On the way from Santiago del Teide to the sea

Santiago del Teide is a peaceful town on the edge of the Teno Natural Park. The city breathes a peaceful atmosphere for us. It consists of one main street, a church, several shops and pubs and a pilgrimage route in the mountainous terrain above the city. Unlike other places, we do not come across many attractions here, so we do not meet crowds of tourists here. The city is rather the starting point of several hiking trails. We will take the road marked TF 65, which we will descend to the coast.

The start of our route is at the church in Santiago del Teide.

Our steps lead us between the stone walls that form the border of the original agricultural fields. The road largely follows the levada – an artificial canal used for irrigation. Shortly after the start we pass the village of El Molledo. Here, two shorter marked paths branch off from the main route. The first of them leads to the Risco Blanco volcanic dome, and if we want to walk this linear route, we must count on a reserve of at least 1.5 hours, which will extend our trip. The second turning path here is the route through the rock formations of Degollada del Roque, which offers only a slightly more demanding alternative to part of the main route. About halfway along the route we pass another quiet town Tamaimo. Here, too, we find one shorter detour that will lead us to the missionary cross. However, due to the large elevation gain, this route is quite demanding and if we want to go through it, we have to count on a time delay. Near the town of Tamaimo we can also come across the portal of the tunnel, which in the past led the irrigation levada. In the last section near the city of Puerto Santiago, the road leads through a not very nice landscape between banana plantations.

Passing the alternative route through Degollada del Roque, we are offered amazing views of the rocky peaks of Teno Park.

From places almost untouched by modern civilization, we suddenly enter the paradise of luxury hotels and luxurious villas. The city of Puerto Santiago was originally a fishing village and, as the name suggests, also a port for nearby Santiago del Teide. It is now gradually becoming one of the most luxurious resorts in Tenerife, serving a wealth of clients. The rugged coastline is lined with a number of bays and beaches with black volcanic sand. Through narrow streets we reach the port and the rock formation of Los Gigantes, where our journey ends.

Destination – view of the rock formations of Los Gigantes.