Pirámides de Güímar & Malpaís
MYSTERY + MARS. Güímar hides TWO extraordinary secrets. The PYRAMIDS OF GÜÍMAR: 6 step pyramids aligned with the solstices that NOBODY can explain - saved from demolition and turned into an ethnographic park. Museum, botanical garden, Poison Garden (unique in Spain). Plus minutes away: MALPAÍS DE GÜÍMAR - 290-hectare Special Nature Reserve of solidified black lava that looks like another planet. Easy trails, volcanic caves, prehistoric plants. FREE. Finish at Puertito de Güímar: fishing village, tapas by the sea.
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Güímar offers two completely different but equally fascinating experiences, separated by just a few minutes.
PYRAMIDS OF GUIMAR - THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY: In the centre of Güímar stand 6 step pyramids built from volcanic stone whose origin remains an enigma. They are astronomically aligned: one side points towards the sunset on the summer solstice, the other towards the sunrise on the winter solstice. Who built them? When? Why? Archaeologists cannot agree.
In 1991, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl - world-famous for crossing the Pacific on the Kon-Tiki raft in 1947 - arrived in Güímar and was fascinated. The pyramids were threatened by a building development that would have destroyed them. Heyerdahl saved them and in 1998 founded the Pirámides de Güímar Ethnographic Park to protect and study them.
The park covers 64,000 m² and includes: • The 6 pyramids with panoramic terrace and walkways • Casa Chacona Museum: archaeological research, photo collection of step pyramids around the world, theories • Auditorium: documentary about the pyramids and Heyerdahl's life • Expedition Hall: reproductions of Heyerdahl's boats (Kon-Tiki, Ra II), sculptures of Mexican and Peruvian gods, ancient navigation maps • 'Colonising Polynesia' exhibition: Easter Island, moai, extreme survival • POISON GARDEN: over 70 species of poisonous plants, UNIQUE in Spain. From deadly-to-the-touch plants to those used in medicine. Fascinating and chilling • Sustainable Garden: reproduction of a Canarian ravine with endemic flora • Botanical Route, Cultural Route, Volcanic Route: themed outdoor trails
Price: ~€12.50 adults. Audio guide available. Guided tours in Spanish, English and German.
MALPAIS DE GUIMAR - MARS ON TENERIFE: A few kilometres from the Pyramids, the Malpaís de Güímar Special Nature Reserve is one of the STRANGEST landscapes in Tenerife. 290 hectares of solidified black lava descending from Montaña Grande (276 m, an ancient volcano with a 300 m diameter crater) to the ocean. Less than 10,000 years old - a geological blink of an eye.
The terrain looks like another planet: black lava mixed with reddish sand, whimsical shapes, rope lava (like twisted cords), volcanic tubes and caves (Cueva Honda, Cueva de los Burros). Between the cracks sprout cardones and tabaibas - prehistoric plants that give the landscape a Jurassic look.
TRAILS (EASY, family-friendly): • Circular from Puertito de Güímar: ~7 km, ~3h, low difficulty, well signposted • Camino de Samarines: to the foot of Montaña Grande • Montaña Grande circular: circles the entire volcano • Coastal trail: rope lava reaching the sea - the most spectacular section
FREE. Open access. Protected Special Nature Reserve since 1987.
PUERTITO DE GUIMAR - THE PERFECT FINALE: The Malpaís trail ends (or starts) at Puertito de Güímar, an authentic fishing village with tascas on the square and promenade facing the sea. Shrimp, fresh fish, ice-cold beer with Atlantic views. After walking through a Martian landscape, sitting on a terrace by the sea is the perfect way to round things off.
TF-1 motorway, exit 22 towards Güímar centre. Pyramids: follow signs via TF-28 to the DISA petrol station, up C/ Alférez Luis Bertrán de Lis → Av. Venezuela → C/ Antropólogo Thor Heyerdahl. Free parking at the park. Malpaís/Puertito: from Güímar centre, drive down to Puertito de Güímar (~5 min). From Costa Adeje: ~40 min. From Santa Cruz: ~25 min. From Candelaria: ~15 min.
TITSA line 120: Santa Cruz → Güímar. From the stop, ~15 min walk to Pyramids or taxi. For Malpaís: car recommended.
Get here by busPyramids: large FREE parking at the park. Puertito de Güímar: parking by the harbour. No parking problems except during local festivals.
Navigate to parkingTIPS:
1. COMBINE PYRAMIDS + MALPAIS: They complement each other and are minutes apart. The Pyramids are the human mystery (who built them?), the Malpaís is the natural mystery (a landscape from another planet). Do the Pyramids in the MORNING (cooler, fewer people), the Malpaís mid-morning/afternoon (when the raking light brings out the lava textures), and finish at Puertito de Güímar for lunch.
2. POISON GARDEN - THE SURPRISE: Inside the Pyramids park, the Poison Garden is one of the most original attractions in Tenerife: over 70 poisonous plants, some lethal to the touch. Unique in Spain. Kids are fascinated (everything is safely protected). Adults too.
3. HEYERDAHL - THE STORY BEHIND IT ALL: Thor Heyerdahl wasn't a tourist - he was the man who crossed the Pacific on a log raft (Kon-Tiki, 1947) and the Atlantic on a papyrus boat (Ra II, 1970) to prove that ancient civilisations could navigate between continents. He arrived in Güímar in 1991, saw the pyramids about to be demolished, and dedicated the last years of his life to protecting them. Understanding who Heyerdahl was transforms the visit.
4. SOLSTICES: The pyramids are aligned with the sun on the summer solstice (21 June) and winter solstice (21 December). If you visit on those dates, you'll see the real alignment - a magical moment that connects with whatever the builders intended.
5. MALPAIS - BRING WATER AND A HAT: The Malpaís circular trail is EASY (7 km, 3h, low elevation) but there is NO shade. In summer the sun beats hard on the black lava which absorbs heat. Bring water, sun protection, a hat. Closed shoes mandatory (lava is sharp). Ideal hours: first thing in the morning or from 4:00 PM onward.
6. ROPE LAVA AT THE COAST: The most spectacular part of the Malpaís is where the lava meets the sea. The rope lava (pahoehoe) looks like twisted fossilised cords, with mind-bending shapes. The contrast with the blue Atlantic is INCREDIBLE for photos.
7. MONTANA GRANDE - WORTH THE CLIMB: If you're up for it, climb Montaña Grande (276 m). The crater is 300 m in diameter and 50 m deep - it was used as farmland in the past. From the top: panoramic view of the ENTIRE Malpaís, the Puertito, the ocean, and the Tenerife highlands.
8. CUEVA DE LOS BURROS: On the way up Montaña Grande, a volcanic tube where donkey bones are found - it was used as a cemetery for these animals. Creepy and fascinating.
9. PUERTITO DE GUIMAR - THE REWARD: After walking across black lava under the sun, the Puertito welcomes you with tascas by the sea. Order shrimp, fresh fish and an ice-cold beer. The little village is 100% local - no resorts, no souvenirs. There are also the Cuevas de Cho Regino: old cave houses by the sea where people used to spend their summers before apartments existed.
10. CANDELARIA + GUIMAR: If you combine with Candelaria (15 min via TF-1), you have a FULL day: Candelaria (Basilica + Menceyes + Cofradía de Caletillas lunch) → Güímar (Pyramids + Malpaís + Puertito). Or the other way round. The entire southeast coast of Tenerife in one day.
The municipality of Güímar was one of the nine menceyatos (Guanche kingdoms) of Tenerife. The area has had human presence for over 2,000 years.
PYRAMIDS: The origin of the six step pyramids of Güímar remains debated. Built from local volcanic stone and astronomically aligned with the solstices. Some theories attribute them to 19th-century farmers clearing fields (the most academically accepted explanation). Others, championed by Thor Heyerdahl, suggest connections to ancient civilisations and solar worship, pointing to parallels with step pyramids in Mexico, Sicily, Polynesia and Peru.
Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), the legendary Norwegian explorer and anthropologist, is world-famous for his transoceanic expeditions: crossing the Pacific on the Kon-Tiki raft (1947) and the Atlantic on the Ra II papyrus boat (1970), proving ancient civilisations could navigate between continents. Heyerdahl arrived in Güímar in 1991, when the pyramids were threatened by a building development. He saved them from demolition and founded the Ethnographic Park in 1998 to protect them and continue research. The park has been nominated twice for the European Museum of the Year Award.
MALPAÍS: The Malpaís de Güímar Special Nature Reserve (290 hectares) was declared a Protected Natural Area in 1987. The landscape was formed by the eruption of Montaña Grande less than 10,000 years ago - geologically very recent. It is a Strombolian-type eruption, similar to the one on La Palma in 2021. The lava descended from the volcano to the sea, creating a black lava field with volcanic tubes (Cueva Honda, Cueva de los Burros), rope lava and whimsical formations.
The reserve hosts one of the best cardón-tabaiba communities in Tenerife - endemic vegetation adapted to arid volcanic terrain. Guanche herders practised transhumance between the highlands and the coast, wintering in mild areas like the Malpaís. The crater of Montaña Grande was used as farmland, and coastal salt pans produced salt for preserving fish. The Camino del Socorro, crossing part of the Malpaís, is a Cultural Heritage Site.
FULL GÜÍMAR ROUTE (half to full day):
9:30 - Pirámides de Güímar (ethnographic park): pyramids + museum + Poison Garden + exhibitions. 1.5-2h. 11:30 - Drive → Puertito de Güímar (10 min) 11:45 - Malpaís circular trail: Puertito → coast → rope lava → Montaña Grande (optional climb) → return via coast → Puertito. ~7km, ~3h, easy. 14:45 - LUNCH: tascas in Puertito de Güímar (shrimp, fish, beer by the sea) 16:00 - Return via TF-1
COMBINATION WITH CANDELARIA (full day): 9:30 - Candelaria: Basilica + Menceyes + Cofradía lunch 13:30 - Drive → Güímar (15 min) 14:00 - Pyramids (1.5h) → Malpaís short walk (1h) → Puertito coffee 17:00 - Return TF-1
QUICK ALTERNATIVE (2-3h): Just Pyramids + lunch in Puertito. Or just Malpaís circular + lunch.
Pyramids from the panoramic terrace
Pyramids from the panoramic terrace - 6 step pyramids with Teide in the background on clear days.
Malpaís from the coast
Malpaís from the coast - black rope lava contrasting with the blue Atlantic. SPECTACULAR.
Montaña Grande
Montaña Grande - 276m volcanic cone with panoramic views of the entire Malpaís and coast.
Mirador Morras del Corcho
Mirador Morras del Corcho - view over El Socorro and the ocean above the lava field.
Puertito de Güímar
Puertito de Güímar - small fishing harbour, colourful boats, total tranquillity.