Sunrise in the Anaga Mountains and a missed sunset at Playa de Benijo - Tenerife, the diverse island - 7

TravelogueSpain

19 Feb

Sat., 11th Sept. - Sunrise in the Anaga Mountains and a missed sunset at Playa de Benijo

Today I want to go for a sunrise shot. As sunrise here is pretty late (around 7:30 at this time of the year), I don't have to get up very early, but I have to drive to the other side of the island, so I leave the hotel at 6 am.

The plan is to drive to the Anaga Mountains, take advantage of the viewing platform at Cruz del Carmen and, if I'm there anyway, take a quick look at the forest. Unfortunately, the vista at Cruz del Carmen is not what I thought it would be. There is a nice view of Santa Cruz, but the city with all its yellowish lights is not a nice foreground for a sunrise. So I get back in my car and try to find another vantage point that offers a view further north. After driving along the mountain road for a while, I come to a small restaurant where I can park the car and which offers a nice view from the roadside down to the sea.

I won't get a beautiful sunrise, but I have found something even more promising: The sea and the coastline are covered with low-hanging fog, while some mountain peaks shine through like small islands. As I wait and take photos, it gets a little brighter and the fog retreats to the sea. A single cloud catches a bit of pink color, but it's not worth a picture.

Since I'm already here and still have some time, I drive back to Cruz del Carmen. It's 7:45 and the parking lot is already more than half full. Most people are here to jog down the trail. I do just the opposite: With tripod and camera, I walk a few meters, take photos and pick the next spot nearby. The sun starts to shine through the trees, but it's not too bright yet. I stay only half an hour because I announced to be back at the hotel before 9:30, so Freya and I can go for breakfast together.

When I leave at 8:15, the parking lot is completely full, and more and more cars arrive. So if we want to come here again, we have to skip breakfast and be here no later than 8:00.

We stay at the hotel over lunch and later drive down to Puerto de la Cruz for a walk and an early dinner. We leave the car at the large Explanada del Muelle parking lot right by the sea and walk along the coast to Lago Martiánez. This is a huge artificial pool complex built in the 70s by Canarian artist César Manrique. It looks kind of nice and if you are here with kids, this might be something for you. But for us, this is nothing that we need.

For the evening, I was planning a sunset shooting at the most recommended beach, Playa de Benijo. At first, we thought that Freya can join me, but then I read that you have to climb quite some stairs to get there. So I bring her back to the hotel and start the drive. It's quite a long way as the recommended one is via Santa Cruz, which means going from one side of the island to the other and back again.

To make a long story short, it wasn't worth the drive. Driving down the steep road to the coast, you can already see that there is a small area between the coastline and the mountains. In most places, it's just enough for the beach, a road, and parking slots alongside. Today, even an hour before sunset, it's totally crowded. Masses of people walking around and still more cars arrive as now also the surfers are looking for a place to park their cars. I drive up to the village of Benijo, but there I see only private parking.

The beach looks ok and the rocks in the sea are kind of nice, but they are not even in the direction of the sunset.

This place might be ok if you come when the weather is too bad for swimming and you have to share the beach with some hardcore surfers only, but on a regular day in summer, this place is significantly overrated.

So, what do I do now? I don't want to go back the same way and decide to take the shorter but more time-consuming route through the Anaga Mountains.

I really love this forest. You could stop every 5 meters and find something new. I take two of the very few parking opportunities to take some pictures and then drive slowly back to the hotel.