Good day to you, dear Hive friends! Today, I'm gonna introduce you to - what I believe is - the most beautiful hike in the island of Tenerife.
Roque de Taborno lies in the Northwest of the Anaga mountain range on the Northeast of the island (a little confusing, isn't it?). Considering how quite a big area it is, and more importantly, how amazing & beautiful the mountains are, I still don't understand how there is so little information and hype about them on the internet. On one hand, it might be good for the nature around (we all know how it goes when too many undisciplined tourists start visiting some places), on the other hand - it's such a shame! So let me introduce you to these mountains a little.
What and where is the Anaga Rural Park?
Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the southwest. The mountains were formed by a volcanic eruption about 7 to 9 million years ago making it the oldest part of the island. Since 2015 it is an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is the place that has the largest number of endemic species in Europe. (SOURCE).
So, as you can see, this is a very special area of the world and of the island; historically, culturally and also agriculturally: it’s a „normal“ sight to spot a palm tree, a cactus, a fern & a potato growing next to each other.
Hiking in Anaga
Anaga offers countless tourist paths and trails, some of them being maintained more, some less. There are some very popular spots (such as Cruz del Carmen) but also some where you will find yourself alone in the wilderness.
The mountains are very, very steep. In fact, in some places i’d prefer to call them „cliffs“ rather than „mountains“. As such, they sometimes can be exhausting to hike, especially if you choose to go up. I’m not the biggest fan of unnecessary torture, so I usually choose to hike down: from the top of the mountain to the ocean. Maybe I’d rethink this option having problems with my knees, but for now, it looks and feels like the best idea.
Roque de Taborno
There’s no need to choose the way of dying when hiking around Roque de Taborno as it’s located on a ridge separating two ravines: the ravine of Taborno & the ravine of Tamadiste. The circular path around this rock is also on the ridge – so there’s no need to be walking too much up & down like crazy!
But then, as we established, the mountains are very steep and you’re ON A RIDGE. That means that if you’re afraid of heights, you definitely shouldn’t come here! And even if you’re not afraid, you should be extremely careful (and I highly recommend proper hiking shoes). The path is very narrow and exposed.
But absolutely worth it. On around 4 km, you will get to observe the Rock of Taborno from all sides but more importantly, the surrounding mountains & cliffs! Because honestly, it’s hard to say whether this is Tenerife or Hawaii. I’m serious, I can‘t distinguish the shores of Anaga and Hawaii when I see them on Instagram (well, at least sometimes)! But one thing is for sure: this is the most beautiful hike I’ve been on around Tenerife.
So, would you like to visit this place? If your answer is yes, you might find this map useful: https://mapy.cz/s/pofogukasu
PS: If you do decide to go, I recommend to check the weather forecast. This area of the island is known to be cloudy, rainy & windy quite often.
PPS: Would you like to read more about hiking spots in Anaga? Let me know and I might throw in some more 😉
