Malpais: Volcanic Landscape, Hiking Trail and Culture

Malpais has a volcanic landscape that meets areas of forest and dry-farmed fields. It is also home to a local hiking trail, a church built in 1962 and an annual religious tradition. These features offer different ways to plan your trip: you can focus your stay more on the landscape and hiking, or on culture and local history. When looking for a holiday rental, it is worth first considering which of these aspects matters most to you.

Volcanic Landscape and Protected Nature

Volcanic terrain, forest and dry-farmed fields are all part of the landscape. A municipal report from 2021 notes that a large part of Malpaís’s natural area lies within the Parque Natural de la Corona Forestal nature park, the Paisaje Protegido de las Siete Lomas protected landscape and the Chivisaya public forest (Monte de Utilidad Pública). These designations cover a nature park, a protected landscape and a public forest. If nature is important to your trip, Malpais offers more than just one aspect of the landscape: you can experience its volcanic character alongside forest and the different protected areas. Check local access conditions before visiting. Malpaís de Güímar, designated as a special nature reserve, is also located near Malpaís.

Church, Tradition and Historical Traces

The Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua is in the Malpaís district and was built in 1962. During the festival named after him, the image of Saint Anthony of Padua is honoured each year. The church’s construction date and the festival tradition offer two different connections to local history: a specific date and a recurring religious custom. In Charca del Pino, the remains of an old house stand beside a threshing floor and a stone oven. The house, threshing floor and oven make the historical connections tangible through specific structures. Arafo is also part of this historical context: until the mid-19th century, the Dominicans owned, among other properties, the estate “los Cuchillo en el Malpaís” there. This reference to land ownership points to a different period from the church’s construction date.

Hiking Trail and Practical Information

The local SL-TF 294.1 El Moralito hiking trail starts at the Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua in Malpaís. The trailhead is at Parroquia San Antonio, Calle San Antonio 67, Malpaís, Candelaria. Check local conditions before setting out. Line 4 is another useful point of reference for planning: it connects the centre of Candelaria with Las Cuevecitas/Malpaís. Check the timetable before travelling. This lets you plan around hiking and the connection to the centre of Candelaria as separate options, rather than treating them as a single experience.

This way, choosing a holiday rental becomes part of planning your trip, rather than something separate from the experiences you want.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Las Cuevecitas De Candelaria, Igueste De Candelaria.

Back to the main travel overview: Candelaria.