Tenerife – Garachico
Wednesday, 12-Apr-2023
Tags: Travel
Larry and Eileen took an afternoon to drive and walk around Garachico.
Located on the northwest coast of Tenerife, Garachico offers visitors the opportunity to explore one of the oldest villages in the Canary Islands. Founded at the end of the 15th century by a Genoese banker, it was a key trading port for commercial traffic between Europe and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Destroyed in 1706 by a volcanic eruption, visitors can now walk through Garachico's peaceful squares and along its pedestrian streets near the seafront. The famous natural monument, the rock of Garachico, can be seen just off the coast.
The hour ride to Garachico from Costa Adeje goes from sea level, up switchbacks to 3600 feet, and then down switchbacks to sea level. The last set of switchbacks looked so daunting that we opted to drive east and then west to accomplish the same altitude change more gradually.
Castillo de San Miguel is a squat stone fortress by the sea built in the 16th century, now a two-room museum of the history of Garachico. We climbed the tower for the view.
Hardened lava flow by the sea. The walkways were closed when we were there.
We walked around the streets, stopping at the town square.
We wandered to the Parque de la Puerta de Tierra (Land Gate). This land gate is all that's left of the once-thriving port. The gate once stood right on the water, but thanks to the eruption, it is now in the center of town.
We walked further away from the sea, going higher and higher in elevation, and took this picture of the town and the famous Garachico rock.
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Larry and Eileen Samberg
