Friday 3 February 2023
For our final day hike we picked the furthest east you can go in Tenerife, and tackled a walk from Chamorga down a steep barranco to the tiny hamlet of Roque Bermejo which is only accessible by sea (or by walking down this barranco!). Then of course we had to climb back up 600m to the hilly viewpoint above Chamorga, a feat we actually managed in 45 minutes. Surprising and pleasing! I must be over the cold.
Anyway, the whole hike was splendid and carried us through a whole host of settings and moods, mostly beneath the sun. The barranco was a descent through glorious vegetation with a stream gurgling over rocks below us. Dragon trees, cacti, little crop terraces, aeoniums, and all sorts. At the bottom is the quirky scattering of cottages called Roque Bermejo, with a tiny harbour and a black sand beach. We took the trouble to paddle a while – otherwise we would have come to Tenerife for a week and never been near the sea! I got the impression that the hamlet is no longer lived in by ancient Tenerifians, but by a variety of folks who want an alternative lifestyle away from the madding crowd.
So then we clambered up bleak rusty volcanic rubble to the sturdy gothic-looking Anaga lighthouse above the hamlet. From there, the rest of the 600m climb was across flower-carpeted grass and thicket slopes and through volcanic crags to the ruined farmhouse where we picnicked. From here we extended the hike in the book by heading further up into forests of laurel, heath and pine. Clambering up to our right, we discovered that our innocuous forest footpath was actually running along about three yards from a plunging vertical 100m inland cliff! Of course, this also meant some more amazing views back along the north Anaga coast towards our seafood restaurant from two days ago. Finally, our path twisted its way down a damp little valley full of lush woodland vegetation and flowers, back into Chamorga.
Best hike of the holiday? Almost. ‘Fraid the view from Roque de Taborno just can’t be beaten.
Back in La Laguna we picked a different restaurant, La Jinete sin Cabeza (the headless horseman) and enjoyed another bottle of some great local wine, along with delicious snails in sauce, splendid goat lasagna and a rather beautiful sirloin steak in a tangy local cheese sauce.
Related Images: