Icod de los Vinos: Volcanic World, Dragon Tree and Traditions

Icod de los Vinos offers an unusual change of perspective: the official visit to Cueva del Viento begins at the visitor centre and takes the form of a guided, interpretive tour through a lava field and along an old royal road to the cave entrance.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Icod de los Vinos, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions on the respective listing pages. This allows different conditions to be considered alongside the area's attractions.

Further location options include Santa Barbara, La Florida, Vega Alta, Cueva Del Viento and El Amparo.

Nature

Cueva del Viento is a volcanic tunnel that was formed approximately 27,000 years ago by an eruption of the Pico Viejo volcano. Extending for around 18 kilometres, it runs from Pico Viejo to the coast of Icod de los Vinos. Its approximate length and considerable geological age provide two different measures for classification.

The Dragon Tree of Icod is a specimen of the species Dracaena draco and was declared a national monument in 1917. Its Parque del Drago covers three hectares and includes paths, botanical signage, traditional irrigation channels, old cultivation walls and historic remains.

The Guardería de Dragos is laid out there as an educational area where the development of the species is presented through specimens of different sizes and ages. Those comparing nature attractions can distinguish between an underground tunnel, a botanical site and a coastal landscape.

Playa de San Marcos is a beach with black volcanic sand in a horseshoe-shaped bay with calm water and visitor facilities. The different landscape forms give day planning various thematic focuses.

Culture

Iglesia San Marcos is a monument classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural; it received this designation in 2006. The San Marcos figure that gives the church its name is a Gothic sculpture, probably dating from the 15th century, with Flemish influence.

Iglesia San Marcos also displays a silver filigree cross weighing 47 kilograms and standing 2.40 metres tall. The historic centre of Icod de los Vinos is an urban complex designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural, with cobbled streets and traditional architecture.

Here, an individual sacred monument, works of art and an urban complex stand alongside one another as different forms of culture.

Traditions

A former hacienda in Icod de los Vinos has been converted into a museum. A self-guided tour presents exhibitions on banana cultivation and a small banana plantation.

After the tour, visitors can sample local products made from bananas there, such as mojos, sweets and liqueurs.

The tradition of the Globo de San Antonio continues in a neighbourhood of Icod de los Vinos: the same family makes the balloon every year and launches it.

Another tradition that exists in Icod de los Vinos is sliding down the steep streets on boards made of tea wood.

For the main travel overview: Tenerife.

More destinations

More places in the same destination:

Güimar, La Sabinita, Las Cruces.