Icod de los Vinos
THE DRAGON TREE CITY. Icod de los Vinos is home to the DRAGO MILENARIO - the world's largest and oldest Dragon Tree (~800-1000 years). Symbol of Tenerife. Botanical park with endemic flora and Guanche cave. Teide views from the garden. Historic centre BIC: charming plazas, San Marcos Church (Mudéjar ceiling, Gothic altarpiece), malvasía wine cellars, Banana Museum. CUEVA DEL VIENTO: Europe's largest lava tube (18 km, 3 levels, 27,000 years old) - an UNMISSABLE underground visit. And 5 min by car: PLAYA DE SAN MARCOS - a cliff-sheltered black sand beach, family-friendly, seafront restaurants. Culture + nature + beach in one destination.
Icod de los Vinos is three extraordinary experiences in one municipality: a legendary tree, an underground world, and a hidden beach.
THE DRAGO MILENARIO - A LIVING LEGEND: In the Parque del Drago stands the largest and oldest known specimen of Dracaena draco in the world. At an estimated 800-1,000 years old, 16-21 metres tall, 20 metres of trunk perimeter, a crown 60 metres in circumference, and weighing some 150 tonnes, it is a living being that defies the imagination.
Declared a National Monument in 1917, it is alongside Teide THE symbol of Tenerife. Its red resin is known as 'dragon blood' - and Greek mythology links it to the Garden of the Hesperides, where a hundred-headed dragon guarded golden apples. Legend says that from each drop of the slain dragon's blood a tree sprouted with twisted branches like heads: the dragon tree.
The Parque del Drago (3 hectares) includes a botanical garden of Canarian endemics (cardones, tabaibas, palm trees), the Dragon Tree Nursery (young saplings), and a volcanic cave sacred to the Guanches. From the interior viewpoint: panoramic of the Drago + village + Teide at 90°. Price: €5 adults.
FREE TIP: From the Plaza Andrés Lorenzo Cáceres you can see the Drago perfectly without paying. Also from Calle el Barranco (Drago + Teide in one frame).
CUEVA DEL VIENTO - THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH: Europe's largest lava tube and the 5th in the world. 18 km explored (and counting). Formed 27,000 years ago by lava flows from Pico Viejo (the volcano next to Teide). Unique in the world for having THREE LEVELS of superimposed galleries. A labyrinthine network of passages with lava stalactites, terraces, shafts, underground lakes, and fossil remains of extinct animals like the giant Tenerife rat.
The visit lasts ~2-3 hours, small groups (6-15 people), expert guide. You walk through a lava field and an old royal road before descending into the underground world. A Jules Verne-style experience.
MANDATORY ONLINE BOOKING (cuevadelviento.net) - spots sell out. Price: €25 adults, €8.50 children. Minimum age 5. Closed boots mandatory. Card payment only.
HISTORIC CENTRE (Cultural Heritage Site): • Plaza Andrés Lorenzo Cáceres: main square, gardens, bandstand, Indian laurel trees, San Marcos Church, and free Drago viewpoint • Church of San Marcos Evangelista: magnificent Mudéjar ceiling, main altarpiece with Gothic sculpture of San Marcos, sacred art museum • Plaza de la Pila (Constitución): central fountain, palm trees, hibiscus, colourful stately homes. Casa de los Cáceres (said to have 365 doors and windows!) • Convent of San Francisco • Malvasía Museum: winery-museum-school dedicated to the legendary malvasía wine that made this region famous • Casa del Plátano: museum about the history of the Canarian banana (€5) • Casa del Drago: beautiful restored Canarian house next to the Drago, now a restaurant + local products shop
Fascinating fact: the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski (father of modern anthropology) wrote his masterpiece 'Argonauts of the Western Pacific' from Icod de los Vinos.
PLAYA DE SAN MARCOS - THE LOCAL SECRET: Just 5 minutes by car from Icod centre (or bus every hour), Playa de San Marcos is a hidden gem: a shell-shaped black volcanic sand beach sheltered by impressive cliffs that protect it from the typical north coast waves. This makes it one of the safest swimming beaches in the entire north of Tenerife.
160 metres long, family-friendly and local atmosphere (Icod locals come down here), showers, toilets, sunbed rental, lifeguards (Red Cross), restaurants with ocean-view terraces, paddle surf and kayak rental. Artificial swimming platform in the water. Swimming possible year-round.
It's the PERFECT REWARD after visiting the Drago and the historic centre - drive 5 minutes down to the coast and close out the day with a swim and fresh fish by the sea.
From Puerto de la Cruz: TF-5 westbound → Icod exit. ~20 min, 18 km. From Costa Adeje/south: TF-1 → TF-5 → Icod. ~1h. From La Laguna: TF-5 → Icod. ~45 min. For San Marcos: from Icod centre follow signs to 'Playa San Marcos', 5 min downhill.
TITSA line 108: Santa Cruz → La Orotava → Icod. Lines 354/363: Puerto de la Cruz → Icod. Local bus Icod → San Marcos every hour (~10 min).
Get here by busDrago parking: CENTRE, paid (€1.80/h) but very convenient, next to all attractions. Free alternative: CC La Magalona, 10 min walk. San Marcos: limited parking (~50 spaces) by the harbour, more further up. In summer arrive early.
Navigate to parkingTIPS:
1. FREE VIEW vs PARK (€5): You can see the Drago perfectly for FREE from Plaza Andrés Lorenzo Cáceres (public viewpoint next to the San Marcos church). BUT if you pay the €5 park entry, you get access to the best viewpoint (Drago + village + Teide at 90°), the Guanche cave, the Dragon Tree Nursery and the botanical garden. OUR RECOMMENDATION: pay the €5, absolutely worth it. Allow 45-90 minutes.
2. EARLY MORNING FOR THE DRAGO: Tour buses arrive from 10-11 AM. If you come first thing (9:00 between April-September) you'll have the park almost to yourself. Plus, the morning light on the Drago with Teide behind is PERFECT for photos.
3. CUEVA DEL VIENTO - BOOK NOW: Spots are VERY limited (groups of 6-15 people). In peak season they sell out weeks ahead. If you're interested, book online (cuevadelviento.net) BEFORE planning the rest of your trip. The experience is EXTRAORDINARY - venturing into a 27,000-year-old lava tube with 3 gallery levels. Requirements: minimum age 5, long trousers, closed boots. Not suitable for claustrophobia or mobility issues.
4. DRAGON BLOOD: The Drago secretes a RED resin that the Guanches used as medicine and for embalming. Medieval Europeans believed it was literally dragon's blood and traded it as a magical product. Look for the red marks on the trunk.
5. MALVASIA - THE WINE THAT MADE HISTORY: Icod is called 'de los Vinos' for a reason. Malvasía wine from this region conquered Europe in the 16th-17th centuries (Shakespeare mentions it in several plays). The Malvasía Museum is a winery + museum + school - you can taste this historic wine in its place of origin.
6. CASA DEL DRAGO - LUNCH WITH A VIEW: A restaurant in a beautifully restored Canarian house RIGHT NEXT to the Drago. Local food, regional products, artisan shop. The patio has views of the ancient tree. Have lunch here between the park visit and the historic centre stroll.
7. PLAZA DE LA PILA - HIDDEN CORNER: While everyone heads straight for the Drago, this square a few streets away is a gem of tranquillity: central fountain, palm trees, colourful colonial houses. The Casa de los Cáceres supposedly has 365 doors and windows - one for each day of the year.
8. SAN MARCOS - END WITH A BEACH: After the Drago and the stroll, drive down to Playa de San Marcos (5 min by car, bus every hour). The cliff-sheltered bay is MUCH calmer than the open north coast beaches. Black sand, restaurants with sea-view terraces, sunbeds, paddle surf. A fish lunch or dinner here looking out at the ocean = the perfect ending.
9. COMBINE: ISLA BAJA ROUTE: Icod de los Vinos (Drago + centre + San Marcos) → Garachico (15 min, the Canarian Pompeii + El Caletón) → Los Silos → Buenavista del Norte → optional Punta de Teno. Half day to full day along the most authentic northwest coast.
10. FUN FACT: Under the Drago, according to tradition, the last meeting of the four remaining Guanche menceyes (Belicar of Icod, Romen of Daute, Pelinor of Adeje and Adjoria of Abona) was held to negotiate peace with the Crown of Castile. Whether fact or legend, the tree was already there when the conquerors arrived.
The Icod area was inhabited by the Guanches (Canary aboriginals) from ancient times, belonging to the Menceyato of Icod. After the Castilian conquest of Tenerife (1496), the conquistador Alonso Fernández de Lugo established a sugar mill in Icod. Later, vine cultivation (especially the Malvasía variety) turned Icod de los Vinos into a wine centre of European fame. Canarian Malvasía wine was so prized that Shakespeare mentioned it in several works.
The Drago Milenario, estimated at 800-1,000 years old (some studies suggest up to 3,000), was declared a National Monument on 6 September 1917. The species Dracaena draco is endemic to Macaronesia (Canaries, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde) and the Moroccan coast. The Icod Drago is the largest and oldest known specimen in the world: ~16-21m tall, ~20m trunk perimeter, ~60m crown circumference, ~150 tonnes. Hollow inside, with artificial ventilation to prevent fungi.
Greek mythology placed the Garden of the Hesperides somewhere in North Africa or the Canaries. The Hesperides grew golden apples guarded by a hundred-headed dragon. Legend says from each drop of the slain dragon's blood a dragon tree sprouted. The red resin ('dragon blood') was traded as a medicinal and magical product.
Icod suffered a major fire in 1798 but was rebuilt. Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski resided in Icod and wrote from here.
Cueva del Viento was known to the Guanches ~2,000 years ago but was lost after the conquest until rediscovered and explored in 1970. Formed 27,000 years ago by Pico Viejo lava flows, it is Europe's largest lava tube with 18km mapped across 3 levels - a labyrinthine structure unique in the world. Open to the public since 2008.
ICOD + SAN MARCOS + GARACHICO ROUTE (full day):
9:00 - Parque del Drago (first thing, no crowds, perfect light). 45-90 min. 10:30 - Historic centre walk: Plaza de la Pila → cobbled streets → Malvasía Museum (tasting) → Plaza Andrés Lorenzo Cáceres 11:30 - Optional: Cueva del Viento (2-3h, only if pre-booked) 12:00/14:00 - Lunch: Casa del Drago (next to the tree) or drive down to San Marcos 13:00/15:00 - Playa de San Marcos: SWIM in black sand + sun in the sheltered bay 15:00/17:00 - Drive → Garachico (15 min): El Caletón + Castle + historic centre 18:00 - Return via TF-42/TF-5
QUICK ALTERNATIVE (half day): Drago + town centre stroll + down to San Marcos for lunch/swim. 3-4 perfect hours.
Drago Milenario from the Park: tree + village + Teide in the background - THE CLASSIC Tenerife photo
Drago Milenario from the Park: the tree + village + Teide at 90° - THE Tenerife classic. Best early morning with side light.
Plaza Andrés Lorenzo Cáceres: Drago behind San Marcos church, free view
Plaza Andrés Lorenzo Cáceres: the Drago framed behind the Church of San Marcos - free iconic view.
Plaza de la Pila (Constitución): fountain, palm trees, colourful colonial façades
Plaza de la Pila (Constitución): central fountain, palm trees, hibiscus, colourful colonial facades. Hidden gem.
Playa de San Marcos: black sand, turquoise water, dramatic cliffs surrounding the cove
Playa de San Marcos: black volcanic sand, turquoise water, dramatic cliffs surrounding the shell-shaped bay.
View from Calle el Barranco: Drago + Teide together in one frame
Calle el Barranco: Drago + Teide together in a single frame. The other classic angle.