and you are the only soul far and wide. From the gondola it is another half hour to the very top of Teide. The timing was perfect. We reached the peak only minutes before the sunrise.

As the first beam of the sun appeared peeking over the ocean we were on top of Teide at 12,195 ft (3,718m), the highest peak of Spain. We were the only ones up here and had the volcano crater all to ourselves. Steam is still pouring out in various spots; hot enough to scold your skin. The foul odor of sulfur is blown across the crater by the wind. The steam had colored various spots in yellow and white. The crater is small and can be crossed in just a handful of minutes. With the steam still rising and the crater in such perfect shape without erosion this crater was rather young. An older crater from an eruption many tens or hundreds of thousands of years ago was further to the west. As the sun rose it painted a perfect triangular shadow of the cone on the white cloud layer many thousands of feet below us. This shade in form of a triangular was several square miles large and incredibly picture perfect. You can see for yourself in this picture the early morning shadow of the perfect cone.

We explored the crater a bit and hopped around on the rocks before turning back and returning to the cabin. The cabin was appropriately named Altavista, High View. Now you could see more than half of the island from here, although some parts very distant. We took the same steep trail back to Montaña Blanca and shortly thereafter we branched off from the main trail to a trail that crosses the desert to reach the small village of El Portillo.

This trail was exceptionally beautiful. The trail was gently going downhill, nearly flat. Being lower and more to the east, while still being a desert, a few bushes started to grow and plants started to take over. The rocks were of a more cheerful color, brighter, in light brown, reddish brown and yellow. It was a peaceful place, and yet a place capable of giving me inner energy. This part of the hike was so pleasant to me that I wished that we would never reach El Portillo and that we would go on and on like this.

But unfortunately we did reach El Portillo. We caught the bus here and as the bus went downhill through turn after turn the climate started to change. The lower we got the wetter it got. With every turn of the road more plants grew. It started with fir trees, then palm trees and as we got closer to the ocean, more and more flowers appeared. In the afternoon we reached the coastal town of Puerto de la Cruz.

It was no surprise to see that the town is home to a botanical garden. The vegetation was tropical. Anything seemed to grow in abundance here. The town has a little charismatic harbor and in general has kept some of its charm from the old days. The beach is nothing spectacular, but pleasant enough for taking a bath or lazing away an afternoon in the black sand. The biggest attraction of Puerto de la Cruz is Loro Parque, an amusement and entertainment park with animals, including parrots as the name "loro" indicates. We skipped this park as I refuse to support entities of mass tourism.

From Puerto de la Cruz we circled the island following the coast in a counter-clockwise direction. The first village is Icod de los Vinos - a small village with the typical church square. Not far from it and difficult to miss is the Millennium Drago, a dragon tree said to be 1,000 years old.

The next village you will pass is Garachico. It too is small, yet large enough to provide a certain comfort. There are several restaurants on the beach boulevard as well as in the village center. There are several stores and a small supermarket. We made it our base for 3 or 4 days. We spent more nights in this village than in any other. Why? I am not sure. Because Garachico is relaxing? Because there are few tourists? Because it is sufficiently large to go for an evening stroll through the streets? Because the church and main squares become alive after sunset? Because it is nice to sit down on a bench anywhere in the village after sunset? Because on the cliffs is ample of room for sun bathing? Because one can walk down the man-made steps in the cliffs to go for a swim in the ocean? Because it is a good base for daytrips into the vicinity? Well, we liked it for all of the above reasons. There is nothing really special about Garachico. It is neither the most idyllic village nor the most romantic nor is there a lack of tourism. It is just nice because of the sum of the many small reasons. Everything is just right. Not too small, not too big. Not too many tourists, not too few. Not too lonesome, not too crowded.

With our base and hotel in Garachico we continued along the coast in day trips. The town of Buenavista del Norte is not very interesting. The public road, however, stops here. At your own risk you can drive further to the western-most point of the island where the land ends. It is an easy and rewarding drive. So I recommend it. Not having a vehicle we did it on foot. It is about 6 miles (10km) on a windy road overlooking the ocean and banana plantations. Our reward for the hike - besides the views - was reaching the lighthouse at Punta de Teno. Right next to the lighthouse is a small platform in the cliffs just 3 feet higher than sea level. Usually fishermen occupy this platform. The water here is crystal clear like nowhere on Tenerife. It is a special spot. Being rather shallow the ocean also takes on a different color here. It is light, from transparent to turquoise. A couple of hundred yards to the southeast is a small rocky beach. It is not as nice as the special spot; the sand gives the water a different, more average color. Having walked 2 hours to get here you can imagine that we enjoyed the swim.

The next day we took the bus to Masca. Masca is a tiny village up on a mountain ridge. It consists of only a dozen houses, and every one of these twelve houses seems to live off tourism. It is not a secret undiscovered location anymore. Those days have gone, but it is still pleasant. While the houses might have changed and might have been restored, the surrounding nature is just like it was a hundred years ago. It is a well-publicized trekking destination. In the local restaurant they will offer you guides and bus/boat combinations. The most popular itinerary is a 3-leg trip where they bring you to Masca from Los Cristianos by bus, then you hike down from Masca to the ocean, and at the ocean you will be picked up by a boat and the whole group goes back to Los Cristianos by boat.

Needless to say that we did our own thing. At Masca - lying in the mountains - starts a canyon that runs all the way from Masca to the ocean. This canyon is called "Barranco de Masca". The trail leads continuously downhill, in several areas quite steep. At the beginning you are surrounded by rich vegetation and a soft, gently shaped valley. Further down, it gets drier and the walls of the valley become steeper. Eventually you reach the canyon and to your left and right are vertical rock walls, polished smooth over millenniums by the forces of water. Now you walk in the dry riverbed, jump over boulders, and have to climb a few yards down over dry waterfalls.

At the end of the trail awaits the ocean with a beach made up of big boulders. If the tide is low there is some sand, but at high tide make yourself comfortable on some flat boulders. A swim is a refreshing reward for the hike down and in our case it gave us energy for the hike back up.

The next day we left Garachico to continue on our circle around the island. Next destination was Los Gigantes. Los Gigantes not only is a different town; it is a different world. For us this was where tourism starts. The town was filled with tourists and tourist apartment complexes. Especially the English seem to like this place. Don't be surprised to find British supermarket chains, British newspapers, pubs and restaurants serving full British breakfast. Los Gigantes has a big port. From here boat trips to the cliff formation that gave the town its name start. Not far north of the town and its port are steep large cliffs falling straight into the ocean. These cliffs are called "The Giants" for their size and soon thereafter the town was named the same way. Having seen the nicely trimmed English lawns and gardens in the apartment complexes we moved one.

Los Gigantes and everything to the south of it is tourist zone. The coastline to Playa de Las Americas was rather boring. The occasional hotel complex changes the dry and dusty desert landscape. Playa de Las Americas and the neighboring Los Cristianos are towns built for tourism. There is nothing else here. These towns have been created out of nothing, based on a marketing idea. Even some of the beaches I was told are artificial and they have shipped in the sand from the Sahara in Morocco. The infrastructure is excellent. Hundreds of hotels to chose from. Thousands of restaurants fight over the tens of thousands of tourists. The prices are accordingly low. Tourist attractions abound. Discos turn the night into day and these two cities never stop. There is action 24 hours around the clock.

In these urban centers most accommodations are apartments that are rented for the minimum of a week or large hotels. We thought that it is easier to find a small, family- run and cheap lodge outside this urban sprawl. For that reason we placed our quarter in Adeje. Adeje is a mid-sized village in the hills overlooking the places of mass tourism on the coast. Adeje is not a particularly nice village; it is rather modern and plain average. However, being located in the hills it is a good base for trekking. There are several trails that lead from Adeje to neighboring villages through a beautiful landscape. Few people live here in the barren land. Some farmers continue with their work and the barren land is interspersed with pine forests and small fields of corn or wheat.

At the northern end of the village, at a restaurant, starts the trail leading into Hell's Canyon (Cañon de Infierno). This trail is rather flat in comparison with the Masca trail. In many places it runs completely horizontal along an old water aqueduct. Not far from the trail is also a creek. In some locations it is dry in others it carries a bit of water. The trail ends at a waterfall. Here you are surrounded on three sides with brown red rock walls and a trickle of water falls over the waterfall of maybe 30 feet.

Adeje is also close to Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos. So we visited the "other" Tenerife for a day, just to see the contrast with the rest of the Tenerife we had seen the week before. The contrast is extreme. I am glad that nearly all the tourists are centered here. This way the remainder of Tenerife can enjoy the lack of tourism or low- key tourism.

For us the two highlights of Tenerife were the two villages Garachico and Masca. Small in size, but big in flair. They are relaxing with little action, yet there are enough little things to spark your imagination.