21-12-19

After a good night (once I had turned off the heating/airconditioning completely around midnight, because it just would not regulate down and kept baking the room to 30 degrees), and a big breakfast (to get my money’s worth 😉 , I first had another stroll around the area before checking out.

Just a couple of 100m away, basically on the other side of the parking lot, there is the Mirador de la Ruleta with gorgeous views.

Also just there are the spectacular Roques de García – amazing in the morning light (and not too many tourists yet).

According to the sign this ‘guy’ (and several similar rocks around there), where once the centre of a volcanic conduit. When the magma there cooled down slowly, it formed a special type of very resistant rock. Now everything else of the volcano is eroded, just the solidified central conduit remains.

Then I got my backpack from the hotel and started today’s hike. First it was to backtrack about 3km.

And then it’s uphill, again looking over where I hiked along yesterday; and some last views of El Teide.

Quite quickly I reach Degollada de Guajara and then with 2380m asl the highest point on the GR131 route on Tenerife.

Once over the pass, great views open up towards the south and the coast there.

And that’s when the path gets really exciting!

And then, a bit further down… does not disappoint!

With the differently coloured gravel and sand, and the clusters of bushes, it almost looks like a carefully designed japanese rock garden.

Then I’m starting to get back into pine forest, which gradually gets denser and taller the lower I get.

I take a second lunch break by a dry stream, that would have been just sooo lovely to bathe in, had there been water! With a smoothened out bed, and waterfall with a ‘basin’ below… but impossible to take a picture of that covers it ;(

But the path doesn’t get boring then…

Fun fact – whenever the small, hikers-only paths cross a larger gravel road, there very often is a zigg-zagg of low stone walls to keep cyclists and horses (and cars) off.

But finally – all too soon (if you ask anyone but my knees and ankles), I can see Vilaflor de Chasna through the trees.

It’s situated lovely on the hillside, with steep narrow streets; and the high mountains as backdrop.

And, probably since it’s the fourth Sunday in advent, I get to see what I can only assume is the city’s marching band playing ‘Feliz Navidad’ while marching through the whole hamlet.

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