Traveling produces adventures. Some of them remain in our memory forever. Especially those that after a while become a funny story, although at the time they were setbacks that caused us quite a few headaches. However, without them travel would be boring and travel stories unexciting. This type of adventures happened to me precisely on my way to Tenerife, one of the seven beautiful Canary Islands.
THINGS GOT CRAZY IN LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA
I arrived with my partner in the city of Las Palmas, located on the island of Gran Canaria, on a Saturday morning. The next day was scheduled our flight to Tenerife, the main vacation destination. Although it was February, the truth is that on these wonderful islands it seems that summer always remains, since the sun shines brightly and the temperature is pleasant even during the winter months. By the way, I’m not sure if you know that the seven islands were already conquered during the time of the Catholic Monarchs at the end of the 15th century. Currently they have the status of the Historical Nationality that is used in Spain to highlight the cultural and linguistic difference of a specific area. Since nothing indicated “the End of the World” that was about to happen, we went to visit the city and have a typical dish: potatoes with mojo picón, a spicy and very tasty Canarian sauce that I recommend you to try. It is curious that the streets of this charming Spanish city, located on the African continent, preserve the essence of the colonial era. Sometimes, when walking through its streets, one imagines being suddenly in Havana de Cuba.
The disaster began to be noticed in the early afternoon. Suddenly the streets were covered with the reddish cloud that made it difficult to see. Do not worry, it is a natural atmospheric phenomenon that occurs on occasions, the haze, a wind coming from the Sahara that attracts dust from the desert in suspension. The next day our plane of course could not take off to Tenerife for security reasons, so like many others passengers we had to stay on the ground and with no place to go. Although the good luck partly accompanied us and we were able to find a shared room, where one of the guests spent the whole night snoring. A cliché. During the night things got even crazier… fires in different parts of the island, the arrival of flying lobsters (What an ugly bug!), and the first cases of the little-known by then Covid-19. In the morning we went to the airport feeling nervous to try our luck agian. We had it, our plane was the last to take off that day.
HEADING TO TENERIFE
Do not believe that when I remember these setbacks I consider my visit to the Canary Islands to be a disaster. On the contrary, I remember them as adventures that gave a special touch to my vacations, making them memorable. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Tenerife, you are going to fall in love with this place of volcanic black sand. Nature in its purest form predominates in much of this earthly paradise and what I have loved the most is the fact that it varies greatly as you move from north to south and from west to east.
TEIDE
The most visited place on the island is, without a doubt, Mount Teide, the highest peak in Spain at 3718 meters and the third highest volcano in the world. It is a stratovolcano, with a conical shape. In a previous article I told you the story about the Chilean volcano, Licancabur, which also has this shape. The Teide National Park was formerly used by the Guanches, the ancient inhabitants of the island, as a grazing area. The Guanches believed that the area was inhabited by the Evil One, the Guayota, which in their Berber language was called “Echeyde“, who even kidnapped the Sun, plunging the island into the darkness. However, the celestial divinity of Achamán, invoked by the Guanches, freed the Sun and defeated the Guayota. Currently, this natural place due to its similarities with the red planet is used for the study of the tools that will travel to Mars. The landscape around Teide looks like from the other planet.
LOS GIGANTES, MASCA & PUNTA DE TENO
In addition to Teide, another visit that I recommend are the huge cliffs, called Los Gigantes, whose walls can reach up to 600 meters. Our apartment was close to this area, so we had the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent views from the window. And also, when the haze ended, Gomera, another Canarian island, was completely visible from our window. Near Los Gigantes, further north, there is Masca, and from there you have the possibility of taking a hiking route through a ravine that ends at Masca beach. It is a simple 4.5km route and the landscape is impressive. Continuing north, we made a visit to Punta de Teno. It is the westernmost part of the island. However, you must bear in mind that you need to take the bus from the town of Buenavista, since the road is closed for private cars between 9 am and 5 pm. Take your time and enjoy hiking, or take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. Another thing you can do in Punta de Teno is taking a boat trip. Highly recommended, since the views of the cliffs are breathtaking.
ANAGA NATIONAL PARK
Moving to east, we decided to visit the Anaga National Park. It is the Biosphere Reserve since 2015, full of the largest number of endemic species in Europe. Endemic species are fauna and flora that are limited to a specific geographical area and are not located anywhere else in the world. It was a charming place with dozens of areas for hiking, viewpoints, typical villages, hidden between mountains and wild beaches, hardly visited by tourists. I recommend you visit the Enchanted Forest, where the Pijara is located, a 3 meter high fern. And if you prefer a shorter route, also accessible to people with motor difficulties, the Sendero de los Sentidos is ideal as it will allow you to enjoy the laurel forest through all five senses. An excellent idea to eat is to go down to Roque de las Bodegas beach, formerly a safe harbor where English merchants used to stop and buy local wine in the area. On the way to this beach, you can stop in one of the oldest towns in Tenerife, Tanganana, to visit the Church of Our Lady of the Snow.
NORTHERN VILLAGES
Tenerife also shows its special charm through its towns. One of the most beautiful on the island is Garachico, where you have the opportunity to learn about traditional Canarian architecture. Also, being surrounded by the fantastic natural pools, El Caletón, you have an opportunity to combine cultural and gastronomic visit with outdoor activities. I remember trying delicious traditional sweets in a typical village cafeteria, but what I liked the most was being able to eat in a typical restaurant in the north of Tenerife, called el Guachinche. These are gastronomic establishments, whose origin dates back to the old markets, created by farmers and ranchers, to sell their products to English buyers. At present, it is about place in which homemade food is served. It really is like eating in a private garden, surrounded by fields of vineyards. The atmosphere is pleasant and the food is very tasty. For sure you are going tol ove it!
The return home was easier. We spent one night again in Las Palmas and luckly we could even enjoy the Carnivals, since by then the weather had improved in the city.
TIPS:
- If you stay more than a week, try to visit another island. For example, from Tenerife its easy to get to Gomera.
- Take care with the haze. It will change your plans for sure.
- Por the Anaga National Park bring a jacket, even in summer the weather there is colder.
- If you are visiting some villages in northern Tenerife, don’t forget to see Drago Milenario in Icod.
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