TOUR 3:
Puerto de Santiago – Los Gigantes – Santiago del Teide - Masca – Garachico – Icod de los Vinos – Erjos – Guia de Isora

Take the road along the west coast to Playa San Juan and stop for a cup of coffee in Alcala. This village is famous for its yearly fireworks on the 15th of August. Part of this unique spectacle are the huge quantity of boats along the coast and harbour of Alcala. Continue the road to Puerto de Santiago and find in Playa Arena a nice black volcanic beach to relax.

A must to be seen are the famous cliffs of Los Gigantes. The scenery of the cliffs have appeared in several movies . From Los Gigantes follow the mountain road passing Tamaimo . You can stop over here to try the almond and honey pastries. After this delicious experience drive to Santiago del Teide, a village easily recognized because of its wide entrance, the whitewashed houses and the white church. Most of the days the church is open and can be visited. On the left side you see a small road leading to Masca. The steep road winds up to the pass and from here you enjoy the fantastic panoramic views of Masca and Mount Teide.

The very narrow steep road down to Masca is breathtaking. The views of the Teno mountain range and the island La Gomera are changing constantly. The typical hamlet of Masca invites you to stay for a rest in this remarkable village. Masca has also a walking path that brings you down to the beach. It is a three hour walk and most of the tourists want to be picked up by boat. Gooozy Travel isselling the tickets for this unforgettable excursion. Masca has several restaurants but check the opening times because they are not always open everyday. Then you follow the road to El Palmar and Carizal Alto bringing you to the north of the island. In Buenavista, a more than average village at the northcoast, take the turn to Garachico. This old town was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1706 but afterwards reconstructed in the Spanish colonial style. Maintaining over 2 centuries the most important port of the island. Today, the town is entirely local and worth a visit. Have a swim in one of the natural pool areas and enjoy the excellent sea food in one of the restaurants at the coastline. Garachico recently constructed a new harbour.

From Garachico you drive to Icod de los Vinos to visit the 1000 year old dragon tree, called the Drago Milenario. These species does only exist on the Canary Islands, the Azores Islands and the island of Madeira and are a reminder of the Ice Ages which didn´t affect these islands. Furthermore the town Icod is one of the oldest villages on the Canary Islands. It has been built during the sixteenth century and is surrounded by banana plantations and vineyards. Try a glass of local Rosé wine.

From Icod de los Vinos take the road back to the pass of Erjos. From here you have the choice to return to Playa de las Américas either along the coast or by taking the mountain road to Guia de Isora.