Observation deck in the city of Garachico. Garachico is a city that has risen from the ashes. The beaches and natural pools of El Caleton

One of the attractions of the Spanish island of Tenerife is the town of Garachico. It is located in the north of Tenerife. Now the city is quiet and calm. However, at one time the city was full of life. The city was the main port of the island, there was no time to receive ships and load them with sugar and wine. The ships were sent to Europe. The port also received ships with goods from distant countries. The locals of the city of Garachico were the richest in Tenerife. They had almost everything they needed for a good life.

Story

The situation in the city changed dramatically in 1646. A landslide hit the city and caused significant damage. In 1706, the Montaña Negra volcano erupted and destroyed most of the city along with the port. There is a legend that the city was cursed by a local priest. He cursed the locals, who stopped attending the temple and, thanks to their wealth, built their own house churches.
After the tragedy, the city of Garachico was actively restored, but it was not possible to restore its former glory and popularity. Previously, the most sought-after port has transferred popularity to its neighbor Puerto de la Cruz.

Nowadays

Today, the city of Garachico is a quiet and peaceful place. It is very cozy here and it is ideal for a resort holiday. All that remains of the ancient city is Fort San Miguel. This is the only building that has preserved the memory of the old city. The castle was built from black lava and retained its original appearance. Today there is a museum here, tourists visit this place with pleasure. On the territory of the city stands the Church of St. Anna. The church got its name in honor of the wife of the founder of the city - Anna de Vergara. The facade of the building dates back to the sixteenth century and, thanks to a miracle, survived the volcanic eruption. The monastery of St. Francis was also built before the eruption, but after a fire in 1709, the building was completely destroyed. Today the monastery works and about 20 nuns live here.
An observation deck has been built above the city, which offers a beautiful view of the entire city.
In the XVIII century, a new city was built on the territory of the old city of Garachico. He stands on a semicircle of solidified lava. Not far from the coast, the Roque de Garachico rock proudly rises, it is a symbol of this place.
Despite the fact that the new Garachico was built on the site of the old city, it keeps the memory of the old days. Tourists actively visit the city to get acquainted with its history and see historical places. The city is cozy and calm, it is ideal for those who are looking for a secluded place away from the modern world.

Spread out a small, provincial town, reminiscent of continental Spain. It is hard to believe that this city was considered the main sea gate of the island. In the port, sugar was unloaded from ships and local wine and bananas were loaded. The inhabitants of Garachico were considered the richest in Tenerife, beautiful real estate was built and it was considered prestigious to live here.

But happiness was short-lived. Perhaps the inhabitants of the town somehow angered the gods. And one misfortune after another fell. First, in 1646, a powerful landslide occurred in Garachico, which caused many troubles and claimed more than a hundred lives. And in 1706 he woke up. After its eruption, only memories remained of the flourishing and rich city.

This is what the area looks like now. In the spring everything is in blossoming almonds =).

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Garachico was the main port of the island of Tenerife. In 1706, he was buried under volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Trevejo. Garachico, like a Phoenix bird, has been reborn and today continues to delight visitors with its beauties. Its artistic and architectural value is largely associated with ancient temples and monasteries.

The magic of the town of Garachico is enhanced by stately private mansions that were built hundreds of years ago. One really wants to admire their spacious courtyards, unique facades and shady porches that make the buildings unique. In 1980, the King of Spain presented the town with the Gold Medal of the Fine Arts Society.

These days

Now Garachico is a beautiful, small town with a special magic. Having been here once, you can't help but come back here again.

All houses and real estate in Garachico are designed in the same architectural style. The houses are low-rise and cozy, and each individually is a masterpiece of architecture. Narrow streets and a small number of people are conducive to leisurely walks. Pay attention to the Church of St. Anne - an old building that suffered from a volcanic eruption. It had to be practically rebuilt.

The fortress of San Miguel, which was built in Garachico in 1575, by order of Philip II, gained great fame. She was needed to protect the harbor. The fortress of San Miguel seems small on closer inspection, but this size is explained by the small area of ​​​​the town. Now there is a museum in the fortress.

Roque de Garachico is considered the main symbol of the city. In order to admire this rock up close, you need to sail up to it on a boat or a boat. But even from the port, you can clearly see how the waves break on the rock from all sides, it is difficult to take your eyes off this picture.

The lack of beaches can be attributed to the tourist disadvantages of Garachico; only volcanic ruins remained after the eruption. However, the city authorities have solved the problem by creating a huge swimming pool. Swimming in the natural pool, next to the fortress of San Miguel, is considered a special chic. There are small paths in the lava dumps, along which you can go down to the ocean.

A visit to Garachico in the north of Tenerife is a must for all tourists. or leave a pleasant impression. You, for sure, will want to return to this cute town more than once.

El Tanque, Garachico and Icod de los Vinos by car

The road from El Tanque to passes through the center of the district of Ruigomes and Erjos, it is of interest to lovers of unusual landscapes.
Passing Erjos and turning left, we will find ourselves in the town of San José de los Llanos. This is one of the settlements located in the highland zone of Tenerife next to and, in close proximity to the pine groves crowning the mountain slopes in the north of the island.

From here you can continue on your way to the wonderful village of San Francisco de la Montaneta. It is surrounded by pine forest and agricultural land. To get to Montaneta, you need to turn towards the settlement of El Amparo. It is not far from, you just need to cross the Vega suburb.

From the same road by car you can get to the recreation area, which is located in the Arenas Negras camping area at the foot of the Burnt Mountains.

Come take a walk in Garachico, it's cozy and beautiful here!

Garachico is a small town in the northwest of Tenerife. The observation deck above the city (Mirador de Garachico) offers an excellent panorama of the city and the ocean with a noticeable rock Roque de Garachico (Roque de Garachico).

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the city was the main port of the island, from which numerous ships with sugar and wine left. It was famous throughout the archipelago as the richest and most prosperous port city.

A landslide in 1646 caused the death of 100 people and numerous destructions. As soon as the life of the city began to return to its usual course, as in 1706 there was a powerful eruption of the volcano Arenas Negras. People managed to escape, but the city, and with it the port, were destroyed under the onslaught of lava flows. The city was restored, but the positions of the main "trade gates" of the island could not be restored.

Provincial and quiet Garachico is a place for those who want to be alone with themselves. The entire leisurely life of the city is concentrated in the area of ​​​​the central square, where the former monastery of St. Francis (Convento de San Francisco) and the parish of St. Anna (Parroquia de Santa Ana) are located. The only survivor of the volcanic eruption was Fort San Miguel (Castillo de San Miguel), which once protected the port from pirates. Today the fort houses a museum.

Hot lava. having met with the ocean, it froze, forming peculiar depressions with sea water. Today, the natural pools of El Caleton are equipped with stairs and are comfortable for swimming.

How to get there

The observation deck is located on Highway TF-82 directly above the city. The TF-42 road runs through Garachico along the coast.

Weather in Garachico

Check out the weather in Garachico for the next seven days.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

This is how the eruption is depicted in the painting by the Spanish artist Bordanova Ubaldo Moreno, written in 1898, i.e. almost two hundred years later. Of course, this is largely the author's fantasy, since the place of the source of the eruption has not yet been precisely established.

After this disaster, the city became the main port city of Tenerife. Puerto de la Cruz, and Garachico was reborn as a provincial fishing town, whose inhabitants, in addition to fishing, were engaged in the cultivation of sugar cane and bananas.
Note that Puerto de la Cruz, although it became a large city, according to the Canarian scale, did not stay as a port for long. Something is not lucky with the northern coast with ports.
What volcano destroyed Garachico? And here miracles begin. Different sources call different names: Montana Negra (Montana Negra), Trevejo (Trevejo), Teide (Del Teide). The most frequently mentioned volcano, Montaña Negra, is about 16 km away. from Garvchiko. It's hard to believe that viscous, slow-flowing lava could cover such a distance. Maybe the whole point is that the island of Tenerife itself is actually one huge volcano and a "hole" could form anywhere on the slope.

The two main attractions of Garachico are the Church of St. Anne (Parroquia de Santa Ana) and the rock Roque de Garachico (Roque de Garachico). Moreover, the rock is like a hallmark of the city, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

This is what the central part of the city looks like from a nearby slope.

During the eruption, the lava reached the ocean, foamed and solidified, forming black stone tongues interspersed with small bays resembling pools. These pools are used as baths because the water is warmer than the ocean. However, we were in March and did not see any swimmers.

In the frozen lava flows, stone paths are laid, along which tourists walk with pleasure. Such an original micropark - black lava and water.
In my opinion, this is the main attraction of Garachico, you probably will not see this anywhere else.

Fort San Miguel (Castillo de San Miguel), sometimes called a fortress and even called a castle (Castillo), but this is too much. According to our concepts, the castle is like this to the skies and with towers, but here is some kind of wicker. But, in Russia, the scale is different, and the Europeans know better.
At one time, the fort protected the entrance to the port from pirates, who were numerous in these waters. For them, this size was enough.

Outskirts of Garachico from the western side. Beautiful view, although where in Tenerife is ugly?

The mountain slopes around the city are covered with lava - an echo of a long-standing catastrophe.

Plantations of the famous Canarian bananas.

If you look at the photo of Garachico, you will never guess that a terrible tragedy occurred here three centuries ago. This place was completely buried under a thick layer of volcanic lava. The volcano Montaña Negra, which woke up in 1706, left nothing alive around and practically wiped out a prosperous and very rich city from the face of the earth.

Trouble alone does not go ...

Yes, yes, it’s also hard to believe, because now Garachico is an ordinary provincial Canarian town. But in those days, the city of Garachico in Tenerife was considered the richest. It was the main sea gate of the island with the largest port and a well-developed trade area. Thanks to established maritime connections with the countries of Europe, as well as the African and American continents, the city treasury received a huge income, and the richest people of the country lived here.

But everything changed after the volcanic eruption. However, even before that, the history of the town is replete with "black stripes". In the XVI-XVII centuries. Garachico survived the worst Atlantic storms, floods, landslides that took more than a hundred lives. For six years, the plague raged here. Twice the city was engulfed by strong fires, and there was even an invasion of locusts. The volcanic eruption was the final point in a series of misfortunes for Garachico. And although at that time there were no casualties, since the volcano woke up slowly, and the inhabitants managed to evacuate, but almost everything was destroyed. Partially survived only a small number of buildings. The city began to be restored, but many residents had already moved to neighboring Puerto de la Cruz by that time, and the "golden age" of Garachico was over.

Attractions Garachico

If you visit Garachico, Tenerife will open up to you from another side, since this town does not belong to the classic resorts. Tourists and beach lovers do not come here en masse, since there are no beaches in the traditional sense in Garachico. But here there are amazing natural pools that were formed when lava flowed into the ocean.

You don't need a map to get acquainted with local sights: the town is small, and getting around it on foot is not difficult. The symbol of the city is the rock Roque de Garachico - a large stone formation peeking out of the water near the shore.

Of the old buildings, only Castillo de San Miguel, a fort that protected the settlement from pirates, has survived in its original form. Now there is a museum there. A visit costs only 2 Euros, so take the time to get acquainted with a rather interesting exposition.

Almost did not suffer during the volcanic eruption and the monastery of Santo Domingo, which now houses a nursing home. The rest of the old buildings were restored, such as the Church of St. Anne, of which only the frontal part has been preserved.

There are several interesting buildings in the town: the house of the Marquis La Quinta Roja, the Palace of the Counts of La Gomera, the house of the Ponte family. You can also look at the old mill, which ceased to function in the century before last, in the small chapel of Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Los Reyes, the monastery of the hermits of St. Augustine. The latter suffered twice from fire - in 1697, and then - in 1825.

Among the monuments and sculptural compositions of the town, the “Door Without Doors” monument, located on the pier, and the monument to the emigrant at the exit stand out - a bronze sculpture of a man with suitcases and a large hole in the heart area.

How to get there?

Garachico is located in the northern part of the island. There is no direct transport connection with the Yuzhny airport. The only way to get there without transfers is to take a taxi or rent a car. But there are direct buses to the airport from the nearest resorts of Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Although personally I would advise if you have the rights to rent a car. Firstly, it is more convenient, and secondly, the public transport schedule may not coincide with your program - buses do not run as often as you would like. But even if you do not drive a car, and the bus schedule does not suit you, this is not a reason to refuse from travel. There are enough hotels in Garachico - judging by the description and reviews, they are quite good.

You can also see Garachico by purchasing a tour of Tenerife. Many include a view of Garachico, but only from the observation deck. It is located on the TF-82 highway and offers great views from there. However, the excursions do not include a visit to the city.

Whichever option you choose, in any case, do not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting this unique place where you can experience authentic Spain, not intended for tourists, and take no less exclusive photos.