TOP 5 mysterious places in Tenerife
In the next article of TOP 5 section I have selected the best mysterious places, in addition with an interesting history, that you may not have even known were located on the island of Tenerife. Take a look at the map, where I marked the exact locations and paths for orientation and you can hit the road right away!
SANATORIUM ABADES
"Ghost town in Tenerife"
In the past, leprosy was considered the main disease in Tenerife. At first, they struggled with the disease in the north, and later a sanatorium began to be built on the southeast coast of Tenerife, just near Abades.
It was never completed, as advances in medicine came at the same time and the number of patients began to decline. Later, the area served to the army for some time, but so far the whole place is abandoned, painted with graffiti and buildings are slowly turning into ruins.
The nearest road to the mysterious sanatorium leads to the left before the entrance to the village of Abades, around the gorge, separating the two places. The road is arid and at first you encounter a massive church with a cross above the main entrance. You can continue past other buildings that were supposed to serve as a hospital, crematorium or administrative center and the rest are many bungalows built next to each other
The abandoned sanatorium at Abades can be reached from the other side, if you like longer walks and discovering new places.
More in the article: EL PORIS → ABADES.
CASA DE LA GORDEJUELA
"The first steam engine in Tenerife"
La Gordejuela, also called Casa Hamilton is an industrial building, built very close to the coast, above which rises a rock. It is located in the north of the island in the area of Los Realejos and near the town of Puerto de La Cruz. You can reach this ruin from the nearby village of El Tostal or walk from San Pedro Viewpoint through the Rambla de Castro protected area, a truly beautiful walk full of views and palm trees. More in the article: RAMBLA DE CASTRO
This building served as a water lift, pumping water from below, which was led up to irrigate banana plantations in the Orotava Valley. Among other things, the first steam engine in Tenerife was situated in this building.
Now it is a ruin without doors, windows, roof and a long, stone staircase leads to it, but it is separated at the top by a gate with warning signs of no entry. Despite this, someone always finds their way there, but due to the condition of the building, it is not completely safe. Even so, only a view at this ruin is stunning.
LAS VENTANAS DE GÜIMAR
"A hike through tunnels with" windows "at incredible heights."
→ How to get there?
Take the Güimar motorway and continue inland. You have to go up the rock to the left of Güimar, and when you come across Mirador El Luchador, where there is a massive statue of a "warrior", you have to turn sharply right before the bend on the narrow road leading in the middle of the bend opposite the lookout. This road leads steeply upwards and gradually turns into a dirt road. After a while, u will see the paragliding platform, continue around and park along the path as high as possible. Be careful, because the road is getting worse and worse and then it can only manage an off-road vehicle.
The hike leads steeply upwards, it was more demanding and longer than I expected. When you finally head upstairs to the forest, look for the path on the right with a yellow warning sign. Behind it, the journey begins, which is at its own risk and it is definitely not an official trail! If you decide to start, the path through the bushes will lead you to a ground concrete channel that leads to Las Ventanas de Güimar (Ventanas = "windows").
When I was there, the weather was quite gloomy and after a while on the canal leading to the edge of the rocks, we were surrounded by thick fog. It was not visible to the surroundings and the only thing I knew was that we were at altitude more than 1000 m above sea level and a bad step could mean a fall. Suddenly, a yellow excavator attached to a rock emerges in front of us, and next to it was the first dark tunnel through which we had to go on with the flashlight on. Nearby we entered another tunnel, where we finally came across some light and the expected "windows", which are actually holes in the rock tunnel. They offer beautiful views of the surroundings and down into the Güimar Valley, along with views of the wide, blue ocean.
Las Ventanas de Güimar is one of the most unique places in Tenerife and I must say that I have never experienced a crazier hike full of adventure and adrenaline!
EL SEMÁFORO
"Watchtower situated in the middle of nowhere."
EL Semáforo is located on the northeastern tip of Tenerife, above the village of Igueste. It is located at an altitude of more than 200 m above sea level and belongs to a mountainous forested area called Anaga. To get to it, you must first conquer a steep stony path that leads up from Igueste to the rock where the building is located. The path starts behind the church of Igueste and you will be guided in the right direction by an arrow with markings on the signpost, which is located at the foot of the mountain.
This building used to serve as a watchtower to observe, in particular, shipping, to monitor weather conditions and to prevent all sorts of incidents that are observable from the top. Its advantageous position made it possible to observe ships coming from Europe from a great distance, and from the tower it can be seen for miles along the coast to the capital Santa Cruz.
Today, the building is abandoned and is slowly collapsing. It is fenced with concrete windows, ceiling support, painted graffiti and in front of it rises a column with a ladder. On the other side of the entrance gate is a hole in the fence, behind which you can find a path along the rock with a breathtaking view of the uninhabited coast of Tenerife.
More in the article: IGUESTE → EL SEMÁFORO
LOS ROQUES DE FASNIA
"An abandoned part of the village with houses built right in the rock."
Los Roques is located on the east coast of the island, when you take the motorway exit for Fasnia. At first glance, you will be attracted by a gas station built in an unusual style. You can find Los Roques right behind it on the way down to the ocean.
The village of Los Roques also has a nice black sand beach. You find the mysterious place to the right of this beach, where you can already see a rock by the shore rising from the ocean. Right in front of it is a blue residential building with a collapsed swimming pool and a dark tunnel behind it. As you walk through it, you will find an abandoned square with a chapel and houses set right in the rock. The wall separating the second part of the village can be surpassed from the side and you can walk through the remaining part, which is mainly inhabited.
I read in the news that Los Roques is still waiting to be rebuilt after one of the natural disasters that has happened here in history. Thats the reason why all these houses in the rock are abandoned because its not completely save to live there. It could be a beautiful place with a promenade along two beaches separated by a rock, where you could walk through the village without a barricade. Well, until then, we can at least enjoy this deserted square by the coast and enjoy the mysterious atmosphere that this place brings.
More in the article: FASNIA - LOS ROQUES
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