A Hike Through the Wild Heart of Los Silos, Tenerife

The crisp air smell of damp earth and salt from the nearby Atlantic, a reminder of how the mountains and ocean coexist in Tenerife’s wild landscape. A hidden gem winding through laurel forests, rocky ridges, and mist-covered valleys.

As you stepp onto the path, the world around you transform. Towering laurels and ancient heather trees stretch their gnarled branches overhead, forming a tunnel of green. Moss clung to their trunks like a second skin, and delicate ferns unfurled from the undergrowth. Vibrant flowers, some unique to the Canary Islands, peeked through the foliage—violet-blue Echium virescens, the spiky pride of Tenerife, and clusters of Aeonium, their succulent rosettes catching droplets of mist from the passing clouds.

Higher up, the terrain shift. The dense forest open into a dramatic ridge, revealing a breathtaking panorama. To the north, the deep blue of the Atlantic stretched to the horizon, where whitecaps dance under the morning sun. Below, the terracotta rooftops of Los Silos nestled among banana plantations and dragon trees, their prehistoric silhouettes standing against the landscape.

Tenerife’s high-altitude flora—low shrubs, hardy broom, and bright yellow Retama flowers clinging to the rocky slopes. The path narrow along a ridgeline, offering a dizzying view down into the deep Barranco de los Cochinos, a steep gorge carved by centuries of rain and wind.

As you reach the highest point of the trail, the towering peak of Teide loom in the distance, its summit dusted with a thin veil of clouds. Even from here, its presence is undeniable—a silent guardian watching over the island.