Las Caletas – Paths, viticulture and volcanic badlands

Las Caletas is located on the western slope of the municipality of Fuencaliente. The terrain is rugged; small houses and wine cellars are scattered across it. From the cultivated areas, a route leads into red- and black-coloured volcanic badlands. The character of the area is therefore shaped by the interplay of steep terrain, viticulture and volcanic coastline.

Nature

Las Caletas is connected to the Los Canarios–Playa de la Zamora Chica hiking route. It is 6.24 kilometres long, takes two hours one way and has a moderate difficulty level. Distance, direction and difficulty are different measures, which you can read separately when making your personal plans.

Another route, Los Canarios–El Puertito, reaches Las Caletas after a descent of approximately 1.5 kilometres from Los Canarios. A route does not describe the same thing as a descent, and a time indication does not describe the same thing as a difficulty level. For the time assessment, the first route gives a direction and a duration, while the second focuses on the approximate descent. Distance, time and gradient represent different aspects of the paths and therefore cannot be combined into a single distance or walking time.

Access to the Bajada a El Puertito hike is via the road from Las Caletas, LP-207, at kilometre 3; from there, follow the track to El Puertito. The final section of the hike offers wide panoramic views on a steep gradient, including the silhouette of Azufre on the rugged coastline.

Culture

The name Las Caletas is associated with viticulture in narrow trenches filled with soil between stone walls. The narrow vineyard terraces are considered an ethnographically interesting traditional cultural landscape.

On the coast, there are drying areas associated with cultivation for chocho, meaning lupins, as well as percheles for drying or preparing the harvest. The rehabilitation of the network of local historic paths in Fuencaliente began in the Las Caletas neighbourhood and on the path to El Puertito. The drying areas for chocho and the percheles are just as much part of the cultivation context as the historic path work that began in the Las Caletas neighbourhood and on the path to El Puertito.

Surroundings

The Llano del Tanque recreational area is located near Las Caletas and has a picnic area, car parks, a children's playground, toilets, barbecue facilities and drinking-water connections. The various facilities can be considered as separate points when planning your day.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Las Caletas, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions are separate details alongside the characteristics of the area. This allows the accommodation aspect to be considered separately from the Los Canarios–Playa de la Zamora Chica route, the volcanic badlands and the traces of viticulture, without mixing these features.

Other places

Other places for your travel planning: Las Indias, Los Quemados.

Orientation

The section of road from Las Caletas between the Teneguía junction and El Faro has been newly asphalted.

For the higher-level travel overview: Fuencaliente De La Palma.