Pasada del Fraile hike and a short visit to La Orotava - Tenerife, the diverse island - 8
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
Sun., 12th Sept. - Pasada del Fraile hike and a short visit to La Orotava
The hike to Pasada del Fraile is another one I found on berge-wandern.de [↗]. It starts at Casa del Caminero, a bus stop at the TF-21. Right behind the building is a huge picnic area called "Area Recreativa Ramon el Caminero". They even have two barbeque areas there, but they are closed at the moment. If this is because of Covid or to prevent wildfire I don't know.
I passed this place a couple of times now and never saw a single car parking here. But today it's Sunday and the local families come together for a picnic. Right after me, 8 more cars are coming. People are opening the trunks and carrying big coolers to the tables. I am the only one who has come here to hike. Only a German couple with mountain bikes are dropped off by their shuttle and bike the way I will walk.
Today's hike is a little lower than the previous ones. At this altitude, the Teide is covered with pine trees. The forest is not very dense and you can see many younger trees between the big ones.
The way is a forest road and easy to walk. Unfortunately, it's open to cars as well and some locals with pick-ups are taking this opportunity today. Often two or three men are sitting inside with a couple of dogs in cages in the cargo area. Do they go hunting? I don't know, at least I don't hear any gunshots.
The trail is a loop trail that goes uphill at first and then steeply down to another forest road that brings you back to the starting point. Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to the information in the description, which says that I have to leave the forest road at a certain point. So I keep walking uphill until I realize that the path no longer matches the map. Well, at least I don't have to go uphill to get back to the place where I have to leave the road. It's right on a curve and I even saw it as I was walking by. At the time, though, I thought it was just another shortcut to the forest road below.
There is the option to continue on to a waterfall, but it's way too dry to give that a try. The way back is not worth mentioning. All in all, a nice hike in a mostly shady forest.
On the way back I thought to make a short detour to Candelaria, but the roads the navigation system is suggesting are all super narrow and super steep. So I change my mind, postpone Candelaria until tomorrow, and make a stop in La Orotava.
La Orotava is a town next to Puerto de la Cruz and I have to pass it every time I'm driving up to the Teide. I find a parking lot near the old town and start walking around a bit. It's kind of nice, but not as beautiful as in the descriptions I've read. Maybe it's just because it's pretty cloudy and everything looks better on a sunny day. But at least during our stay, the clouds are often stuck in this area while in Puerto de la Cruz, but also on the Teide the sun shines.
The church and the botanic gardens are closed this Sunday afternoon, but Victoria Garden (also known as Jardines del Marquesado de la Qinta Roja) is pretty nice.
After wandering the streets for a while, I end the day and drive back to the hotel.
