Route: Fleytas
Area: Western Tenerife
Date of walk: 5th February 2018
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.2 miles
Ascent: 1,000 feet
Weather: Mixture of sun, cloud, mist and rain
We’d planned a walk in the Orotava Valley for the first day of our holiday in Tenerife as this was close to our base, but low cloud was shrouding the area so we decided to stay a little nearer the coast where the skies were clearer. We headed to the west of the island and parked in one of several spaces near the Restaurant Fleytas. Our plan to avoid the mist wasn’t a success at first as we crossed the road to join a dirt track heading gently downhill
We were in a large bowl, surrounded by mountains, with several birds of prey working their way around the valley. We walked towards the hillside on the other side of the bowl and started the ascent, which was easy going. The clouds came and went and there were some glimpses of snow covered Mount Teide in the distance – a dramatic sight
After a while we entered an ancient laurel-filled rainforest and as we did so walked up into the clouds, at nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. Fine rain and mist gave this section of the walk a special atmosphere as we followed a narrow path in eerie silence through the forest
Eventually we arrived at the edge of the forest at and joined a quiet tarmac road. As we descended we emerged beneath the clouds with ever improving views of the surrounding countryside. We left the road to descend further along dirt tracks before ascending again back to the start
It was good start to our walking holiday and we look forward to tomorrow
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
We arrive in Tenerife late in the afternoon - this is the view of Puerto de la Cruz from our room in the excellent Hotel Tigaiga
We can also see Mount Teide, at 12,000 feet the highest mountain in Spain. It would turn out to be a rare glimpse thanks to persistent low cloud, and access would be closed on account of snow
Next day, our first walk on Tenerife. Low cloud caused us to change our planned walk and we headed west in search of clearer skies. This is looking back to Puerto de la Cruz en route to the west of the island
The start of the walk as we park our rented car near the Restaurant Fleytas
After crossing the road we drop down into a quiet valley
We pass by an oddly shaped earth peak...
We climb up a path lined with tree heather
Looking back over the valley we'd crossed earlier
We continue to climb towards the ridge
We arrive on the ridge - Mount Teide is normally well seen from here but today its head is in the clouds
We head along the ridge towards the low cloud and woodland
We enter an ancient laurel forest
The silence is eerie...
...and there's a mystical atmosphere about this place
We emerge onto a tarmac lane
We're in the clouds but they are low, and the mist gradually clears as we descend
We pass by a recent rock fall
Looking across the pine forest
We continue down the delightful lane
Looking across the valley to the start of our walk
We follow a dirt path back down into the valley...
We follow an elevated ridge towards the curious earth formation we'd passed at the start of the walk
Looking back along the ridge
A final view back to the forest we'd walked through earlier, and the end of our first walk on Tenerife - not the one we'd planned but a most enjoyable one all the same
We drove back to Puerto de la Cruz for a short stroll along the beach
Hundreds of small cairns by the sea
We pause to watch the waves crash onto the shore
A spectacular end to the day
