The Northwest of Tenerife

Los Remedios, Buenavista

We jogged in the morning, I trying to make my way over fields of volcanic stone, cactus and small ravines cutting the earth. Then our hostess regaled us for 2 hours, with a very hard sell of a time share, which was finally easily deflected since she required an answer within hours. So we escaped, up the West coast north to Buenavista with its 15th c. white and dark stone church, Los Remedios, getting lost among concrete walls of forbidden banana fields, guarded by dogs.

Punto del Teno

From there we drove along the Punta del Teno--another protected masterpiece of nature, gargantuan cliffs of chiseled rock, deep rich volcanic brown, that seems ready to fracture over the ribbon of highway that borders the ocean, clinging to the dark walls above deep blue foaming breakers. Tunnels were even carved for this road, that leads practically to nowhere, but to quite somewhere: a black rocky abutment and lighthouse. Platforms had been built over the black volcanic park, of handsome gray stone with log paths for swimmers and divers and nude sunbathers in a protected cove. High black rocks plunged beneath the treacherous ocean, where they turned paler beneath the clear blue waters.

Swimming cove, el Teno

Places of power and majesty, difficult to leave behind. But we did, driving to the Massif of Teno, volcanic mountain bristling with heather and cacti and palms, which we again did not truly experience because we have no time to hike. In this corner of Tenerife volcanic eruptions have pleated the land with sharp ravines and rocky peaks like bubbly lava suddenly fixed in time and space, and the shadow of the valley is deep where the sun does not gild it. and all around the bubbling earth has shot upwards or split downwards.

Baracan

The Hill of Baracan is an intersection of old hiking paths between the ravines of Teno massif and the valley of El Palmar. This valley was formed by the eruption of the La Montaneta volcano a thousand years ago, turning a ravine into a lake, which turned into the Guanchas' forest that they used for goatherding. After the conquest the Spanish logged it to meet Tenerife's needs, and more recently enormous tranches of the fertile red earth were sliced out of hills to use in banana plantations. But still we heard the clanking of goat bells.

Masca

Quiet hamlets nestle into the ripples of mountain, like La Palma which has been forgotten, but in the next, lower, valley, Masca exploits her extraordinary location with terraces of restaurants and knick knacks for sale, and hiking paths that can take three hours among the powerful folds of mountain to the ocean, or up to the peaks.

This is a wildlife preserve, Teno Park, described by a placard:

Teno Park

"Tarucho the crow no longer knows where to go. He flies aimlessly, rising and falling on the wind, drifting. Here he finds safety, protected by deep ravines, sheer fock faces and inaccessible cliffs. A world of the air, tailor-made for a bird. He could fly to the bottom of the ravine, to Masca, or climb the coastal cliffs and try his luck hidden among narrow ledges. Or he could fly up towards the mountains or reach the fertile valleys of El Palmar where he can feast on the fruit of the strawberry tree. It is now long since Tarucho's forefathers flew the skies of Teno. Like many endangered species here, protected by the exceptional health of a rare ecosystem."

Santiago del Teide, 16th c.

It was so difficult to leave that play of glaring sunset and shadow, palms abundant in the sculpted peaks and valleys, to leave the red rock vantage points. But we did, and descended to Santiago del Teide with its 15th c church filled with life size mannikins of a handsome tragic Christ, and presumably Santiago on a life-size horse, but the priest was offering communion, so we moved on.

On the darkening road there was another bronze statue of a Guanche chief whose 200 goats had been stolen by a conquistador,his handsome, brave honor and fading hope in his tragic face.

And we drove on, whipping around banana fields as the sun went down.