The Tenerife the guidebooks skip: Garachico, the Drago tree and Izaña
A harbour buried by lava, a dragon tree in Icod and an observatory at kilometre 37
- Masca and Garachico
- About 25 minutes by car
- The tree
- Drago Milenario in Icod
- Izaña
- Guided visit, about 1.5 h, every day
Tenerife has three stops that rarely make the front of a guidebook and repay a driver with spare hours. Garachico lost its harbour to lava, Icod keeps a tree whose name claims a thousand years, and the Izaña observatory stands high on the TF-24 with a daily guided visit.
The harbour a volcano filled
In 1706 an eruption buried the harbour of Garachico under lava, and that event is why the town is worth the drive. The quay the place was built around disappeared, and the town carried on without it. Walk down towards the water, and the line of the shore explains the story better than any plaque.
For anyone who has already driven to Masca, Garachico is about 25 minutes further by car. The two make a natural north-western day. Allow the afternoon for the town, since nothing here asks to be rushed, and start the drive back while there is still daylight to see the road you came in on. It rewards slowness.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Icod and the Drago Milenario
The Drago Milenario in Icod is a dragon tree, a species native to the Canary Islands, and its name makes a claim about age. The word means thousand-year-old, which is a lot to ask of a plant that looks like an upside-down umbrella. Stand under the crown for a few minutes, and the claim stops needing proof. That is the whole visit.
The observatory visit
The Izaña observatory is the one stop on this page that needs a plan. Guided visits run every day and last about an hour and a half, and visitors are asked to arrive 30 minutes early. The gate is at kilometre 37 of the TF-24, and no public transport reaches it, so a car, or a tour that includes one, is the only way up.
Visits are priced from €21. In winter they are cancelled when the weather turns, which on a high mountain road is easy to believe. Looking at the stars at night is possible only through private agencies, since the official visit is a daytime one.
Which stop for which day
None of the three is a full day by itself, and all three suit a driving day better than a beach one. Garachico fits the north-west, the tree fits any pause in the north, and the observatory belongs to a day spent up on the mountain.
- Driving the north-west from Masca: add Garachico, about 25 minutes away.
- A day on or near the volcano with a car: add Izaña, and build the day around its hour and a half and the early arrival.
- A winter trip: expect the Izaña visit to be cancelled if the weather turns, and keep Garachico or Icod as the fallback.
Where to next
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Tenerife
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is there public transport to the Izaña observatory?
No bus reaches it. You need a car or a tour that provides one, and the gate is at kilometre 37 of the TF-24.
Can you look at the stars at Izaña?
Only through private agencies at night. The official guided visit is a daytime visit, lasts about an hour and a half, and starts after you arrive 30 minutes early.
How far is Garachico from Masca?
About 25 minutes by car.
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