Mirador de los 500 Escalones
500 steps down a cliff and a view that takes your breath away. A hidden viewpoint in Tacoronte with no signs leading to it.
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The Mirador de los 500 Escalones is one of Tenerife's best-hidden viewpoints. Tucked away in a residential estate in Tacoronte, it feels like you're heading in the wrong direction - until suddenly, between white walls, a descent of stone steps opens up down the cliff. Viewing platforms with railings jut out from the sheer rock face 150 metres above the Atlantic. The view spans the entire Costa de Acentejo, the cliffs of the Protected Landscape, and on clear days Teide looms in the background. The only soundtrack is waves crashing against the rocks and birdsong. The steps aren't exactly 500 - but nobody counts, because the views steal your attention at every turn. Warning: everything you walk down, you must walk back up.
TF-5 exit Tacoronte, direction C. la Jara estate. Hard to find - navigate to 'Mirador los 500 Escalones' on Google Maps, there are no signs. Entrance between white house walls.
Street parking in the residential estate - free, but very limited spaces. GPS: 28.4772, -16.4178.
Navigate to parkingUse Google Maps to navigate - without it you won't find the entrance, which is hidden between houses. The steps are steep and uneven - shoes with good grip are essential. Don't go on a windy day as the steps are exposed. And remember: everything you walk down, you must then walk back up. Bring water - there's nothing at the bottom. The best time is sunrise, when the light softens the cliff textures and there's hardly anyone around.
The Mirador de los 500 Escalones lies within the Costa de Acentejo Protected Landscape in the municipality of Tacoronte. It is a modern stairway built into the cliff face, with intermediate platforms and metal railings. Despite its name, the exact number of steps varies depending on who counts them. The area forms part of the same protected coastal strip where between 2007 and 2011 over 400 illegal structures were demolished to return the coastline to nature. From the platforms you can see the Costa de Acentejo, the cliffs of La Garañona and, on clear days, Teide. The proximity to Bodegas Monje makes it easy to combine the visit with a tasting of local wines from the DO Tacoronte-Acentejo.
Parking on C. la Jara → walk between white walls to the entrance (Google Maps) → descend the steps → first platform (photos) → continue down → intermediate platforms with Costa de Acentejo views → lower platform (150 m above the sea) → return climbing the same way. Optional: afterwards, visit Bodegas Monje (5 min drive).
Platforms on the steps
Platforms on the steps - each platform offers a different perspective of the cliffs and ocean. The lower you go, the more dramatic.
Entrance between white walls
Entrance between white walls - surreal: a narrow path between estate walls that suddenly opens to the ocean and cliffs. Civilisation/nature contrast.
View looking up from below
Looking up from the lower platform - the sheer cliff wall with small platforms suspended in mid-air, 150 m above the sea.