From an aerial perspective, Tenerife bares strong resemblance to an eastward-facing duck. The head of the duck, a relatively undeveloped area, is called Anaga. It features small terrace farms, deep canyons, and solitary communities seldom visited by tourists, with the exception being handfuls of gung-ho Germans with serious hiking gear and ridiculously detailed guidebooks. On Monday, Ruyman and I joined their ranks, albeit sans guidebook, to go trekking around the duck's head.
Anaga is a treat because of its isolation. On such a highly-trafficked island, solitude is hard to come by. Once we had outstripped the Germans, the only humans we came across were local residents tending their potato fields. Leaving the other hikers in the dust turned out to be a mixed blessing, however, since our native guide (Ruyman) got lost and we ended up backtracking, then hiking to a completely different village than we intended. It all worked out, though, since we got directions from Nikolai, one of the aforementioned potato farmers. He pointed us to the path the locals take to town, rather than the trail frequented by hikers. After about 30 minutes, I realized that, by locals, he meant goats and lizards. However, the scenery was beautiful and we ended up with sore legs and great pictures.
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| Almost all the houses we encountered were only accessible by foot or donkey. |
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| There wasn't anyone in this house. |
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| Nikolas's farm. Notice the terraces on the left. |
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| A Guanche cave converted into modern-day storage. |
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| This is what the trail we were hiking looked like. |
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