Aripe and Chirche

Municipality: Guía de Isora

To get here there is a road that sets off from the town centre in Guía de Isora. The tranquil lifestyle in this small hamlet and in the nearby Aripe is as famous as the charm of their typical Canarian 18th and 19th century houses. Some are now used as country accommodation, making them a great choice if you want to stay and get totally immersed in a pure and natural environment.

The hamlet of Chirche has undergone recent refurbishments, but stayed true to its original aesthetics and materials.

Although Chirche stands over an old Guanche settlement, it became known as a hamlet as from the second half of the 17th century. Initially, herding was the base of the economy, followed by rainfed crop farming. The infrastructure needed for these activities (stone farm terraces, water tanks, pens, wine cellars and wineries) are an inseparable part of the landscape.

Nobody would want to miss Tradition Day in the second fortnight in July, during which the traditional lifestyle of the locals is re-enacted as a festive celebration.

Aripe, on the other hand, preserves what are known as the Aripe engravings, the oldest dated samples of cave art on the Island, meaning it is worth a visit if only for that reason. This hamlet with less than 100 inhabitants, together with the hamlet of Chirche, boasts significant value for Tenerife in terms of history and heritage. Located at the meeting point between two ravines that merge to form the Guía ravine, the landscape is distinctly volcanic, featuring farmland (rainfed crops and orchards) that makes the very most of the area's climate.

The area surrounding Guía de Isora also houses the village of Chío, with a parish church dedicated to its patron saint, Nuestra Señora de la Paz, which is a compulsory stop.

Heading south from the centre of the village are the neighbourhoods of El Jaral and Acojeja, with beautifully preserved traditional Canarian houses. Not far from there is Mount Tejina that stands 1,055 m (3,461 ft) tall and covers a protected nature area near the hamlet of Tejina. If you carry on along your route you will come to the hamlet of Las Fuentes. It is no longer inhabited but you are welcome to come and see its houses carved into the sandstone walls.