Key details
Why it is worth crossing the island
Because in an hour and a half by coach you go from one landscape to its opposite. The south where you are staying is dry, sunny and pale-earthed; Anaga is damp, green and misty almost all year. It is the same island and does not look like it, and that is exactly what makes this day stick.
Laurisilva is a forest that covered southern Europe before the ice ages and never quite disappeared here. Walking through it for two hours, between moss-covered trunks with mist drifting through the branches, is a strange experience: little noise, green light, and nothing like a mainland forest.
The second half of the day is La Laguna, the capital until the nineteenth century and still the university town. Its old quarter is a World Heritage Site because its sixteenth-century layout was later copied across colonial America. You walk it, and after a morning in the forest a coffee in a square goes down well.
Included
- Coach transport with pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation
- A guide throughout the day
- A guided walk through the Las Mercedes forest
- A visit to La Laguna, a World Heritage Site
- Stops at the Anaga viewpoints
Not included
- Food and drinks: bring your own
- Tips
Frequently asked questions
What if it is misty?
In Anaga mist is not bad luck: it is what keeps the forest alive, and the place looks better with it, not worse. What you do need is a warm layer, because it can be eight or ten degrees colder than the coast.
When would we not recommend it?
If you have only one free day and want sun and beach, this is not it: you are going to the damp side of the island and it will most likely cloud over. And if you do not enjoy walking, two hours of forest feel long however beautiful it is.
Can you go on your own?
Yes, with a hire car, but the Anaga roads are narrow and endlessly winding, and the forest has many paths where it is easy to take the wrong one. With a guide you get more out of the day and avoid driving back tired for two hours.