When Christopher Columbus discovered the Canary Islands in 1492, way before the Spanish conquered the islands, little did he know that in about 500 years time, a blogger who loves the Canaries as much as he found them interesting, would turn up in a Fiat 500, just as curious about the islands as he was.
Today was one of those great explorations. Just like Columbus, upon discovering the Canaries all those years ago as a youngster, I've developed a life long fascination with this glorious archipelago of now eight officially inhabited volcanic formations in the North Atlantic Ocean.
As an almost monthly visitor to the Canaries, one of the scenic drives that had evaded me thus far was the renowned 'Masca Valley drive'. Anyone who has ever hired a car here in Tenerife has driven this route (other than me it would seem!). Well, today, I ticked that box and boy, what an amazing box to tick!
The winding hairpin turns of the Masca Valley drive
One of the most common statements you will hear from anyone who has done the Masca Valley drive and visited Masca itself (we talk more about Masca village later), will tell you "you've got to be brave to drive that" and "well you know they get buses up there too". Both of these statements are true but both of these statements need to be said tempered with the fact that a) the bus drivers do this all the time so are used to it and b) whilst yes, there is a certain amount of braveness needed, it's not actually that bad to drive - in fact once you get over the fear factor, it's really rather enjoyable!
Don't get me wrong, this is without doubt the most challenging drive I have ever done in the whole of the Canary Islands. It is challenging on a number of fronts but mainly due to it being so popular so yes, you will regularly need to stop on a steep hill with a hairpin bend to allow a wider vehicle come through from the opposite direction. But it's all perfectly doable, once you get used to it. The Fiat and I made light work of it by the time we got to the peak at 3,500ft above sea level (according to my Apple Watch anyway).
Stay safe..
As well as the hairpin bends, narrow gradients and general volume of traffic, there are a few things to bear in mind when doing the Masca Valley drive:
- Theft from vehicles is a real problem here. If you stop to take photo's or wander around the village, do not leave anything in sight, not even low value stuff for even the shortest amount of time - there are signs to remind you of this
- You cannot fly drones here
- There are side lanes to pull over and let other cars pass from the opposite direction - please don't park here - that's not what they are designed for!
- Limited parking is available in the village itself - so be prepared to wait for a space or drive on further and get some great photo's from up on high and come back later
The drive itself is very pleasant and takes you to a lofty 3,500ft above sea level. The temperature dropped from 26c to a noticeably cooler 16c by the time that I drove through Masca and ended up at a nice cafe. I only did this because upon initial arrival into Masca village there were literally no parking spaces left and people already sat on the roadside waiting for others to leave. Take my lead - if you find no parking spaces, just move on and come back later. There's plenty to photograph once you've got through the village.
Parking is seriously short here - but it's an amazing village to wander around
As I said earlier, if you arrive in Masca village and find no parking spaces available (which is more than likely), just keep driving through the village and up the mountain on the other side. About 1 mile or so outside of Masca, you'll find a lovely little cafe built into the mountainside, overlooking Masca valley, below.
I stopped, parked up and had a delightful coffee and doughnut, then returned to Masca about an hour later where I found a parking spot no problem at all.
Once parked, you wander down a path into Masca village. These days there are a few restaurants that seemed to be doing good trade when I visited. There is little else in the way of shops in Masca - it is after all a tiny village by comparison with just 90 residents.
There is also a trail from the village down the gorge to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean which is a popular, though strenuous, hiking route, which takes about 3 hours each way.
In conclusion, if you are in Tenerife and have a hire car, I would strongly recommend doing the Masca Valley drive, including stopping off for lunch in the village itself. Do heed the warnings about petty crime in this area - cars get broken into for even the smallest amount of loose change. Leave nothing on sight and you should be fine. Enjoy the drive and the absolutely stunning scenery!
Directions:
From the southern resorts such as Playa de las Americas, Los Cristianos or Costa Adeje (where I was based), follow the TF-1 all the way up to Santiago del Teide. About half way through Santiago village, there is a turning to the left which soon brings you on to the narrow, winding, challenging Masca Valley drive. It's very easy to find and trust me, you'll know when you're on the drive!
As you can see from the map above, the route is VERY bendy, with narrow, tight, gradient hairpin bends. If you're scared easily, this isn't the drive for you. That said, everyone is in the same boat and I found everyone driving politely on the day I visited. If it helps, they do manage to get full size coaches around these roads, so me in my happy little Fiat 500 made quite easy work of it!
For two other great drives in Tenerife:
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