Tenerife Day 4 - Masca Gorge

Having seen the Masca Gorge walkers getting picked up by boat the previous day, we decided to do that walk. However as gluttons for punishment we were going to walk all the way down, then all the way back up again!

We drove to Masca village, which was past Santiago del Teide where we'd been the previous day, then up and over a ridge by very steep narrow winding road - amazingly the road is used by loads of coaches as Masca is one of the most popular tourist attractions. It's tiny though, and the parking spaces get used up quickly, so we had to park some way outside the village.

We then started our walk down the gorge, starting at about 600m above sea level. The path is very steep to start with, and always rough underfoot. It really is spectacular scenery, with high cliffs and a huge variety of rock formations. We see lots of bluetits and other birds, and a few feral cats. There's a bit more cloud than the previous day but still warm.

Eventually we reach the beach - the sandy part is officially closed due to the risk of rock falls but we took the risk. We had lunch there and a paddle in the sea. Most walkers get the boat back to Los Gigantes, but we turned straight back round again and started the long walk up.

We had a beer and some "cactus cake" at the taverna at the top, then drove back to the apartment.

After a shower we went out to dinner at Pearl's Pantry, which was very close by. Their nachos were disappointing (basically a bag of Doritos and some melted cheese for a fiver) but it was "steak night" and their steak was good and cheap.