Three Walks Through the Heart of Tenerife
The trails criss-crossing Tenerife, which vary in their difficulty rating, pass through a rich variety of environments, climates and habitats. Trekking along them enables you to discover the island’s secrets, observe its stark beauty and learn the lifestyle of its inhabitants, including its original settlers, the Guanches. They were the first to open up routes through the dense laurisilva, a sub-tropical cloud forest or highland forest, characterised by huge trees, calami and lianas with leaves resembling laurel. They also prepared pastureland near Mt Teide.
The most outstanding trail in Tenerife is, of course, the one that climbs up Mt. Teide, to an altitude of 3,717 metres. With its high difficulty rating, a special permit is required to attempt the summit.
Apart from the National Park, the other two exciting and spectacular settings for hiking trails are the Anaga and Teno rural parks. Following is a rundown of a low-difficulty trail in each of these Parks. They can be negotiated leisurely, while soaking up the scenery, with friends or family.
The Fortress – the Teide National Park
With its gentle gradient, this route is ideal for observing the park’s characteristic fauna and flora – the shrike and pimelia darkling beetle abound here. From the start and up until Cañada de los Guancheros, the route snakes across hills of pumice derived mainly from the eruptions of Montaña Blanca, where broom and golden chain are prevalent.
The Cañada de los Guancheros is a sedimentary plain featuring such plant varieties as broom, golden chain, rosalillo de cumbre (Pterocephalus lasiospermus), tonálica and Teide straw. On the final stretch, the trail winds around the foot of the crags of La Fortaleza with vegetation characteristic of steep slopes. Most striking are the moralito (Rhamnus integrifolia) and Canary Island cedar, the latter often interspersed with Canary Island pine at the foot of this mountain. La Fortaleza is the sole surviving vestige of the former Edificio Cañadas, located in the north of the Park. This reddish colossus was formed by highly viscous phonolithic lava which accumulated and solidified around the lava vent itself.
Anaga Rural Park – Cabezo del Tejo
The trail starts at the Anaga Forestry Park and proceeds towards Roque de Chinobre. From here, it becomes a pleasant stroll through the laurel forest, affording magnificent panoramic views of the Cordillera de Anaga range and the Roque de Chinobre. The route continues past the Roque Anambro as far as Cabezo del Tejo, with a vantage point set 800 metres above sea level. The return journey starts at this point, the forest trail winding past Hoya de los Toneleros, Ujuana and the Mirador de la Chamuscada. This hike takes about two hours. An alternative to this route is one running from the Anaga Rural Park, up to Chinobre and then descending directly to Las Chamuscadas – and its viewpoint of the same name – and back to the Forestry Park. This route takes around one hour.
Upper Teno, Lower Teno – Teno Rural Park
The Teno Rural Park was declared a protected woodland in 1994 under the Canary Islands Nature Reserve Act, aimed at preserving its ecological values and heritage and boosting the standard of living of local towns. Situated in the north west of Tenerife, it contains one of the island’s oldest geological areas, the Macizo Volcánico de Teno (Teno Volcanic Massif). With an area of 8,064 hectares, it is a treasure trove of biodiversity, with endemic species exclusive to the area and an unusual landscape, the outcome of natural processes and the endeavours of local inhabitants to harness the agricultural resources of this rugged terrain to the full.
The route we recommend starts in the Caserío de Teno Alto, at a spot known as Los Bailaderos. It runs along the present-day track leading to Las Cuevas, along the south side of El Vallado mountain. The importance of this initial stretch lies in the numerous examples of vernacular architecture along the way, in addition to the old brick kilns. Once you reach Las Cuevas, the path dips down to Las Casas along an uneven surface which occasionally lays bare the original cobblestone. The enclave of Las Casas is located at the foot of the slopes of El Barranco de Las Casas and the start of the Teno peninsula. Remains of traditional Canary Island architecture can be seen here. This leads straight to the Punta de Teno, the north-western tip of Tenerife island, set within the Teno Rural Park and affording some spectacular views of the peninsula, the coastline and the lighthouse.
This, the most pristine part of the island awaits you all year around. Discover it by getting hold of your tickets here.
Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación
Images by Turismo de Tenerife
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A piece of paradise on earth
Just when we land, Tenerife welcomes us with an air of mystery and legend. Its volcanic landscape and its uncertain origins, which some authors place in Atlantis are just two of its many attractions.
And, legends aside, what is clear is that more than a lucky island, Tenerife is a piece of paradise on earth. It has two World Heritage Sites, a National Park, 42 protected areas and its weather makes it the island of eternal spring.
Whether you are visiting the island with friends, with family or with children, Tenerife is one of those destinations where you want to come back.
National Park Cañadas del Teide and Puerto de la Cruz
One of the must visit of Tenerife is the Teide National Park. Its breathtaking volcanic landscapes achieved that, in 2007 Tenerife were included as Well Natural in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. It is possible to visit the park with different excursions including the popular camel rise.
The caldera and volcano Teide - Pico Viejo are some of the world's most spectacular geological monuments. It also has a variety of volcanic cones and domes, lava flows, tors and caves that form a range of colors and shapes.
From there you can descend through spectacular Orotava Valley to the north coast, where is located the village of Puerto de la Cruz. This small town has many tourist attractions such as Loro Park, the Botanical Gardens, Lake Martiánez pool complex, beach Garden and Plaza del Charco.
San Cristobal de la Laguna
The historic center of La Laguna form was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and it is a joy to walk through its streets.
Worth a stop on the way the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Neo-Gothic and houses an interesting and rich artistic heritage. A short walk in its streets, we find among other facades of stately homes in Plaza de la Concepción, in front of the church of the same name. Turning left from the Place de la Concepcion reaches Herradores street, completely pedestrian, other interesting examples of Canarian architecture. But if the rotation is clockwise, the tour ends in San Agustin Street, in the houses of the Jesuits, Montañéz and Salazar. Lercaro Palace, the Museum of History of Tenerife, is another milestone in the street of St. Augustine and the church and hospital of Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Augustine's Church and the Institute of the Canary Islands.
A little further away is the beautiful Royal Shrine of the Holy Christ, next to the Plaza de San Francisco, better known as the Christ.
Hiking and nature trails
Masca
Masca is a picturesque village situated on the northwest tip of the island in the Teno Massif within the rural park of the same name. In Masca can find stunning scenery with deep ravines and cliffs ending in the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by greenery and roads with impossible curves. Reputed to have been a haven for pirates.
Cruz del Carmen
If what you like is walking, one of the oldest trails on the island is what leads us to the Cross of Carmen.This promenade runs for environment typical vegetation, wax myrtle, heather and some species typical of the laurel, and reaches the Llano de Los Loros, from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the north coast wide.
Whales and dolphins watching
The southwest coast of Tenerife is a privileged place for whale watching in the wild, since there are whales and dolphin colonies living here all year. His presence is so near the coast, which has turned Tenerife in the first place in Europe in importance by the number of people doing whale watching in freedom.
We can find up to 21 different species in these waters, from the blue whale to the fearsome giant orca. There are two resident populations, finned pilot whale and bottlenose dolphin, which can be seen almost 80% of the days of the year, with a rate close to 100% sighting.
And of course, the beaches!
On an island as privileged as Tenerife, we must visit its incredible beaches, whether you like volcanic sand as soft golden sand.
For lovers of tranquility we propose Bollullo beach, in the town of La Orotava. It is a beautiful and secluded beach of volcanic sand which had the extraordinary clean waters and relaxed atmosphere. It's a little crowded beach, ideal for those who want to escape the crowded tourist venues and enjoy some quiet time. Access to this beach is on foot by a stepped path surrounded by banana trees. Pay attention to swim in this beach, because it lacks containment boom wave.
And for those who prefer to enjoy all the tourist amenities, our recommendation goes to the beach nightgown and Duque Beach.
The nightdress is part of a continuous succession of beaches which are occasionally separated by a line of stones on sand. The swimming conditions are always optimal as a breakwater protects the currents and waves.
El Duque is a beach of fine golden sand beach located in the southern part of the island, surrounded by a lovely seafront promenade that connects more than 8 beaches. In calm waters, and an extension of nearly 700 meters, the Playa del Duque delights its visitors, for they have all the services of an environment where quality is more distinctive.
You can also enjoy other spectacular beaches like El Medano, El Socorro, The Arena, La Pinta, La Tejita, Teresitas or Las Vistas.
By Nadia Polo
Picture Las Teresitas by Sergio Martín González | Picture San Cristóbal de la Laguna by Jens Steckert | Picture Acantilado de los Gigantes by Daniel Gaínza
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Florence on 5 Senses
By Mariana Calleja from TravelThirst
Florence made us happy. Yes. Florence made us go creative, free and overwhelmed about everything in life.
First things first, as obvious as it may seem: Il David…brought tears out from my eyes.
This majestic piece of stone carved into the most impressive and touching figure, making you feel not small but human, simply out if this head of ours. Making us feel overwhelmed about the fact of what we are, of what we have the potential to be. Of what we never think of ourselves many times. Il David is really perfect, not in body, not in figure but in every thing possible that it can really mean and transmit to our human race.
Yes I felt overwhelmed and I just felt like crying sweetly and tenderly. He was beautiful. What it made me feel was beautiful.
This was only one of many aspects about Florence that are making me miss it already in a different way. We have travelled a lot around Europe during our three years living here. We have certainly seen incredible places, art, landscapes, food, people, museums, history. But I have never seen and felt what this city made me, all at once. Why? No idea. Maybe along these words I will figure the answer out when I get to the end.
So let’s get started, shall we?
Florence is a city built up from history, from the very basis to the top. And yet, there is a lot more than just what we see of course. No audio guide or book is enough in order to sense this place. So as we usually love to try and do is simply following our senses and discover any place on this simple life basis. So keep on reading and find out some sensorial experiences. You might get creative too and wanting to take the next flight to Florence.
SEE
Even within the obvious, we must mention a few of our favorite spots to see in Florence.
Sunset from the Piazza Michelangeliolo. On top of everything, the city discovers itself from here. All corners, roof tops and bell towers will sing at once a happy melody.
Florence at night has one very particular set of lights. No idea who did this and why but I haven’t seen a city with such sense of illumination, not to mention wire-free and with such a clean visual panorama. But nights are special believe us. You need to get out of your hotel room at night too and go get lost while looking up and ahead. You will enjoy another Florence if indulging yourself with this little great tip.
Instead of climbing the cupola, why not see the cupola itself? We always enjoy views from the top of anything. Is a must-do in every city to go up high and take a distant look. This time, we chose to climb the Giotto Bell Tower. And an imposing cupola appeared in front of our eyes. So huge and so small at the same time. This can really be a good thing to appreciate. Probably next time we will climb the cupola instead and enjoy the bell tower, but Santa Maria del Fiore’s church deserved a good look on this first trip.
One interesting spot we found was a former jail…turned today into beautiful and practical apartment buildings! Hard to imagine but seemed beautiful from the outside. You could still see the old iron doors and scarves on its walls and yet, it was a happy and flowered sight. Not to be missed either!
TASTETraditional dishes of course, such as Ribollita soup or Milanesa meat. But our most diverse experience went somewhere in between: Ribollita’s soup PIZZA! It was exactly like smelling veggie soup coming out from a perfectly fresh and recently baked pizza. Confusing but totally worth it!
During a market night, right in front of Santa Maria Novella, we found a whole bunch of interesting things to try. Very different from the traditional italian food we use to know. Anything you can get there will be good for sure. We had a delicious fried ball like the size of a baseball, with a filling made up of meat and rice, served very hot and with a crunchy crust. One really good bite! Name? The one and only: Frittele.
Gnocchi is always a good catch for us. One of our favorite dishes in the world and is a must for us to go gnocchi-tasting every time. And Florence certainly had one good variety. Feel free to try it anywhere and anytime. Best rule for me in order to try a favorite dish is always keeping it simple: basic tomato sauce will never fail in letting me recognize a good or a bad pasta.
And of course, don’t ever forget to start your day with a cafe and a cornetto: the traditional italian breakfast. Let me explain how does a cornetto feels inside your mouth: Imagine the most delicious, soft and creamy pastry with sweet and tender sugar powder on top, dropping a naughty bit as you make a glorious bite into your palate. It will never get happier than this!
SMELLThe whole town welcomed us over an interesting smell, like any city has done before into our nostrils. Except this time was special, strong and formidable.
It was something like smoked lemon…something between citric and wooden smoke from a chimney. It had a beautiful sense of feeling old and cozy. And this is what Florence felt like for us. Like home.
Interestingly, we also found something special around Florence in order to stimulate this sense of smell: an aroma bar! As funny as it could seem, is definitely a spot we haven’t found ever before. All about parfums, fancy smells of flowers, and spices, and nature. Quite stimulating! And relaxing to our surprise.
Have you ever been to a “bar-a-parfums”?
Another characteristic smell from Florence were “Lillies”. Beautiful violet-colored flowers hanging from old walls and balconies all over town, being caressed by the wind all day long. Probably best sensed during spring time. But what a sweet aroma giving a friendly scent to the entire place. Not to mention how beautiful these flowers look, hanging in a relaxing way every time.
LISTENWithout any doubt, this place has the most outstanding set of bell towers in all Europe. One of the things catching our attention right away was the constant music of bells ringing all at once and to different melodies every time. For some reason hard to explain, it was very comforting to listen to this. Again, it was something cozy and welcoming about bells ringing.
For example, make sure you get caught in the Brunelleschi cloister during noon. Probably one of the most relaxing 30 minutes we have had during our travels, just by sitting there, taking the bells and the sun at a peaceful and quiet green garden. No tourists along at all. You want to spend a few minutes here and enjoy the experience since it will last in your memory for long.
One more great tip on our experience would be climbing up to Gioto Bell Tower, not only for the views. This time to listen to the city instead. After an arduous way up, you will find a very comforting corner on top, giving you incredible views to the city for sure.
But best than the views, this is a place to visit with your ears more than with your eyes. A place where you should stand relaxingly on the boarder, pose your head and chin over your hands crossed, stand in a semi-flexed position and then proceed to close your eyes while addressing your whole face to the city…to the air.
Stay there, eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths and exhale through your nose, slowly. Focus…and listen around you. Listen to Florence. Listen to the street, the laughter, the working city and the touristy city. Listen to the machines, the cleaning, the bells far back, the few cars passing by. You are 80 meters up high and still, you get to sense the whole city from there. Is relaxing, is beautiful. Hold on a few minutes until you can describe every single sound in your head. Then you can open your eyes and smile. There are a few stairs waiting for you to take you down to all those sounds.
FEELThe sense of feeling and touch is always the toughest one to describe and yet the richest, funniest and most tender one. Because is abstract, going beyond the obvious, beyond just the wind on your face or the coldness of stone walls.
What about the sense of feel or touch in Florence?
The Galleria degli Uffizzi has a “touch tour” intended for blind people but one you can definitely try it yourself, why not? We don’t need to be blind in order to play with our hands and sense a whole new world through them, right?
And with this practical information, we wish you have a very sensorial experience next time you are in Florence. A perfect city for exploring your own the five senses!
By Mariana Calleja from TravelThirst. Photography by Federico Rojas
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SHOPPING SPECIAL: 7 UNMISSABLE DESTINATIONS
London, Milan, Berlin, A Coruña, Paris, Barcelona and Stockholm are our favourite cities for shopping tourism. Essential destinations for shopaholics!
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