Tenerife walking at the Monasterio was what I had in mind as a personal tourist guide.

Tenerife walking is lovely almost everywhere on the island but, mostly in North Tenerife. As a personal tourist guide I've shown Monasterio which is very seldom known to new tourists on the island, more than once.
Unless you take a taxi everywhere, Tenerife is, generally, not easy for orientations when searching for a particular place. Road names can't often be seen.

On a Saturday afternoon I took young Swedish friends to an outing.

We caught a taxi from Panoramica Hotel Los Realejos Bajo to the Monasterio. We paid about EU 3,50 or EU 4,00 which was in 2005.

Once arrived our Tenerfe walking exercise started.

There, I had to show the old authentic Monasterio wine cellar with bodega dating back to the times of monk Antonio the Gomeran.

We had to walk down stone steps to the Monasterio wine cellar which you reach from within Restaurant Hacienda de San Pedro from where it can be seen.

Here, you also face a tall wall with a huge mural painted on it.

That piece of art looks as if painted by a master with colors that have faded almost into pastels over a few centuries.

Then, last not least, our legs were heading towards the nature reserve which is much loved for excursions for Tenerife walking by locals and tourists alike. .

More basic facts on Monasterio park, may be found, here.

Before reaching the beginning of the reserve Mary and Sedan were posing beside one of larger Monasterio restaurants.

While still on the tarmac road within the reserve we saw young Canary pines mingling with aloes, agaves, papyrus, agapanthus, yuccas, olive trees, bottle brush bushes as well as with indigenous flora, to name just a few.

The never missing cactus field in Tenerfie would be found further up in a more exposed section of the park. Yet, another another different religious monument left behind by holy men made us pause from Tenerife walking uphill.

Mary and Sedan loved each and every road side altar by the Monasterio and enjoyed posing by it.

Here, too, the view is magnificent. In fact, there is different scenery everywhere at the legendary monk Antonio's park.

Those statues were important in a religious Catholic society where most crossed the island on foot. Even passengers on a bus still make the sign of a cross when passing any of them.

From the last road side altar onwards proceeding on foot at the Monasterio demands more efforts. The tarmac turns into a sand road winding up all the way to the top of the mountain with its white small chapel crowning the peak.

A lady I knew who loved walking in Tenerife went there, often, to take her dog right up to the top.

We had seen a chicken resting nicely cushioned within plants under a palm tree. Some amazingly tiny gray or brownish birds which were no baby birds were hopping around chirping on the ground near the chicken.

I wondered if they were Tenerife birds.

We climbed a little towards the nature reserve Montañeta (little mount). We returned after deciding that the day was not young enough any more to continue uphill any further.

We didn't mean to overdo our Tenerife walking. We stopped on our right and unpacked our pick nick by a long wooden table with simple benches under dense shady trees.

The young people got hungry, you know...

By entering a small gate we stepped down into Monasterio built- up grounds. We inspected ducks swimming in channels which divided the grounds in an almost symetrical grid. Chicken and their young were everywhere in this orchard with fat green lawns.

We could hear a donkey. We saw the often peculiar looking black and white Tenerife goats but, no ponies were outside the stables, this time.

We strolled under low hanging lemons. We saw Tenerife October guavas that were not ripe, yet. Fig and avocado trees were showing their fruit. We marched on cobble stone path ways where you had to mind not to trip. Gold fish were in one pond and swans swam in another. An azotea (roof top) was reached when turning off on our right. So far Tenerife walk ways on this day brought many new impressions.

From the azotea (roof top) we had a very nice view of la Vera and other areas that belonged to the large region of la Orotava.

I hadn't planned part of that area into our Tenerife walking. Yet, we did it and the result of it was a real march on that splendid autumn day.

After crossing the inside patio by Casa de Rocio with its round wooden tables covered with cotton table cloth where we admired tilandsia airplants clinging to palm trees, geraniums in earthen ware pots and bougainvillea growing over a fence we soon left all of it behind.

Then, we ventured down from the Monasterio towards Puerto de la Cruz,by crossing the freeway and then on old La Vera road right and, left again. Now, all along the endless seeming Carretera las Arenas ( road Las Arenas) where the girls seemed to get tired in the middle of this now long Tenerife walking trip. We, later turned right into Taoro Park.

From there on the way home became more pleasant.

It took us two hours on foot to reach Puerto de la Cruz from Monasterio Park where we caught a bus to take us back home.

Next time if there will be a next time - no pick-nick... We would have the typical Tenerife Conejo (rabbit) dish by one of the patio restaurants at the Monasterio where you can also order the most yummy cakes or cold meats. Only gentle walks, then.

Going out in Tenerife on that day had become a real trip of heavy walking in Tenerife.

To get an idea about our Taoro crossing please, go from Tenerife walking to Taoro Park which was another pleasant part of our journey.

We descended by the Taoro waterfalls and made our way into Puerto de la Cruz.

We soon reached a bus to take us home after much good healthy walking.

Tips on Tenerife walking and routes:

Please, find out about Monasterio culture which has past the test to be excellent for modern Spain business

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