The first area to explore was the Parque Rural de Anaga.  You could spend a whole week exploring this part of the island, but with only 4 full days, we had to settle for just one. 

The drive is about 2 hours from Garachico, but worth every second.  Once you leave the main dual carriage way driving becoming pretty taxing.  Switch back after switch back, hoping that you meet nothing coming the other way (especially a bus or truck).  There are many beautiful viewing points along the way, as long as you are lucky enough to find a place to stop.

The Mirador de Jardina gives a beautiful view back across a wide valley towards El Teide.

Playa del Roque de las Bodegas is a lovely place to stop.  There are lovely views of the coastline, a really nice beach and places to eat.

The beach at Playa de Benijo was pretty empty, with the surfers calling it a day due to the rough seas.  It is a short walk up to the start of the trail.  Do not drive past the beach, as there is no parking at the start of the trail.  We started on the Camino Pista El Draguillo.

The walk is called ‘El Draguillo’. Even though it is under 5 miles long, it is definitely not to be underestimated. The climb is not steep until you hit the 2 mile point. Then it goes straight up. A proper quad burner. You can see the details here.

This part of the island must have so many walks like this and you could probably spend a whole week in this national park and not even begin to know it well. Maybe another visit one day will allow us to see a bit more. For the time being, we will just have to be content with seeing this wonderful rugged part of the coastline.