February tends to be very cold in Czech republic so we decided to head to tropical Canary islands - Tenerife. We will be spending the first two weeks exploring the northern part with our base in Los Realejos. It is close to Puerto de Cruz with good bus connections, it is surrounded by huge mountains and green landscape.
Los Realejos
Los Realejos is a small town with a lot of hills - walking to groceries is pretty much a workout. Maintaining a running routine was very hard. The town itself is very beautiful, you will see dragon trees behind every corner.
It was unexpected, just walking to the supermarket while enjoying views over Playa de los Roques ☺︎
Another hike we did from Los Realejos was a hike to Las Ruinas de Gordejuela. We first headed to Playa del Socorro which was closed due to maintenance. We were surprised the hiking trail was very well maintained and even led over the main highway. Be prepared for a lot of hills.
We then continued to San Vicente and took the coastal walk to Gordejuela. It is an industrial ruin which was used to pump water from the springs to Tenerife plantations.
Puerto de Cruz
Puerto de Cruz is the largest city in the north of Tenerife. It has very nice beaches, a lot of tourist attractions and a view of Teide. Even though we came here a lot, especially for food, we were glad to be living in a more quiet area in Los Realejos.
Teide National Park
Teide National Park is easily accessible from Puerto de Cruz - the drive takes around 1 or 1.5 hours. Typically you would need a permit to hike Teide as the number of people coming here is regulated.
Roques de García
Roques de García are volcanic rocks with the most famous one named Roque Cinchado. The hiking route starts at La Catedral and takes you around multiple volcanic formations and Teide viewpoints. The hike takes around 1.5 hours (5 km).
You can park near Centro de Visitantes de Cañada Blanca (tourist information and a museum).
Arenas Negras
Hiking route around Montaña Negra and Chinyero was an insider tip from a friend. It was quite hard to find the starting point because you need to drive through a forest before you reach a parking spot near a picnic site. We thought we are driving completely wrong and wanted to turn back, luckily, our instincts were incorrect and we found it.
The trail is moderate and takes around 4 hours (12 km). You will see volcanic scenery, quickly changing weather, burnt trees and black ground.
Masca Valley
The famous Masca Valley is located in Macizo de Teno (Teno mountains) which is west from Teide. Without permit to hike the valley, you can stop and visit the viewpoint overseeing the valley and walk around. Driving was a little bit scary as you meet a lot of buses and campers and the roads are narrow. But we caught a glimpse of a rainbow over the valley ☺︎
Northern Towns
From Los Realejos, you can reach multiple northern towns either by foot (yes, foot), buses, or with a rental car. We tried using solely buses but even though the buses are usually on time, sometimes the bus stops are hard to reach (one time, navigation sent us through a motorway), sometimes the buses don't stop as they are full. We did our research that there are buses going to Teide as well but we did not want to get stranded in the mountains and rented a car from Autoreisen.
La Orotava
La Orotava was one trip that we attempted to walk by foot. The walking trail consisted of a short hike up the Ermita de los Frailes.
La Orotava is one of the oldest towns in Tenerife and is famous for its gardens with dragon trees and historical buildings,
Garachico
Garachico is another picturesque town. And remember Montaña Negra? Back in 18th century, Garachico was completely destroyed by a volcanic eruption of Montaña Negra.
Icod de los Vinos
In Icod de los Vinos, you can find Tenerife's oldest dragon tree called El Drago.
Last mentions
We did only one trip to the south of Tenerife and one place that stood out was Arco de Tajao. It was a very weird place hidden below the motorway. We had difficulties finding it when we discovered we are standing right on top of it ☺︎
South was very different from the north. Northern landscapes have a lot of greenery while south reminded me of the desert.
bye bye Tenerife ♡
