The beautiful but unlucky town of Garachico is next on our Tenerife hitlist.
Once the most important trading point on the island it was a wealthy, bustling hotspot. Its houses home to wealthy merchants, clergymen, landowners and artists.
During the 16th century the town was hit with a series of misfortunes including plague and fires.
But it was in 1706 that the worst event befell the town when Montaña Negra erupted, spitting out rivers of lava that swept through the town to destroy the source of its wealth – the harbour.
That disaster ended Garachico’s run as the most important port on Tenerife and lead to ships docking elsewhere on the island.
The town is now famous for its pretty sea pools at El Caleton – formed in part from the molten lava that destroyed it in the first place.
The statue below commemorates the many people who emigrated from the area – known as the Monument to the Emigrant. It shows a man leaving his home with a hole in his heart for all he is leaving behind.
The peaceful town square is a perfect place to grab a bite to eat and enjoy the sleepy pace of life.
Naturally the hubby wants to take the plunge in one of the seapools – but due to rough seas most of the pools were closed. But not to be defeated he managed to find one that was open for business!
The pools are fed by the sea and so periodically a wave would crash over into the placid pools – much to the delight of the bathers.
