Tenerife
As with all the Canary Islands there is much to do away from the maddening crowds of the main resorts on Tenerife.......
 |
| Faro Punta de Rasca, Tenerife |
We opted to stay at the comparatively quiet Los Gigantes in the north west of the island. It's a pleasant port town and enjoys the Mountains of the Giants as a fabulous back drop. There are lots of options to eat fish, Canarian potatoes and the lovely local cheeses, and it makes for a nice base for exploring the island.
 |
| Los Gigantes, Tenerife |
Tenerife is the largest of Spain's Canary islands, and as such a week probably isn't long enough to get round the complete island. So on this trip we concentrated on the northwest coastline and it's lighthouses. As well as a trip to the Mount Tiede, the dormant volcano which dominates the island.
So we were heading to the lighthouse at Teno on the road to Masca.......and that's where our fun started! The TF-436 road runs between Santigo de Tiede and Buenavista del Norte, passing through the tiny town of Masca. It's also one of the most dramatic drives in the world! Our research had extended to lighthouses but not to infamous roads of the world.
 |
| The Teno Mountains, the road to Masca, Tenerife |
It was full on two hours of hairpin bends and sheer drops high amongst the Teno Mountains....all the time the Atlantic ocean proving a reminder of how high up you are. It was truly terrifying. I don't think we managed to get above ten miles per hour, and I had to prise my stress-gripped hands from the steering wheel once we'd made it through the mountains.
We knew we were in for a dizzy ride when, early into the drive we spotted the small concrete blocks that line the road disappear off into the distance, weaving back on themselves, climbing higher and higher until they were too remote to see........."We need to go up there?"
 |
| The road to Masca, Tenerife |
There are a few death defying passing points and there may be a remote chance of taking a breather in the small town of Masca at a vantage point. But it is an exhausting, mentally draining ride. I later discovered this was statistically the safest road on the island, but probably because the average speed is two miles an hour!
 |
| Faro de Teno, Tenerife |
The coastal drive along shear cliffs and through narrow tunnels of the north-west peninsula to the lighthouse, Faro de Teno was a breeze in comparison. But I have to say it was all worth it.
The lighthouse (as always) was in a really fantastic spot, and whilst the grounds are closed to the public you can wander the surrounding volcanic beaches and Atlantic coastline.
From Teno we headed along the north coast to check out the
lighthouse Faro de Buenavista del Norte. This was a modern spiral staircase design, and made for a nice change
from the traditional lighthouse.
 |
| Faro de Buenavista del Norte |
We had lunch in the town of Garachico, which has a few nice restaurants in the small town square. There was no way we were returning via Masca, but even so the
return journey back to Los Gigantes was still a demanding drive, but enjoyable. After
today I had a few new muscles on my arms!
 |
| Lunch, Tenerife |
A new day, a new lighthouse to
find, and this one offered up it’s own set of challenges as we headed to the southernmost point
of Tenerife, looking for Faro Punta de Rasca.
 |
| Faro Punta de Rasca, Tenerife |
|
Several dead ends and blocked roads
eventually led us to Las Galletas, a pretty little seaside town that we decided
to stop and explore. We had lunch on the pier then returned to our task of finding
this lighthouse....After yet more detours we ended
up at the beach at Bahia where we discovered a coastal path, and we
could just see the top of the lighthouse in the distance, so we decided to go
for it.
It was a fantastic hour long walk
to the two lighthouses (old and new) through great cactus and lava inspired
landscapes. Magical. Sunburnt and exhausted we
celebrated with a well earned beer at the end of the day.
 |
| Faro Punta de Rasca, Tenerife |
|
As light relief to our days out touring
the island we embarked on a boat trip from Los Gigantes. It was very pleasant couple of hours in
the shadow of the Mountains of the Giants. We were joined by dolphins and whales before
heading off to take a look at Masca from another vantage point. A nice surprise
was dropping anchor and enjoying a beer. Not bad for 15 Euros!
 |
| Tenerife |
It’s worth putting aside a good part of the day to visit Mount Teide and getting there as early as you can to avoid the crowds.
 |
| The road to Teide, Tenerife |
We approached Teide from the north
west and drove through several different weather fronts as the altitude
increased. We passed though mist and rain and finally, once through the clouds we were rewarded with clear blue skies.
 |
| Teide National Park, Tenerife |
And whilst the drive was at height
with some great vantage points, it was nowhere near as hairy as our trip
through Masca. The Teide National Park is a vast area of volcanic features and great views.
 |
| Above the clouds, Mount Teide, Tenerife |
The cable car is an exhilarating ten minute ride up Teide. The week after our trip the cable car got stuck and folk had to be evacuated half way up the mountain!
 |
| Mount Teide, Tenerife |
The air was thin, the wind cutting, and it was astonishing to see snow and ice everywhere.
The views above the clouds were
amazing. A real highlight of our trip to Tenerife.
 |
| Teide National Park, Tenerife |
Comments
Post a Comment