Having marvelled at the dramatic volcanic scenery of the Teide National Park on Tenerife and the lush green, cloud enshrouded forests of La Gomera, little did I know that, for me, the best was yet to come! Masca, the prettiest village in Tenerife, one of Spain‘s Canary Islands.
We were driving though the north-west corner of Tenerife, a much cloudier and greener part of the island than the more popular sunny but barren south. As you can see, they still get plenty of blue skies and sunshine here too and following the road that snaked up the mountain sides to the village of Masca, the scenery, bathed in bright light, became more and more magical the higher we went.
The village of Masca is home to around 100 inhabitants. Until relatively recently it was only accessible by a dirt track but there is now a narrow, twisting road with many a nerve-racking hairpin bend, connecting Masca and, a number of other small mountain villages, to Sanitago in the south and Buenavista del Norte in the north.
Considered to be the prettiest village on Tenerife, it is a popular stopping point on many coach excursions. The view from the village down the Masca Gorge is spellbinding. It is also the starting point of a spectacular, if gruelling, 3 hour hike down the gorge to the beach, where you can reward yourself with a swim in the crystal clear waters – bliss. From here you can either climb back up again (not for the faint hearted) or catch a boat to Los Gigantes, followed by a bus back to Masca. Both the boat and bus times are infrequent and should be checked carefully before setting out. You’ll find more details and some photos showing the dramatic hike on the site, Tenerife Guide. There is also an amusing account of Driving the Road to Masca on the Real Tenerife blog.
My visit to Masca was fleeting but I’d love to return one day and make that hike down through the gorge, a magnificent way to see the natural beauty of Tenerife. I couldn’t say whether this is the prettiest village but surely this has to be the most spectacular setting!
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Hi Kathryn, love these photos that you took!! Such a cool village
Thanks! It’s a very photogenic place. Would love to go back one day and hike from here down to the sea.
Wow – you captured some amazing photos of Tenerife. I’ll have to add it to my list. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. I had such a fabulous time.
Hi Kat
Enjoyed the article and the spectacular photos.
I’ve spread the word on our social media accounts and if you ever fancy doing a piece for our blog, it would be welcomed.:)
Thanks Peter. That’s much appreciated and I would love to write a guest post for your site if I can find the time or perhaps a photo essay might be more realistic. I’ll drop you an email. Kat
Sounds absolutely wonderful Kathryn, and the shots are really gorgeous. That hike would be amazing I think, imagine doing it early morning, with ideally as little people as possible…I think it would be magical. There really are so many aspects to Tenerife, apart from the area that has been over commercialised.
I’ve heard great things about Masca and it sounds like it didn’t disappoint. The scenery looks so beautiful and lush… I particularly like your second shot, Kat. 🙂
Wow, gorgeous photos, as always. This village really does look spectacular, perched atop that mountain. But also spectacular is your new web design – I love it! So clean and user friendly, and it really highlights the important parts of your blog.
Thanks Jessica. The Teide National Park (volcanic landscape) photos were crying out to be shown at full width so I made a rather rash to change the theme! Still needs a few tweaks but I love it.
It’s so green, vivid and beautiful! Simply breath-taking. How long did you stay there? I might take my mom there soon as she’s a big fan of hiking and a typical nature freak!
About 30 minutes! We were just passing through. I would love to go back one day and make that walk down the gorge. I hope you make it there. I’d love to see more of the village and the area through your eyes!
I remember going to Tenerife as a child and just remember the beach and water parks – had no idea there was so much green scenery!
The volcanic scenery in Teide National Park is wonderful too! I’m sure there are a lot of visitors who never see the most beautiful parts of the island but that’s all the better for the rest of us and better for the enviroment too, as too many tourists damage the beauty they went there for in the first place. Never-the-less, I hope you’ll go back one day and discover it all for yourself.
It’s stunning especially with all those jagged peaks, looks like a lot of beautiful vistas, I would love to hike through that gorge to discover what’s ahead.
I’ve visited some beautiful villages in the North of Tenerife but I’d not heard of this one before, so must try and get to visit some time. Your photos are stunning 🙂