Vilaflor
Vilaflor is a town on the flanks of El Teide on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. It lies off the beaten track and has therefore largely retained its originality. At a distance of 25 km from the El Teide cable car, Vilaflor is a popular place to spend the night for those seeking to climb the volcano.
Understand
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Vilaflor is the highest town of Tenerife, at an altitude of 1400 m above sea level, and straddles the flanks of the El Teide volcano. The town has ca. 1800 inhabitants. An important sector of its economy is mineral water, which is bottled by the Fuente Alta company.
History
[edit]Vilaflor de Chasna was founded in the 16th century.
Orientation
[edit]Vilaflor is 7 km north of San Miguel de Abona, and 51 km southwest of Tenerife's capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Climate
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Vilaflor enjoys a dry summer climate, typical for the Mediterranean Sea. Its summers are warm and dry, and its winters cooler and rainy. The best months to visit Vilaflor are May - September.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]Vilaflor is about 25 km from Tenerife South Airport.
By car
[edit]You can reach Vilaflor from Arona on the TF-51, from San Miguel de Abona on the TF-563 and from Granadilla de Abona on the TF-21. All three roads also have access to the TF-1 motorway. From Vilaflor the TF-21 continues to the Teide National Park.
By bus
[edit]Vilaflor is served by buses from:
- Los Cristianos – Línea 482[dead link]
- Costa Adeje – Línea 342[dead link]. Only once a day in the morning and back in the afternoon, connecting to Teide crater.
- Granadilla de Abona – Línea 419[dead link], not direct but via San Miguel de Abona.
Get around
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The old town centre of Vilaflor is manageably small, but the streets are relatively narrow and sometimes steep.
See
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- 1 Sanctuary of Santo Hermano Pedro (Santuario del Santo Hermano Pedro), Plaza de San Pedro. A pilgrimage temple dedicated to Saint Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, the first saint of the Canary Islands, who was born in Vilaflor. The pilgrimage was built on the site where the house where he was born once stood. Construction started in 1776 but was suspended because of political and religious reforms, and work only resumed in 1991. The Sanctuary was completed in 2002. Some of the relics inside are the skeleton of Pedro Betancur, and the bell he used to summon worshippers to the services.
- 2 Pino Gordo, TF21. 24/7. A massive pine tree with a 8 m diameter trunk and height of 60 m. Free.
- 3 Church of San Pedro (Iglesia de San Pedro). Catholic church.
- 4 Fuente Alta, Avenida de la Paz. Mineral springs at 1400 m above sea level, in a protected nature area. It is bottled and sold by the Duentealta water company.
Do
[edit]- 1 Fruit Valley. During the right time of the year this river gorge, about 5 km walk from Vilaflor, is filled with numerous ripe fig, pear and apple trees.
- Siete Cañadas. Vilaflor is a popular starting point for hikes, including this one near or on the crater rim south of Teide.
Paisaje Lunar
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- 2 Paisaje Lunar. Also known as the lunar landscape.
The hike leads through the Corona Forestal nature park and is marked as PR-F 72 with yellow and white marking. The route is part of the Camino de Chasna, as Vilaflor was called during the Guanches.
The easy way from Vilaflor is a good 6 km with an altitude difference of approx. 450 m. The hike is rated as easy. The starting point is the small village church. You walk downhill from here to the eastern edge of the village and descend into a small gorge at the last house. You get to the ascent via a small stream and past some dry field terraces and water containers. The path is - if you find a marking - marked with 3 stripes in the colors red, yellow and white, it is pleasantly wide, but quite rocky. It leads continuously upwards to an altitude of approx. 1700 m, on its side there is a water pipe. At the top you pass an agricultural property. A few hundred metres further, the path takes a short turn into a small gorge.
Further up you come to a signpost, it shows that you have just covered 2.7 km. The other two arrows show two directions to the lunar landscape, it is a ring road totalling 7 km in length, so it is a good 3 km to the destination. The left path (3.3 km) leads leisurely uphill, whereby a forest path has to be crossed several times. You should pay attention to the markings: red-white-yellow in straight lines is correct, crossed lines indicate that the direction is wrong. At the highest point is the stone in the picture opposite: the red path continues uphill in the direction of Cañadas, the yellow path branches off to the right just a few meters beforehand into the Paisaje Lunar. Now it goes a few 100 m along the slope, suddenly the gorge opens and you stand in astonishment in front of the strange rock formation of the lunar landscape, which was once also called Los Escurriales. There are two viewpoints with informative panels and benches, and you deserve to enjoy this view for a few minutes. If the view is overcast, which can happen at this altitude, you wait a few minutes, usually the clouds then tear open and the view is free at least for a short time.
The Paisaje Lunar are formations of tuff, created by countless layers of volcanic ash of different colours, compressed and exposed by erosion. Wherever there was a stone in the way of the rain in the upper layer, pillars formed, their flanks were abraded by wind and weather and show colored bands comparable to annual rings. These sensitive structures should be preserved for as long as possible for future generations, so the descent into the gorge into this lunar landscape has been forbidden for several years.
There is therefore only the way back, or you can continue the way, in this direction it is approx. A few times you can see the Teide cone behind you when the view is clear, and often you can also see the places below by the sea. Mountain bike routes as well as forest paths cross the path repeatedly, and on the way you pass long abandoned and dilapidated houses. Then it goes downhill again the last 3 km back to the village.
Buy
[edit]There are several shops in the village that sell embroidery and other handicrafts made in Vilaflor.
Eat
[edit]Vilaflor is a popular weekend destination for the locals to go out to eat with family and friends. In the old town centre around the plaza there are some good, small restaurants with typical, hearty Canarian cuisine. For example "pickled rabbit", stews or baked cheese. That's why it's not easy to get a seat on Saturday or Sunday. On the upper and lower outskirts there are larger restaurants with viewing terraces, which are also used by tour groups.
- 1 El Rincon de Roberto, Avenida Hermano Pedro 27, ☏ +34 9227090 35. Closed M Tu. From the outside inconspicuous, small restaurant with a beautiful, old and cozy dining room with fireplace and excellent Canarian cuisine, casual service. There is also an extra room on the first floor for groups.
- 2 La Vendimia, Camino San Roque S / N, ☏ +34 922709930. The chef of the restaurant of the Hotel VillAlba offers upscale cuisine with a mix of Canarian cuisine and international influences. A reservation is recommended for evenings, open daily, for lunch from 14:00-16:00.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Bodega Reveron, Camino Quemados 8, ☏ +34 922 72 50 44, bodega@bodegareveron.com. M-Sa 10:00-14:00, 15:00-18:00. Winery specialized in white and red wines, to taste or to buy.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel Rural Vilaflor, Calle Dolores, 20, Vilaflor, ☏ +34 600 35 04 90. Decent hotel in a 150-year-old house. Breakfast is available on request €7 per person. Complimentary coffee, tea and access to the kitchen. Double room with shared bathroom €40.
- 2 El sombrieto, Calle Sta. Catalina, 15, Vilaflor, ☏ +34 922 70 90 52. It has a restaurant. €50.
- 3 Hotel Alta Montana, Camino Morro del Cano, 1, Vilaflor, ☏ +34 922 70 99 95. Single €50, double €70.
- 4 Hotel Spa Villalba, Camino San Roque S/N. This 4-star hotel has 23 rooms. Its architecture is in traditional Canarian style. The spa has a swimming pool with indoor and outdoor facilities, Jacuzzi, sauna, solarium and massage.
Camping
[edit]The closest free official camp grounds are (only the first can be reached by car):
- 5 Zona de acampada Las Lajas (Las Lajas camping site) (uphill the TF-21).
- 6 Zona de Acampada de Fuente del Llano (A 2–3-hr hike northeast along a MTB route on the side of the volcano, with a potential stop at Paisaje Lunar.), ☏ +34 922239199.
- 7 Zona de Acampada de El Contador (In around the same area as Fuente del Llano.), ☏ +34 922239199.
Connect
[edit]- 1 Consultorio Vilaflor, Avenida Hermano Pedro 24. M-F 08:00-15:00. The local health centre.
Go next
[edit]- Granadilla de Abona – A former Guanche kingdom and home to the best restaurant of Tenerife
- Teide National Park – A
UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounding El Teide
