Anaga Rural Park (Tenerife) Routes

The whole of Anaga Rural Park on the island of Tenerife is a magical relic forest! What matters here is the journey, not the destination. So all the routes and viewpoints in the park are just rough waymarks that make it easier and more logical to get around on foot or by car.

Please note! Anaga Park is not worth visiting when the temperature hits 30 degrees or more. The trails get closed in such weather, and there are patrols in places.

The map below shows a one-day route, and its text description follows. The route covers all parts of Anaga Park, including the enchanted forest, the sea panorama and the black beaches. The whole route takes at least 6 hours, not counting a lunch break.

Anaga Rural Park driving route ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a ride from viewpoint to viewpoint

In one day you can drive around every corner of the park and see all the main locations accessible by car. The main locations with coordinates:

• Mirador De Jardina ⭐⭐(28.524093, -16.288016) - a viewpoint on the way into Anaga Park. Pretty, but nothing more :)
• Mirador del Llano de los Loros ⭐⭐(from this location, 28.526562, -16.281947, it is about a 100 m walk to the viewpoint, but you can also reach it from the next location, the "Sendero de los Sentidos" trail). The view itself is nothing special :)
• Mirador Cruz del Carmen ⭐(parking spot 28.530860, -16.279930). Several hiking routes start from here, and there is a viewpoint right by the car park, which is nothing special in itself :)

1. "Sendero de los Sentidos" trail ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a loop trail between the Mirador Cruz del Carmen and Mirador del Llano de los Loros viewpoints. The map of the Trail of the Senses is below - the orange line is the 1.2 km loop. The trail is very easy and perfect for a 40-50 minute walk. Sendero de los Sentidos  No. 1 is a section of trails No. 2 and 3, but it is suitable even for mums with strollers and for wheelchair users. Sendero de los Sentidos  No. 2 and 3 are the same route, No. 3 is just the longer trail.

2. "Sendero Bosque de los Enigmas" trail - another hiking trail between the viewpoints Mirador Cruz del Carmen - Mirador Batán, but this one is 5 km long. It is a loop trail.

• Camino viejo al pico del inglès ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- this is a green tunnel at coordinates 28.534970, -16.268469. Parking here is haphazard, along the road. From here we follow the red arrows to the Mirador Pico del Inglés ⭐⭐⭐⭐viewpoint (28.533156, -16.264095). From there we return to the car park along the blue arrows. This makes a 40-minute loop trail.

After the tunnel, the red arrows lead along a paved road. Don't forget to turn right into the forest when you see the forest steps, otherwise you can walk a long way along the road away from both the car park and the viewpoint :) The steps are the very first turn to the right, so you can't go wrong. You can drive almost right up to the Mirador Pico del Inglés viewpoint itself, but there are only 2-3 parking spaces there. So you will most likely park near the tunnel, and to avoid walking both ways along the same road, we turn into the magical forest :)

• Mirador Aguaide in the village of Chinamada ⭐⭐⭐- a viewpoint and a short hiking trail of 30-50 minutes. On the way you pass the Mirador hacia el Roque de los Pinos viewpoint. You can return along the blue arrows, or make a loop and come back along the red ones. We didn't take the red ones; the blue one is an easy path, but the views have no WOW effect :) So it is a half-hour walk there and back from the car park, marked on the map. Parking is free, with room for about 10 cars, but it isn't a very popular spot.

• Mirador Fuente del Lomo and Mirador Roque De Taborno ⭐⭐ - viewpoints in the village of Taborno. They are linked by a trail 2 km long one way. There is no point going specially, but if you have spare time you can take a stroll. You can park near the restaurant Restaurante Historias Para No Dormir. Admittedly, the parking here is "squeezed against a fence" and fits a couple of cars. The trail goes up and down along a narrow path. It is perfectly passable, but not very comfortable. Still, I enjoyed sitting and admiring the views of the rocks and mountains along this path.
  By the way, the restaurant itself stands out for its high ratings thanks to its French chef. It isn't worth driving out just for the restaurant, but if you are heading to Taborno, be sure to reserve a table in advance by phone on 922690227. The restaurant opens at 9, so you can call and book, but the kitchen only opens at 13:00. The restaurant closes at 17:00. They serve haute French cuisine, though not at Michelin level :) You can also try the desserts. The menu is handwritten in Spanish and the waiters hardly speak English, so be patient :)

Anaga Park is best seen on the move - on foot and by car. There is no one particular place you have to get to. Just driving along the forest roads, we watched the fog slide down from the mountains onto the road and the forest... it is magical!

Viewpoint hacia Taganana (28.547482, -16.211538) ⭐⭐⭐- a viewpoint over the village of Taganana, from where you can drive on to see three of Tenerife's black beaches. Playa de Benijo is the third and last one, after which you have to turn back.  There is no real need for this route, but it makes a nice drive. The Viewpoint hacia Taganana is on a rise, so you arrive at the coordinates and climb the path a little way up.

Mirador de la Playa de las Teresitas (28.512160, -16.179108) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a viewpoint over a picturesque beach. The beach has nothing to do with Anaga Park, but it makes sense to visit it on the way back from a drive through the Anaga forests.

Hiking routes in Anaga Park

Please note!!! Not all hiking routes are open without a special permit. There are sections of forest that you need permission to enter.

• "Sendero de los Sentidos" trail ("Sendero de los Sentidos") ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - the route where everyone starts getting to know the magical forest.

The route is described above: it is only 1.2 km long and can easily be combined with the driving route through Anaga Park.

• The enchanted forest "Bosque Encantado (La Ensillada) - El Pijaral" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - the very relic forest that looks like a fairy tale from childhood :)

This is the route that requires a walking permit, and getting one is a real quest. 45 free slots (one slot allows a group of 5 people through) open every day at 7 a.m. (Tenerife time). The catch is that the slots are for a day two weeks ahead! The second catch is that to book a slot in time you need a good internet connection and have to know your passport details by heart :) Most often you won't manage to complete the booking on the first try. The booking is completely free. It is done on the official Anaga Park website https://centralreservas.tenerife.es. When booking, choose "El Pijaral - Solicitud senderos El Pijaral" from the drop-down list. A group pass is issued against one person's passport details, and you just state how many people will walk the trail with you.

The trail is 7 km long. A detailed description of the El Bosque Encantado / El Pijaral route is available on the site  wikiloc.com. The trail starts at the coordinates 28° 33' 22.53" N, 16° 10' 47.40" W. There is a free car park here too, for about 10 cars, and there is room for everyone :) The first 1 km is an out-and-back path, followed by a 6 km loop. The Mirador Cabezo del Tejo viewpoint is roughly halfway. It is impossible to get lost. There are no signposts, but there are no forks on the way either.

This trail shows the "typical" unusual views of the Anaga forest! You absolutely have to get here. The trail is fairly easy, although there are changes in elevation and you have to go up and down :) To be honest, the trail is a bit dull :) The views are monotonous and quickly get boring... What makes the forest unusual is that it is "sterile"! There is no wildlife here, not even a single mosquito or fly. We completed the route in 2 hours 40 minutes and met only 2 snails, a couple of lizards, two butterflies and a few birds... In this forest you feel that you can hear your own breathing or... the breathing of the forest itself! Fog flows all through the forest, and it feels as though the forest is a single organism breathing with this fog!! It is that rare case when a forest doesn't feel like a home for many animals but rather like a living being itself... That is the magic of the Enchanted Forest for you :) Do you believe in fairy tales?!

You could call the forest "50 shades of green" :) You want to take photos and shoot video all the time... Your imagination recalls every fairy tale about forest creatures, trolls, gnomes, fairies and so on.

Be sure to take water and raincoats (for the fog) into the forest. You need comfortable, and definitely waterproof, footwear. It is also better to dress warmer :) When it is 31 degrees in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it is 19 degrees in the Anaga forest!

Below is a photo of a "marvellous" sign warning of a fine for walking the trail without a permit. There are 3 such signs along the way, but there are no inspectors anywhere near.

• "Sendero Bosque de los Enigmas" trail ⭐⭐⭐ - between the viewpoints Mirador Cruz del Carmen - Mirador Batán / Zapata.

The trail route is shown on the Anaga Park website https://www.tenerifeon.es/itinerarios/sendero/pran-2-bosque-de-los-enigmas. It is a 5 km loop. The route doesn't require booking a permit to enter the park. It is basically a walk through an ordinary forest. I liked the short trails Sendero de los Sentidos and Camino viejo al pico del inglès much more. Mirador Batán / Zapata is an ordinary viewpoint reachable from the road. The view is ordinary too - mountains, sea and the Teide volcano :) You could play "spot the 10 differences" between all the viewpoints on Tenerife...

Tenerife's relic forest is beautiful, but there is no point in visiting more than 2-3 trails. Everything starts to repeat itself, the views and the atmosphere :) But it is definitely worth a visit. The best trail is Bosque Encantado (La Ensillada) - El Pijaral, but you can also do the Trail of Awakened Senses and the short Camino viejo al pico del inglès path to the Mirador Pico del Inglés viewpoint. The rest you can safely skip :)