Pure nature high on Tenerife is a fitting title that points to a diverse and rich natural environment above an altitude of two thousand metres.
The Parque Nacional del Teide, with its 4 million visitors per year, is the most visited nature park in Spain and undoubtedly the highlight at the top of every tourist’s list. This part of Tenerife, above 2,200 metres, is certainly one of the most exotic and astonishingly rich protected areas in Europe. A volcanic lunar landscape atop a colourful island. Basalt flows create the most bizarre shapes; the silence and the space in and around the mountain are breathtaking.
Teide Violet
This unique setting, together with its beauty, forms the biotope for considerable biological richness. 168 protected plant species, including 58 endemic ones, find their home in the nature park. Top specimens include the pyramidal red Tajinaste (Echium wildpretii) and the Guanche rosebush (Bencomia exstipulata). Above 2,400 metres, you’ll find endemic species such as Cistus osbaeckiaefolius, a member of the rock rose family — an exclusive and rarely seen yellow rock rose. At such heights, grows the jewel of the park, the delicate and fragile Teide violet, a brilliant purple member of the violet family.
Yellowish Sand
The nature park on Las Cañadas was declared a National Park by UNESCO on 21 January 1954. 13,571 hectares were added to a list of protected areas worldwide. 99.3% of this area is owned by municipalities, 0.6% by the government, and 0.1% by private individuals. It is fair to say that the majority of land belongs to the municipality of La Orotava.
The spectacular view of the park, the mineral landscape dominated by ochre and black, colour the plateau encircled by the walls of the vanished supervolcano. Volcanic rough lava contrasts with the vibrancy and cheerfulness of yellowish sand, lapilli and pumice. The sand is collected once a year to create the sand carpets of La Orotava.
Roques de García
There are several theories about the geological origin of this region. The giant cone on Las Cañadas is a stratovolcano that sits atop a collapsed supervolcano. The ancient volcano vanished either by exploding, collapsing, or through erosion of the caldera. Experts have not yet reached a consensus on this. What is known is that over the centuries, secondary craters have formed. A likely cause may be a blockage in the main crater that reaches up to 3,718 metres.
The two small craters are separated by a rocky alignment of Roques de García. This part, also called the peaks of Ucanca, is one of the most popular locations in the National Park and also the most visited spot on Las Cañadas.
La Corona
In this area lie the two semicalderas, smaller craters formed during the Quaternary period. They are also referred to as volcanic twins: Pico Viejo or Chachorra and Teide. Pico Viejo, also known as Montaña Chahorra, is the older of the two and lies at 3,135 metres above sea level. The crater opening has a diameter of 800 metres.
Teide is the younger of the two and is also known as the crater of La Rambleta. Its distinctive appearance was shaped by the last eruption, which formed a 150-metre high cone. This crown has an 80-metre diameter opening and is logically named La Corona.
Soil Deformation
Remarkably, the plateau is not entirely covered in rock masses. Las Cañadas has a large area of flat ground. Due to wind and water erosion, softer rocks have been planed flat over centuries. Dust and sand particles have filled cracks and irregularities for millennia. Very fine silicon-rich dust was carried by the wind from the Sahara: it is estimated that between 25 and 40 grams of sediment per square metre per year has blown over from Africa. This gives an idea of the massive influx of foreign material that has led to soil deformation over the ages.
Less Fauna, More Flora
The richness of flora in this natural location has undoubtedly been decisive in its designation as a protected nature park. The first impression of desolation and chaos changes when seen through biological eyes. From April to mid-June, there is an explosion of life and colour: flowers and shrubs come alive, the air fills with perfumed aromas, and insects begin their pollinating flights in abundance.
While flora is abundantly present, the fauna is less prominent. The harsh climate at high altitude hinders the development of high-altitude animals. Vertebrates and winged animals appear in few species. Hedgehogs and fire salamanders thrive here. Also, small rodents such as rabbits and hares can survive. The birdlife consists of only 14 species, including rock doves, swallows, and the rufous ovenbird, all of which feel at home here — as well as the brambling, an ever-singing songbird.
Absolute Highlight
In Cañada Blanca lies the Parador, the tourist information centre and also a hotel of the same name where the world’s best cyclists train at altitude each year. Slightly more to the east lies what for many tourists is the highlight of a visit to the Teide. On the southern side of the Teide, at Los Blanquiales, starts the cable car that takes you to La Rambleta at 3,550 metres. From there, with a permit in hand, you can hike to the absolute summit of Tenerife. That is the place to beto witness pure nature high on Tenerife.
From up there, the whole world lies at your feet — or at least the entire island — as you are standing on the highest point in Spain.
Pixabay © Photography
Pure nature high on Tenerife ©
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