Tenerife is one of the most attractive destinations in terms of tourist activities: gorgeous beaches, spectacular volcanic landscapes, snorkelling, water parks, surf beaches and the list goes on and on.
If I had to choose only one tourist activity for which I would recommend the island of Tenerife, it would be hiking. The spectacular volcanic landscapes, with a flora that you rarely meet in other areas of Europe, make Tenerife the perfect place to enjoy nature.
In this article I'm going to tell you about a hike I went on that I really liked and I recommend it, as it's quite easy to do. I wrote about how I organized my vacation in Tenerife and the locations I visited in a separate article, here.
HOW TO GET TO THE ROUTE ENTRANCE: The entrance to the route is 2 km from the town of Adeje. It is very easy to reach if you set Barranco del Infierno on Google Maps or other Sat Nav and depending on the means of transport used, it will guide you the exact location. If you come by car, it is good to know that there is no parking lot, we parked on the street.
If you are staying in or near the town of Adeje and choose to walk to the entrance to the route, I must mention the fact that the streets are extremely steep and you have a lot of climbing to do, I would not recommend this option.
THE VISIT: To do this hike, you will have to pay a ticket of 11 euros/person. In the ticket price, a protective helmet is also provided. Tickets can be purchased at the counter within the limit of available spaces or online, from the official website, reserving the exact day and time.
The route takes about 3 hours round trip, being about 6 km, quite easy to walk, with small differences of level. Along the entire length of the route, you will meet employees of the park who monitor each person. Being a protected area, you are not allowed to leave the path, and the number of visitors is limited to 300/day. The visiting schedule starts at 8:30, the last entrance is at 11:30 and it is recommended to make a reservation in advance.
Although bad weather is very rare in Tenerife, it is preferable to check the weather forecast before planning a visit here, because if there is strong wind or rain, the route can become dangerous and is closed to the public.
ROUTE DETAILS: As I said above, park employees take all measures to protect tourists, offering them protective helmets and monitoring them throughout the hike. To me, personally, it did not seem like a difficult or dangerous route, especially if we compare it with routes from Bucegi or Fagaras Mountains. I saw that it can be done without problems even by children.
The first part of the route is on a path very little covered by vegetation, thus allowing us to admire the spectacular landscapes towards the ocean. From place to place, you can admire huge cactus, grown in the volcanic rock.
Once you pass the first part of the route, there is a much poorer portion of vegetation, this time without a view to the ocean, but of the "sea" of volcanic rock. On this section there are also some differences in level, with ascents and descents. It's nothing dangerous, just a little demanding, especially if it's hot outside, because the path is in the sun, without too many shadowed places.
The last part of the route continues among the rocks, at the foot of the mountain. Being a shaded area with sufficient water sources, this area is very rich in vegetation. Here you can admire dragon trees, wild jasmine, mastic tree and many other plants, grown without human intervention.
The final point of the route is the Barranco del Infierno waterfall, which is actually just a trickle of water falling on the high rocks. Archaeological discoveries have shown that part of the Guanches population lived here. Many years later, the population of Spanish origin that settled in this area redirected the water from the canyon to the villages near the sea, using it specifically for agriculture. Nowadays, this canyon is a protected area. It is forbidden to enter the water because this can negatively influence the vegetation and fauna of the area.
Besides the spectacular landscapes, the fauna and flora of this area are special. Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to see any of the birds of prey that live here, but I could admire the variety of cactus and other plants.
A short video of this hike. Subscribe if you liked it.
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