Tenerife – terrific walking, varied landscapes

Some describe Tenerife as having ‘many worlds in one place’, which is partly due to the ‘micro-climatic’ environment. Year round sun helps out our guided walking. We walk mainly on the Anaga peninsula, but visit the Teide plateau close to this iconic mountain  as well on one occasion – it  is an incredible experience and  therefore we have included this opportunity in our holiday.

This seven night guided walking holiday in the sun of Tenerife – shows off the best of this magnificent coast.

We stay in La Laguna a World Heritage Site- a bustling city with lots of cafes and bars and lovely streets to wander along.

Walking is moderate, with a few short, challenging section some ascending and descending – and you should be walking fit. We walk for five days.

You buy your own flights.

We pride ourselves on how we create a social feel- so join us on this sociable active holiday.

We organise everything for you – from the minute your flight lands to when you arrive back at the airport.

There are no extra single supplements,- you get your own en-suite room at the four star La Laguna Gran hotel in the centre of La Laguna.

Join us on this sociable active holiday where we meet as strangers and depart as friends.

The price shown here excludes flights but includes a sole occupancy supplement

Our unique speciality is that we provide guided walking holidays for solos and singles – in some of the most stunning areas across the UK and Europe.  We also design bespoke holidays for special groups.

What you get on a Secret Hills Tenerife  Walking Holiday

• You buy your own flights- we can assist with up to date information.
• Transfer from airport to the hotel and return
• Half board accommodation, including a three course dinner and breakfast
• Guided walking
• Any transport needed on the walks 
• The services of a Secret Hills tour guide
• Individual attention
• Our administration and management service
• Sole occupancy

What’s not included

 Lunch, all your drinks in the evenings, at lunch time and on our walks

Holiday Highlights

•   The sun in winter – what could be better to look forward to?
•   Varied walking in magnificent countryside- mountains , coastal treks, gorges, Teide plateau
•   Hotel in quiet location, but central to an world heritage and iconic city.
•   Flights from your local airports if available
•  Lovely city to explore – pavement cafes.
•  Our superb guides with local knowledge and expertise to look after you
•   Our relaxed social approach

Your hotel

We use the FOUR star  La Laguna Gran hotel in la Laguna. This elegant  hotel is located close to the centre of La Laguna – a World Heritage site, with it’s elegant streets, splendid cafe bars and shaded squares.

The hotel is located  within walking distance of a wide range of restaurants, bars, shops and leisure spots in a privileged setting in this university city

The rooms

En- suite rooms are large, and equipped with air-conditioning and an en-suite bathroom, with a bath/shower.

The room is equipped with a fridge, safe, hairdryer and good Wi- Fi.

Additional facilities in the hotel

The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool set on the rooftop with space to lounge in the sun. Close by on this floor is a gym and wellness centre.

Breakfast is taken in a large dining room with opportunity to sit outside if the temperature allows.

There is a large relaxing area with comfortable loungers, close by to the bar and coffee shop.

The Hotel also has the following facilities:

• a reception desk 24/7 with multi lingual staff: Spanish, English, Italian, German, French…
• air-conditioning and heating
• swimming pool and fitness suite
• elevator
• luggage storage
• tourist information
• car rental
• bicycle rental

Lunch is packed and can be provided by the hotel or sourced from nearby bakeries. The La Laguna market is 5 minutes away with lots of opportunities to buy fruit, drinks and snacks,

Dinner

We eat together in the main restaurant of the hotel. They do a 3 course menu that changes daily. They offer 3 options of appetizers, 3 options of main dishes and 2 options of desserts. 

Some describe Tenerife as having ‘many worlds in one place’, which is partly due to the ‘micro-climatic’ environment. While the Island is lucky enough to endure year round sun and warmth, the weather can change quite dramatically from region to region. The South is usually doused in warmth and sunlight causing the southern terrain to bear resemblance to the desert, particularly at the hottest times of the year. The north endures the occasional rainfall but stays warm, keeping it green and luscious with impressive forests up on the hills.

The craters of Las Canadas offer walkers a lunar experience at over 2,000 metres above sea level and  Mount Teide is a huge, rugged, steep sided volcanic peak and is the highest peak in the whole of Spain at 3,800m. Walking on the Teide plateau close to this iconic mountain is an incredible experience and  therefore we have included this opportunity in our holiday Teide’s near neighbour Mount Guajara is on our walking itinerary.

Tenerife offers an amazing variety of landscapes ranging from semi deserts to perpetually, moist laurisilva ‘cloud forests’, from rugged cliff coasts to high mountains, from fertile cultivation terraces to awesome rocky barrancos carved deep into multi coloured layers of volcanic bedrock.

The spectacular Agana peninsular is close by La Laguna and we walk here on three days. The walks here have plenty of up’s and downs as we have superb coastal views and small villages to admire- the unique nature of the houses and their situation never fails to impress

Tenerife is not all about sharp, high ascents, there are some spectacular coastal walks around the Island offering a taste of Canarian culture as you pass coastal cottages, local hidden beaches, gaze at the dramatic cliffs and maybe even come across some of the banana plantations.

The volcanic nature of the Island, shaped by the weather, has created a truly unique landscape unlike anywhere else.

We walk for five full days with one free day.

Before dinner, we will explain the walks, and all the arrangements needed to make the holiday a complete success.

Jill Pinkerton and Pete van de Mussele are you guides on this holiday.

On each day we will take transport to the walks start and from the walks finish.

Walks choices

The following walks are the basis of our walks programme, but these may be altered or replaced dependent on weather conditions, road closures, and the walking ability of the group.

Brief Walks Descriptions

We intend to visit the beautiful Anaga Rural Park on four days. Anaga is an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, designated in 2015 for its incredible biodiversity, ancient laurel forests and unique volcanic landscapes, making it a globally significant natural area. 

For our fifth walk we hope to show you the magnificent Mt Teide plateau, taking you above 2000m altitude on the lunar landscape. Each day involves using private bus transport, please see this as part of the holiday as the drives are stunning. The drive up to the plateau is our longest at around 90 minutes.

Taganana Gorge and Coastal Walk.

Starting from Afur, this circular hike leads through a gorge and along a spectacular coastal path to the village of Taganana. Here we’ll take our lunch break before going up over a pass that takes us back down to the starting point.

Anaga Rural Park Ridge Walk

A fantastic linear hike that leads from the coast right into the heart of Anaga Rural Park. We follow rocky coastal paths to the hamlet of Chinamada (not made in China..), where we have lunch. Then we continue through lush laurel forest to the finish at the Cruz Del Carmen viewpoint.

El Draguillo Walk

A beautiful figure of eight walk through Anaga Rural Park on the borders of the Natural Reserve of Pijaral. The walk gives us stunning views towards the coast and leads through and along gorges and ridges in the furthest northeast part of the island.

Roque Taborno and Pico de Ingles

This ‘lollipop’ walk starts high up in the Anaga Rural Park and leads down along the village of Taborno to the Rock of Taborno which we encircle and enjoy the viewpoint.

Mount Teide National Park Walk.

A scenic drive up the Teide Plateau gives us a birds eye view over a large part of the island. Here we start for our Moon Landscape walk through National Park Cañadas, with Mount Teide towering above us.

Prevailing weather conditions

Tenerife in its winter months will have a mix of weather conditions- sunny, warm weather- but there could be cloudy conditions and some high level mist- and be prepared for a shower or two- it is not a green paradise for no reason.

Grade of walking

This holiday walking programme is designed for good competent walkers on mixture of terrains….. Walk between 6 to 10 miles a day and potentially 700 metres ascent/ descent. Ascents are taken slowly to allow plenty time to absorb the magnificent vast environment around you.

The walks on this trip vary between moderate and challenging and each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descents.  The trip requires a good amount of fitness, ideally with some previous trekking experience in similar conditions.

Underfoot conditions are generally good and we walk on mature paths and tracks.

You need good walking footwear, preferably waterproof walking boots with good soles for protection. You may find that walking poles will aid your enjoyment of this land.

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained and experienced in dealing with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

History

Tenerife has a rich historical background, interesting monuments and museums spread along the island will help you to discover the amazing past of this island, which has been a bridge between continents and civilizations. Let’s have a look at the history of Tenerife.

The Formation of the Island

Tenerife, and the rest of the Canary islands, are considered the sons of Pluton. The oldest mountain ranges in Tenerife rose from the Atlantic Ocean later than the neighbouring eastern islands, the volcanic evolution which gave birth to the island finished around twelve million years ago.

The island that we know today was formed three million years ago by three different islands, with the mountain ranges of Anaga, Teno and Valle de San Lorenzo. The activity from the Teide volcano finally melted together the different islands which became Tenerife. The amazing volcano is still visible from most parts of the island and its crater reaches 17 km long in some points. The last volcanic eruption took place in 1909 near the village Santiago del Teide and the last volcanic activity in Tenerife took place 500,00 years ago.

The Spanish Conquest

The island was conquered by the Spanish empire around 500 years ago, Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, the Spanish conqueror arrived at the bay of Santa Cruz, known at the time as Anaza. On the 31st of May 1494, the king ordered him to suppress the last canary natives mainstay, but the Guanches (natives from Tenerife) proved to be very courageous and resisted the attack.

The king of Raoro, Bencomo (today La Orotava) who was the most important of all nine kings of the island, gathered his soldiers and enticed the impostors to the Bay of Acentejo. 2,000 Spaniards fell and Alonso Fernandez de Lugo was seriously injured.

Since then, the town where this terrible events happened is known as la Matanza (the massacre in Spanish). Currently, next to the highway there is a huge stone wall painted with a Guanche sounding the victory signal through a horn in the place where the massacre happened. On December 25th, 1495, one and a half years later, the Spanish crown finally conquered Tenerife, after a plague destabilised the Guanche population. The extinction of the natives and the Guanche culture was kept secret and always denied for a long time after.

In 1496, the city of ‘San Cristobal de La Laguna’ was built, next to a lagoon and close to the harbour of Añaza. In 1723 after the victory over the Guanches, the Spanish governor, de Lugo, changed the government’s headquarters to the city of Santa Cruz.

The mysterious Guanches, natives of Tenerife, where known as the more dangerous and most feared from the canary island inhabitants. They were cavern men and buried their dead in caves.

There is little information about the origins of the Guanches, but it seems that they came from the northwest of Africa. A stone with some symbols engraved was found, supposedly of Berber origin. However, there are only theories and speculations about how the Guanches first arrived the islands.

The City of La Laguna

• where we stay- a city in a flat area formed by a lagoon which dried up hundreds of years ago. The second  populated city/settlement in Tenerife is also the site of Tenerife’s university, a cosmopolitan city with splendid churches and a cathedral.
• It is also a shopping mecca with many specialist shops selling almost everything you might need.

La Laguna is an important historical centre, so much so that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its grid plan was designed in the 15th century and became a model for cities in the Americas including Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and Old Havana in Cuba.

The highlight of La Laguna is its old town which is a real step back in time and full elegant buildings from the 15-17th centuries. The town has a particularly high concentration of churches and religious buildings as well as fine palaces.

La Laguna was once the capital of Tenerife though this transferred to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1821. It is a university town and houses the oldest university on the Canary Islands. It is therefore a lively bustling city with a vibrant nightlife. The University of La Laguna dates back to 1701 and its main building is an elegant building on the Calle Delgado Barreto.

La Laguna sits in the Aguere valley at the foot of the Anaga mountains. The surrounding countryside is very pretty and if you drive up into the hills you can get some fabulous views of the town below, nestled in amongst the hills.