On the eastern tip of Tenerife, you will find the Anaga Rural Park (Parque Rural de Anaga). The park is filled with hills, steep cliffs, amazing views, and serpentine roads. For us, it was a first day traveling on the narrow roads of the Tenerife mountains.
Anaga Rural Park
The Anaga Rural Park lies on the northeastern part of Tenerife and it is in the Macizo de Anaga mountain range. The highest peak in the area is Pico Cruz de Taborno, standing 1.024 meters above the sea level.
Two major roads lead into the park. From the southern coastal town of San Andrés and from the west and the town of La Laguna. It is the road TF-12 that goes through the Anaga Rural Park. From this road, there are smaller roads leading to the northern coast and further along the ridge.
A visitor center can be found at Cruz del Carmen. Here you can also visit an observation deck with a great view of Teide as well as a forest walking route. There are, however, countless places to enjoy the view along the roads.
One of the towns in the area is Taganana. Many consider it to be one of the most beautiful towns on Tenerife and it probably is one of the most remote ones. It is accessible by a small serpentine road leading down to the northern coast of Anaga and the scenery is something you should not miss. The high mountains and the open sea is quite a lot to take in.
Our Visit To Anaga
We went to Anaga on our first day driving on Tenerife and we were heading towards Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife. Our plan was to drive through Santa Cruz to San Andrés. From where the road would take us uphill into Anaga Rural Park.
First time driving in a new place takes its toll and I was mostly concentrating on the road during our ascent to the El Bailadero. There were not many good places to stop to enjoy the view. A tunnel took us under the village and we were soon on our way back down again – towards Taganana. I had some troubles finding a good place to stop when we drove by the center of town. The road is quite steep and I was still getting myself used to it. Eventually, we ended up down at the coast. At Roque de Las Bodegas to be more exact. Little A had so far been awake during the ride and was happy to stop for some lunch. A small restaurant caught our attention and we made sure to relax. The rocks along this part of the coast make it a great place to just stop and enjoy the view.
It is possible to continue driving further out towards the tip. But as the road got smaller I preferred to turn around and head back up the hill again. That was possibly a good choice as the fuel indicator lit up before we had reached the top. The fuel usage when driving here is much higher than normal, both due to the height as well as due to the low gear when climbing the hills. And there are no gas stations along these small roads.
Little A was sleeping when we made our second stop for the day. This time at Cruz del Carmen. But she was happy to run around here once we woke her up. She did not really care for the view, but exploring the forest paths was of greater interest. For my part, it was nice to stretch the legs and to know that it from here was only downhill to the closest gas station in Las Mercedes. The stop at the gas station was our last before driving all the way back to El Médano.
Our Recommendations
These recommendations are the same as with most places on Tenerife, but to be sure we mention them once more.
- Bring sun protection, both a hat and sun cream.
- Expect a big difference in temperature as you drive.
- Make sure that you have enough fuel in the car.
- Drive carefully and stop to enjoy the view.
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