Chinyero

Special Nature Reserve

Prepare to discover an area of 24 square kilometres (6,000 acres) with great geological significance between the municipalities of Santiago del Teide, El Tanque and Garachico, Here you will get to see recent lava flows creating a unique insight into the Canary Islands' volcanic history. Don't miss the chance to see the area's incredible aerolian habitats (with strong winds and high salt content), where the species that inhabit them have to survive on particles carried in the wind due to the lack of vegetation. This is like an open-air science lab thanks to its varying degrees of colonisation. Get ready to spend an unforgettable day of outdoor learning and fun.

If there's anything here that truly catches every visitor's eye that's the majestic sight of the volcano that lends its name to this nature area: El Chinyero. Standing 1,560 m (5,118 ft) above sea level, it is impossible to overlook. Located north-west of Pico Viejo, a walk around the volcano encourages visitors to picture what it must have felt like to be there on 18 November 1909, when the earth ripped open and began to spurt out lava for ten days in a row, leaving behind it a dense column of tephra and gas that could be seen from the nearby island of La Palma.

Municipalities: Santiago del Teide, El Tanque and Garachico.

Expanse: 24 square km (6,000 acres).

How to get there:

You can get here from several different points.

To access the northern part of the Reserve, you should come from the municipality of El Tanque, where a paved road sets off that then becomes an dirt track as it ventures into the Reserve. Another possible route travels along the northern part from the neighbourhood of San Juan del Reparo, in Garachico. A number of tracks branch off from there that journey into or travel around this protected natural area.

You can also come from the east from the neighbourhood of La Montañeta, in Garachico. From La Montañeta, take the TF-373 from the area of La Vega in Icod de los Vinos and drive through the Reserve, which leads out to San José de Los Llanos, in El Tanque.

To access from the west, come from the town of San José de los Llanos, which is on the edge of this protected natural area.

From the south, you can access the Reserve from Santiago del Teide on the TF-82. Drive up to Valle de Arriba and then about 400 m (437 yards) along a paved road to the Reserve.