don Quijote Spanish City Guides - Tenerife Touristic City Guide

La Esperanza. Return via La Orotava
This route goes along the dorsal range of Tenerife climbing slowly from La Laguna up to 2,000 metres of Las Ca–adas in 43 Kilometres.
This is the most advisable way to go to the National Park as it gives one opportunity to get continuous views of the Teide above the sea of clouds.

Leaving el Puerto de la Cruz by the motorway to Santa Cruz de Tenerife one must take the C-824 at La Laguna, just after Los Rodeos airport in the direction of La Esperanza and Las Ca–adas.
From this point on, the road starts to rise slowly through green countryside which then changes to a pine-wood for almost all the way. The tree tops of the Canary pines have a lot of foliage in La Esperanza where it is possible to take strolls along tracks and paths.

Santa Cruz city centre

Going on towards Las Ca–adas, impressive views are seen on both sides of the road. The best scenery of Valle de la Orotava and the Teide can be enjoyed here. The sight of Pico de las Flores and the Ortu–o are well know.

As we go above 2,000 metres the pine trees disappear and the landscape becomes volcanic with colours of ochre, yellow, black and green.
Eventually one enters the National Park making a stop at the visitors centre El Portillo.
After visiting Las Ca–adas and climbing the Teide by cable car if one wishes can returns towards the park entrance where one takes the road which turns left towards La Orotava (C-821).
Going in this direction for 32 kilometres one approaches Puerto de la Cruz again among many pine trees, with many spots to stroll through or have a picnic in.

Las ca–adas del Teide
Las Ca–adas via Vilaflor. Return via Los Gigantes.
Leaving the Playa de las Americas or Los Cristianos via C-822, the route rises up to the pretty village of Vilaflor at 1,500 metres. For this one should take the road fork at Arona at 5 kilometres and continue another 13 kilometres further along this road. At Vilaflor it is possible to see the Paisaje Lunar (Moon-Land) although to get there it is necessary to go 8 km. as far as the camp La Madre del Agua along a track which turns right 4 km. after leaving the village towards Las Ca–adas and then walk for an hour.

From Vilaflor we turn towards Las Ca–adas along a road between pines until we reach a right turn 16 km. later which we must take to get to the National Park.
Crossing the beatiful Ucanca Plain, we arrive at Roques de Garcia where there is a place to go for a walk and afterwards to the base of the Teide where a cable car goes to the summit.
Once we have visited the park, we must return by the same route leaving the road to Vilaflor on the left and continue 30 km. through the deserted landscape as far as Tamaimo along the C-823.
At this point one goes to the left in the direction of Los Gigantes. Six kilometres further on one reaches the coast, from where one can contemplate the grandeur of the clifts of Los Gigantes and bathe in the sea.
To return to Playa de las Americas it is necessary to proceed 30 km further south along the coastal road.

Beaches

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THE CARNIVALS

According to many people, the carnivals are one of the most well known features of Tenerife and the best after those of Rio the Janeiro.

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BLACK PYRAMIDS

Tenerife has it's own pyramids! But how did they come to be built in Tenerife?

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