Hike from Los Brecitos to Playa de Taburiente

An insight into the hike:

The walk from Los Brecitos to Playa de Taburiente provides a relatively gentle way into the interior of the national park. From the Los Brecitos viewpoint, trail PR-LP 13 descends mainly through open Canary pine forest. Gaps between the trees reveal repeated views of the caldera’s immense walls, the jagged Los Agujeritos, Pico Bejenado and the distinctive Roque Idafe.

The path crosses small ravines and watercourses on wooden bridges and passes viewpoints and the fern-covered plateau of Lomo de Tenerra. At the destination the scenery changes: Playa de Taburiente is not a sea beach but the broad, stony bed of the Río Taburiente. Surrounded by pines and Canary willows, the mountain stream forms an unusually open landscape that invites a longer break beneath the crater walls.

Sunhikes rates the route as easy, but sure-footedness and sturdy shoes are still required on the largely natural paths. Over 5.2 kilometres there are 204 metres of ascent and 469 metres of descent. Carry water, food and sun protection. Water levels may change after rainfall, and current weather, trail and national park information should always be checked before departure.

The principal challenge is logistics. Los Brecitos is normally reached by taxi shuttle from the hiking car park in Barranco de las Angustias. The walk ends at Playa de Taburiente, deep inside the park, so the return requires either retracing the route or planning a suitable onward hike. The exact course, all variants, current advice, complete description, elevation profile and GPS data are available from our partner Sunhikes.