Walking on Tenerife. Paddy Dillon
road over a crest, it is mostly downhill to a junction with a tarmac road at Benijo (bar on the right, Restaurante El Mirador). Turn right and squeeze past it to find a path down to a bouldery beach. Turn left to pick a way along the beach and cross the mouth of the Barranco de Benijo. Follow the marked path onwards, which rejoins the road and passes the black ash Playa de Benijo, popular with surfers. Use another path to avoid a further stretch of road.
When the road is joined again, turn right to follow it only for a few paces, then turn left along a concrete path with a street lamp and masses of tamarisk alongside. Zigzag up a scrub-covered slope and go up concrete steps into Almáciga. Climb along tarmac roads, including the gentle Calle La Renta and the steep Calle La Cruz. A shop and bar are not obvious in the village. Reach a bus stop before a signposted fork in Calle Las Piedrillas. Turn right down a tarmac road to the beach, where there are a few bar restaurants and a bus stop at Roque de las Bodegas.
WALK 4
Almáciga, Benijo and El Draguillo
| Start/Finish | Almáciga |
| Distance | 10km (6¼ miles) |
| Total Ascent/Descent | 500m (1640ft) |
| Time | 3hrs |
| Terrain | Easy coastal road and hillside paths that can be steep and rugged. |
| Refreshment | Bars at Almáciga and Benijo. |
| Transport | Regular daily buses serve Almáciga from Santa Cruz. |
| Waymarked route(s) | Route uses PR TF 6, 6.2 and 6.3. |
This short circular walk links the coastal villages of Almáciga, Benijo and El Draguillo, then climbs to a junction where scrub-covered slopes meet the fringe of laurisilva forest. There is an option to cross a gap to reach Chamorga; otherwise the walk descends to return to Benijo and Almáciga.
Buses run to and from Almáciga but terminate there, so the coastal road must be followed eastwards on foot. There is no need to follow its bendy course beyond the black ash beach of Playa de Benijo. Use a combination of coastal path and beach walk to cross the mouth of the Barranco de Benijo. Watch for a path on the right to climb to the Restaurante El Mirador and rejoin the road. Turn left to leave the tarmac road and follow the Pista al Draguillo, PR TF 6.2, away from Benijo. The road is mostly concrete, and apart from a stretch of dirt road over a rise, it is mostly uphill to the hamlet of El Draguillo, at 170m (560ft). Follow a track to a junction where there is a signpost near a dragon tree.
Turn right and follow a path signposted as the PR TF 6 up past old terraces, becoming more rugged on a steep, scrub-covered slope. Keep climbing to reach a signposted path junction at the lower edge of laurisilva woods. Keep left and keep climbing to follow the PR TF 6 over a well-wooded gap to Chamorga. Turn right as signposted for the PR TF 6.3 to Benijo.
The path runs gently downhill then rises over a rocky notch beside a rock outcrop. Head generally downhill along an airy path that may be stony, stone-paved, rock or earth as it zigzags. There is a view of villages ahead, and a wealth of wonderfully fragrant scrub. A short, steep, stone-paved climb leads through a makeshift gate at El Paso de Jediondo, then the descent continues. The path winds down below rocky outcrops, then follows an arid crest dominated by tabaibal. The path later drops onto Lomo Bermejo and a right turn leads down to a road junction beside the bar, Restaurante El Mirador, at Benijo. At this point, retrace the earlier steps of the day back to Almáciga.
An awesome cliff coast, seen after stormy weather, near Almáciga
WALK 5
Taganana, Afur and La Cumbre
| Start/Finish | Taganana |
| Distance | 14km (8½ miles) |
| Total Ascent/Descent | 1000m (3280ft) |
| Time | 5hrs |
| Terrain | A rugged coastal path and barranco, followed by steep paths through laurisilva woods. |
| Refreshment | Bars at Taganana and Afur. |
| Transport | Regular daily buses serve Taganana from Santa Cruz. Infrequent buses serve Afur and Taborno from La Laguna. |
| Waymarked route(s) | Route uses PR TF 8. |
A cliff coast and a deeply set barranco are linked by a rugged path running from Taganana to Afur. A steep climb into dense laurisilva forest is followed by a descent to Taganana, though it is also possible to climb from Afur to Taborno instead, using Walk 6.
Buses do not enter Taganana, but pass on a winding road, so start from the highest bus stop on the edge of the village and walk up a road climbing parallel to the main road. Head for the church, where a map-board and signposts stand nearby. Go down the cobbled Camino Cruz de Limera and cross a bridge over the Barranco de la Iglesia.
The church in Taganana, looking across the valley to the Roque de Enmedio
The Camino Cruz de Limera climbs as a steep tarmac road, turning to level cobbles. The narrow Calle Lomo la Chanca is marked on the left, climbing steeply and winding past houses. Cross a road and continue up broad then narrow concrete, giving way to a steep, winding stone-paved path. Turn right gently down a road, then branch left up a terrace path, through a tiny gap and gently downhill with a pipe alongside. Continue along a track that levels out at La Bodega de Queque. Follow the track down past houses, plots, terraces and palms, and when it steepens it has patchy, broken tarmac on it. Pass a solitary palm tree and the track becomes a broad path leading to a stone-walled mirador overlooking the rugged coast.
A narrow path picks a way through a huge, crumbling gully. Further along there are smaller gullies to cross on the slopes of Roque Marrubial, where it is hoped that the path will remain in good shape. There are a couple of cultivated slopes and a white shed is prominent for a short while. The path rises and falls, in and out of gullies, crossing a very steep, scrub-covered slope of crumbling conglomerate. A rocky outcrop is seen ahead and the path passes through a gap behind it. The descent starts easily but becomes rough and stony, with a view of Playa de Tamadiste and a beach house.
Cross the Barranco de Tamadiste as marked and turn left to follow a fragmentary path upstream. Cross the bare rock bed of a side-stream and the path begins to climb steeply and ruggedly, passing a big cane thicket below a little house adorned with maritime salvage. Keep well below the house and pick a way below terraces. The path climbs and winds, with rocky corners and fine views deep into the barranco. Some short stretches are fenced and the rugged, uneven slopes sometimes feature crude steps. Eventually, cross the barranco and climb crude steps up the other side. The rugged and undulating path is followed by more steps, passing a big stump of rock before crossing a good track. Weave between houses into the tiny village of Afur, where there is a little chapel and a bar.
Playa de Tamadiste at the mouth of the Barranco de Tamadiste