Lighthouses in Tenerife provide light and guide ships to navigate around the island by the beam of light that offers safety.
All along the coasts there are beacons to warn and inform shipmates. On the island of Tenerife, they are indispensable and are also strategically placed near cliffs and coves, this is to safely re-guide ships.
They have been around for centuries. The first lighthouse was built in the fifth century; this one in Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Wood was burned on this tower, hence the name ‘lighthouse’. The structure served mainly as a daytime signal as the rising smoke increased the visibility of the beacon.
No more open fires today, only electricity, mirrors, lenses and lamps provide a strong beam of light. There are seven faros (Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal) on the island that still function as beacons and can be found as such on maritime navigation charts.
Punta de Anaga lighthouse is the oldest and dates from the time of Elizabeth II and was built in 1862. The others relates to the name of their location; lighthouses in Tenerife are in Punta de Teno, Buenavista del Norte, Puerto de la Cruz, Punta del Hidalgo, Punta de Abona and Punta de Rasca.
Light code
All these light towers are more or less alike, with the exception, and they all feature the telefaro system. Each lighthouse can be controlled remotely regarding its operation; how fast the beam turns, what code it uses and even when the light will shine. Lighthouses used to be occupied for the sake of operational reliability and maintenance. Not any more because electronics and multimedia systems process and control all commands today. The light signals given by the lighthouses across the coastal waters around the island are distinguishable from each other by their different light intervals and ditto frequencies. This allows sailors to know which lighthouse is ‘where’.
Anaga
Roque Bermejo is the location of the Anaga lighthouse; this place was extremely difficult to reach. One had to walk several kilometres along winding mountain paths in a rugged and isolated area. The tower was built with stones from the neighbouring La Mancha quarry in Santa Ursula. It is also the only lighthouse that was never rebuilt. At first, the lamp worked with olive oil, and later with oil extracted from crude petroleum. Until 1992, not so long ago, this fuel was banned and the light was made with electricity.
Despite its low height of about 14 metres, making it the smallest brother in the lighthouse family, it is the highest of all lighthouses: about 200 metres above sea level. Moreover, this lighthouse is also the most important. When a ship reaches Tenerife from the European continent, this is the first point of light observed. The beam of light is visible from a distance of 21 nautical miles or about 34 kilometres. This small lighthouse is also a big winner in ‘far shining’.
Punta de Teno
In 1893, Tenerife’s second lighthouse was finished at Punta de Teno. It was quickly erected with prefabricated blocks; stones that had already been carved into a well-defined shape beforehand. Eighty years this lighthouse lasted. In 1975 it was replaced by a new one equipped with the state-of-the-art Dalén rotation system, and since then the light has been powered by acetylene gas. On 13 December 1996, it will be powered up and electricity will provide the energy. The Teno lighthouse is located in a beautifully framed and harmonious landscape at the foot of the Los Gigantes cliffs. Moreover, the road to it is also fascinating.
Punta de Abona
The lighthouse at Punta de Abona was built to fill the void between the two previous ones; on the south-east side there was no beacon yet to ensure the safety of ocean traffic around the island.
It was built around 1898 and completely modernised in 1976. Recently, the lighthouse was restored and the surrounding buildings were re-purposed. You can now dine there in a brand new restaurant. Another space was converted into a museum.
Punta Rasca
At Punta Rasca in Arona, the old lighthouse, built between 1893 and 1895, was replaced in 1978. In order to increase its geographical and optical range and as such the safety of sea traffic, this lighthouse was equipped with 16 solar panels because there were some difficulties in connecting it to the electricity grid.
A special feature of this tower is that it is equipped as a DGPS station, which amounts to GPS-related precise control of the optical system. The outhouses now house a restaurant and museum.
Buenavista
On the other side of the island, on the cliffs of Cansado, a lighthouse was built that is 46 metres high; second tallest on the island: the Buenavista lighthouse. The modern lighthouse built in 1991 receives a beam of light that reaches 21 nautical miles.
The tower features a lift and a fire escape mounted on the outside. A spiral staircase nearly 50 metres high resembles an upright rolling wave, to which a connection has been made to the actual lighthouse at each level. This tower was chosen by the Met Office as the ideal location to install air quality measurement equipment.
Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz lighthouse is located between Las Tunitas and El Penitente, in the touristy north of Tenerife. It stands near the old fishing port. The lighthouse was commissioned in 1992, four years after construction began.
Its focal light shines from a height of 31 metres 16 miles or 30 kilometres away. This cubist and fairly recent building in no way evokes the style of a lighthouse. The red and white painting in particular reminds us of something other than nostalgic lighthouse colours.
Punta de Hidalgo
The most imposing, also the most recent lighthouse is this one on the Punta de Hidalgo in San Cristóbal de La Laguna. You have to climb over 246 steps to climb the 50-metre-high tower. Built in 1992, in operation since 1994, this slender lighthouse was built by Engineer Ramiro Rodríguez-Borlado who was responsible for its design.
Its height was chosen neither by chance nor at random. As it is at sea level, the height was determined according to its far radiation. Due to the curvature of the earth, the height had to be 50 metres to observe the beam of light 15 miles offshore. Curiously, no lighthouse house can be observed here. All equipment was provided in two integrated engine rooms. One on the ground floor and one at the very top.
Unknown © Photography
Lighthouses in Tenerife © – Lighthouses in Tenerife © – Lighthouses in Tenerife ©
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