Icod El Alto: Views, Trails and Canarian Culture

Icod El Alto in Tenerife begins with a view: the Mirador de La Corona is located at an altitude of 750 metres on a hill in the Tigaiga massif. From there, the view extends across the Valle de La Orotava and northeastern Tenerife; numerous hiking trails can be accessed from there, and there is also a launch area for paragliding and free flight.

At the Mirador de El Lance on the access road to the centre of Icod El Alto, expansive views open up over the Valle de La Orotava and Tenerife’s north coast. The sculpture of Mencey Bentor, inaugurated in 1996, stands there.

Trails Through Landscape and History

The Camino de las Vueltas connects Icod el Alto with Realejo Bajo and follows an old route dating from pre-Hispanic times. It runs across sedimentary slope deposits with degraded fayal-brezal formations and individual elements of the Monteverde.

The Lavaderos del Dornajo are located on the old Camino Real de Icod el Alto on the western side of the Barranco del Dornajo ravine. For centuries, they were a meeting place for women fetching water, washerwomen and drivers who watered their livestock there.

Historic routes, viewpoints and landscape can be considered separate focal points when planning your own itinerary.

Culture and Remembrance

The sculpture of Mencey Bentor depicts the traditional account according to which the last Guanchen mencey, Bentor, plunged to his death from this place rather than surrender and submit.

The Museo de Los Alzados is located in the Centro de Educación Obligatoria La Pared and is dedicated to reviving the region’s music and traditional way of life. During a tour, traditional games, clothing and customs were presented there; in 2012, the museum received the Premio Canarias de Cultura Popular.

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje traces its origins to a hermitage in Icod de los Trigos, documented in the last third of the 16th century and dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Rosario. It houses Canarian works of art from the 17th and 18th centuries.

You can compare a holiday apartment in Icod El Alto on booking websites based on travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions. When planning your stay in the area, different focal points can be considered separately: viewpoints, historic trails, Canarian art, traditional customs and gofio made from different types of grain.

More local pages: Palo Blanco, Llanadas, Tigaiga, Cruz Santa.

Festivals, Fields and Gofio

Icod el Alto celebrates several festivals throughout the year; the most important takes place at the end of August. The image of Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje is carried in a procession on the last Sunday in August.

Potatoes and wheat are the most traditional crops grown in Icod el Alto. Around 1622, Don Juan Bautista de Castro had potatoes brought from Peru planted on his land in Icod el Alto.

At Molino de Gofio Mesa, grains are roasted and milled, then packaged and sold directly to the public as well as to small and medium-sized businesses. Available varieties of gofio are made from millo, a grain mixture, wheat and various grains.

For the overarching travel overview: Los Realejos.