Today is the highlight of our Tenerife trip as far as I am concerned! A world away from the packed beaches and neon night life.
The journey alone is worth the effort as we climb ever higher into steep, hair raising roads that snake and almost switch back on themselves. Definitely not one for nervous drivers!
We’re heading into the mountains again to visit Masca – originally a Guanche settlement before the Spanish conquest in 1496.
The village is now home to around 90 inhabitants. The village lies at an altitude of 650 m in the Macizo de Teno mountains.
The main centre of the tiny village runs along a ridge underneath an impressive pinnacle with more than a touch of Machu Picchu about it.
In fact you would be forgiven for thinking we’d left Europe and landed in South America!
Masca delights visitors with its beautifully maintained houses and its cobbled streets, offering perfect examples of Tenerife’s rural architecture.
We stop for a drink in what could arguably be the best situated cafe we have ever visited – I mean look at that view!
My face says – I want to go to Peru even more now!
But alas all good things must come to an end so I am reluctantly dragged away. But the surrounding scenery is also incredible.
Below is the dramatic lava rock quarrying of the hill at Portales, on the road to Buenavista del Norte. The hill is now cultivated for crops – even more South American vibes!
And a few more scenes from the road to finish off an amazing day!
