Canada Blanca hike, drive to Costa Adeje and the lost place Sanatorio de Abona - Tenerife, the diverse island - 5

TravelogueSpain

12 Feb

Thur, 9th Sept. - Canada Blanca hike, drive to Costa Adeje and the lost place Sanatorio de Abona

Meanwhile, it is clear that Freya has to slow down. Either it's the back or the knee that is hurting, and neither stairs nor uneven grounds are her friends. So she'll stay at the hotel, swim, and try out the massage offerings.

In the meantime, I will drive to the Parador de Canades del Teide. Here starts one of the trails I found on berge-wandern.de de [↗] and that seems to be a good start.

The drive up to the Teide is relaxed. I pass Aguamansa and the number of cars parking there is no different to yesterday. Also, the other parking lots on the way to the Parador are mostly empty, except for one particular area that is totally crowded. Cars are already parked in unofficial spaces along the road. No idea what makes this place so special.

I drove by here (Sendero de Montaña Blanca) a few more times over the next few days. In the meantime, I think it's the starting point if you want to climb the Teide without taking the cable car.

I get one of the last parking lots at the Roques de García, which was a stupid idea as I have to cross the street anyhow to start at the visitor center and the parking there is almost empty.

The trail starts a few meters behind that little church and there are various trail options, but none is exactly the one I will take. There is even a sign pointing to the Canada Blanca, but the distance is so great that the trail probably leads to another part of this area. I have my printed map with me and in case I need it an app on my phone that can show me where I am. . The first few meters are through an old lava field before I come to a dirt road that is closed except for official use. The path is pleasant to walk and even though the sky is cloudless, the temperature is nice.

The actual path starts with a climb of about 100 meters, but it is not really steep.

Once you reach that level, you have to look for a path that goes to the left. The few other people who are also hiking here follow the path going straight ahead. I'm briefly checking my coordinates, but yes this is the way I want to go. The other path seems to take a parallel route and is a bit longer, but it doesn't pass the old sanatorium.

The following path is more or less flat and still goes over a dirt road. Finally, I see the old sanatorium. It's not in ruins as I thought. Just doors and windows are bricked. The buildings themselves look pretty solid. Anyway, they are a nice motif with the Teide in the background.

I spend some time here and then continue my hike. After a while the path gains altitude and it becomes more strenuous, but still not bad. I'm now approaching the TF-21 where the trail should turn left and go parallel to the street back to the Parador. "Should" because the trail is closed. The closure is marked only with this white and red caution tape, with no notice or other explanation. If I would go back to the base of this last hill there might be another access to the trail, but if it's closed here, it might be closed there too.

I decide to take the other option and walk the remaining 4 km along the road. It's not the prettiest trail, but the road is wide enough for cars to pass easily and I can see the Parador getting closer and closer.

When I return to the car, the place is totally crowded. Roques de García is one of the main tourist destinations on the island and all the tour buses stop here, as do the many tourists who just drive around. Most of them stay only a few minutes and then move on.

Since I don't want to go back to the hotel the same way, I think it's a good idea to continue the ride from yesterday. I want to follow the TF-21 and take a look at the main tourist location: The area around Playa de Las Americas.

I've seen pictures of the Magma Art & Congress Center in Costa Adeje, but the car's navigation system can't find the address I've picked out. So I just drive there and see if I can find it anyway.

Playa de Las Americas is the area of old-style mass tourism. Not that there are no high-rises or big hotels in Puerto de la Cruz. But what I see here in the south is a whole different ballgame. Between the beach and the highway in the interior are layers and layers of huge building blocks and on the other side of the highway are theme parks and even more high rising buildings. I know for people who want to spend the day on the beach or are here to "have fun" that doesn't matter, but I'm glad our hotel is where it is.

I drive around Costa Adeje a bit, but can't find the convention center. O.k., it was meant as a goodie anyway. I now take the coastal road north to look at a lost place.

As I pass the Playa de Las Americas exit on the highway, I can make out the convention center right next to the highway, but now I don't want to.

Halfway north is the small town of Abades. It doesn't seem to be a classic fishing village but consists mainly of small tourist houses - kind of nice. The black beach is small, but it seems that people come here mainly for diving.

Above the beach is the abandoned Sanatorio de Abona, an old sanatorium to treat leper. As treatment options improved it was not needed anymore. Now it's a lost place that is in remarkable good condition. Unlike many other Lost Places, this is not a single building, but a huge area. Of course, it is not an insider tip, the church on the hill can be seen from far away, and so "normal" tourists also stroll through the area.

I park my car at the beach and climb the hill from there. There is no official route, but the paths are obvious. I just would be careful if it has rained. It might get pretty slippery then. The track reaches the hill on the left-hand side right next to the church. This is also one of the more attractive buildings. But there are dozens of them to explore. Almost all are covered with graffiti, some really good ones, many are just useless tags. I think I covered just half of the buildings, but after a while, I'm just overloaded. Let's see if I find the time and mood to come back and explore the rest on another day.