Bosque de Agua García

Bosque de Agua García is one of the best-preserved remnants of laurel forest (laurisilva) on Tenerife. While most tourists head to distant Anaga, here, a stone's throw from the motorway, you'll find silence, the scent of damp earth and giant ferns. This is a place where clouds literally 'comb' the treetops, delivering life-giving moisture. The forest sits at around 800-900 m altitude, where temperatures are several degrees cooler than on the coast.

The highlight of the trail is Los Guardianes Centenarios (The Centennial Guardians), a group of mighty Viñátigo trees (Persea indica). One of them, known as 'The Grandfather', is estimated to be 800 to 1,000 years old - the same age as the famous Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos. Their twisted, enormous trunks and roots create incredible formations indistinguishable from a film set.

Along the trail you'll also find the Cuevas de Toledo, known as Cuevas del Vidrio (Glass Caves). These are a labyrinth of tunnels carved into volcanic rock between the 16th and 20th centuries, where trachyte was extracted as raw material for glass production. Today the caves are a free-standing labyrinth and an absolute hit with children.

Fun fact: forest mice and rats eat sap from the roots of Viñátigo trees, which has hallucinogenic properties. They literally get intoxicated.

Trail PR-TF-25-4 is a loop of about 2.4 km with around 125 m elevation gain, taking 50-90 minutes. Along the route, two wooden bridges cross the Barranco de Toledo. At the end of the loop, the Área Recreativa Lomo de la Jara offers barbecues, a children's playground and picnic tables. There is also a Sendero Accesible (850 m), designed for wheelchair and pushchair users, with an average gradient of 6%.