Arenas Negras hike and stops at the Piedra de la Rosa and the observatory - Tenerife, the diverse island - 6
Canada Blanca hike, drive to Costa Adeje and the lost place Sanatorio de Abona
Arenas Negras hike and stops at the Piedra de la Rosa and the observatory
Sunrise in the Anaga Mountains and a missed sunset at Playa de Benijo
Cruz del Carmen and the coastal hiking trail to Casa Hamilton
Hiking at Mirador de Samara and another visit to the south coast
Long time exposures at the sea and another drive through Teide NP
Fri., 10th Sept. - Arenas Negras hike and stops at the Piedra de la Rosa and the observatory
Today's hike starts in El Portillo, where the TF-24 leaves the TF-21. I park the car at the local visitor center, where there are only a few other cars. There are several routes that can be walked from here. Coincidentally, a Spanish couple started a few minutes early and whenever one of us stops to drink or take a photo, the other overtakes.
The trail [↗] is properly posted and goes steadily uphill for the first half and downhill on the way back. It takes me to the top of an ash hill, from where there is a beautiful view. In the spring, this is an opportunity to see the area's flora in bloom, but it's much too late in the year for that now.
The trails are easy, only when descending the hill you have to be a bit careful, as the slope is all ash. And don't expect to find much shade here. So take enough water with you and don't forget the sunscreen.
After the hike, I have two more destinations on the agenda today: Piedra de la Rosa and the observatory.
Piedra de la Rosa is a specially shaped stone that is supposed to be right next to TF-21. I have a rough idea of where it is, but I didn't see any signposts on the way up. Well, it turns out that the lookout is marked, but with a different name. It can be found between km 22 and 23. There is parking on both sides of the road and they even made a tunnel under the road so visitors can reach the lookout without having to cross the road. The stone is ok, but it's really only the stone that you can photograph from just this viewpoint. I ended up deleting the shots right after looking at it.
So I turn around and head back to where TF-24 leaves TF-21. It's more about driving a different way back to the hotel than anything else. I already know that the observatory is closed to the public, but they've even closed the public parking lot. So I turn the car around and continue my drive, which takes me to the outskirts of La Laguna and then back to the hotel.
