Anaga Rural Park
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of ancient laurel forest in the island's northeastern tip — Tenerife's wildest, least-visited corner.
Anaga is a mountain range at the northeastern tip of Tenerife, covered in laurisilva — a type of subtropical laurel forest that once covered much of southern Europe and now survives in only a few places, the Canary Islands among them. Mist rolls through the ridgelines for much of the year, giving it a completely different feel from the sun-baked south coast just 40 minutes away.
A network of hiking trails connects small, isolated hamlets — some still reachable only on foot — with dramatic coastal viewpoints and beaches like Benijo and Antéquera. It's the part of the island most easily missed by resort-based visitors, and the part most repeat visitors say they wish they'd seen sooner.
- ✓Roads through Anaga are narrow and winding — allow more driving time than the distance suggests.
- ✓Weather changes fast; mist and light rain are common even when the coast is sunny.
- ✓Casa Forestal and Cruz del Carmen are common trailhead starting points with parking.
- ✓Pack layers — it's noticeably cooler and damper here than the southern resorts.