Los Gigantes Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Los Gigantes is a resort town in Tenerife. The greater area includes Puerto de Santiago and Playa de la Arena to its south, all of which nowadays have merged together into one connected entity. This article covers the whole area.

The resort itself only consists of about 2,700 people, but the greater area inhibits many more.

The town has a marina surrounded by concrete walls to dampen the effect of the rough seas around the area. A small black sand beach lies between the rocks and the marina. The marina has a boulevard with many restaurants.

There are three viewpoints in the village, the main one on main road to towards Tamaimo, another above the sports club and a third on a coastal path around the Hotel Barcelo. The village has many small shops and restaurants serving the tourists that visit the area, especially on the one-way road loop around church and plaza, and also near to the marina and beach.

Los Gigantes is well connected by road, and it is a convenient hub for trips to Masca, the Los Gigantes canyons, El Bujero (the rock eye), the almond trees trail, Chinyero, and even El Teide.

• 28.242018-16.8388461 Los Gigantes Bus Stop. Not a real bus station but the main bus stop in the area. All connections to this area run through here. (updated Mar 2023)

Bus 325^{[dead link]} connects to Puerto de la Cruz 3-5 times a day via Santiago del Teide. Buses 473^{[dead link]} and 477^{[dead link]} (direct) connect to Costa Adeje every 1-2 hr via Alcala and San Juan.

There are further buses that connect nearby villages:

• 461^{[dead link]} – Arguayo
• 462^{[dead link]} – Arguayo, Chio, Guía de Isora
• 493^{[dead link]} – Alcala, San Juan, Guía de Isora

See Tenerife#Get around for more general information.

The best way to get is on foot.

However, all buses coming to this area run through Playa Arena, Puerto Santiago and Los Gigantes–check the incoming and outgoing connections for Los Gigantes^{[dead link]} in case you want to use the bus.

Los Gigantes has notable cliffs in view of the resort and a picturesque marina.

• 28.296521-16.8557741 Acantilados de Los Gigantes (Cliffs of the Giants). (updated Oct 2019)

• Carnival. Each year in February/March, the carnival hits the island and parades through the villages and towns of Tenerife, including Los Gigantes. (updated Mar 2023)

• Dolphine and whale watching. Many excursions are run from Los Gigantes for things such as whale watching. (updated Mar 2023)

• 28.2415-16.8434171 Natural swimming pool (accessible from Calle Magnolia). (updated Mar 2023)

• 28.24469-16.842892 Oasis, Avda. Jose Gonzalez Forte 7, [email protected]. Posh pool complex with water slides. You cannot bring in your own food or drinks. Adults €10, children €5. (updated Jul 2019)

• 28.201667-16.8280563 Alcala (4-5 km south of Puerte de Santiago along a walkable coastal footpath). Has some nice beaches, due to a high end hotel being there, a relaxed promenade, and (the highlight) a bay in front of the town center where you can snorkel and see sea turtles. (updated Mar 2023)

• 28.182222-16.8161114 Playa San Juan (About 8 km south of Puerte de Santiago, reachable by coastal walk or bus). One of the best beaches in Tenerife. (updated Mar 2023)

• 28.17186-16.805575 Playa Abama (Just another kilometer south of Playa San Juan). An artificial high end beach with wave break that belongs to a 5-star hotel but is also open to the bourgeoisie. (updated Mar 2023)

Besides the opportunities below, also check out Santiago del Teide#Hiking and Teno Rural Park#Hiking, which are in easy reach by bus, car or thumb from Los Gigantes or Puerto de Santiago.

28.268889-16.8191671 Tamaimo will be your preferred village to aim for when starting or finishing hikes–so, remember the name and check the bus connections (325^{[dead link]}, 461^{[dead link]}). Hitchiking is of course always on option.

• 28.267215-16.8356316 El Bujero – An interesting half-day hike to the eye of Los Gigantes that you can see from the town itself down at the sea. Take bus 325 at 11:00 up to Tamaimo and start hiking from there. You will need an offline map and GPS, because the second half of the trail is not well maintained. On the way up, you will pass the 28.272535-16.82647 Cruz de los Misioneros viewpoint. Instead of heading back to Tamaimo or down to Puerto de Santiago, you can potentially continue down the canyon on the northern slopes and then use the tunnels to return to civilisation—see descriptions below for more information.

  

The following trails and destinations should be undertaken by experienced hikers only:

• Los Gigantes Cliffs (Acantilado de Los Gigantes) – 28.24807-16.838098 The start of Acantilado de Los Gigantes trail is at the end of the village. It goes along the Los Gigantes about 100 m above the water level. There are two or three places where it is not clear where the trail continues, so it is good to have GPS with you or check twice before potentially continuing into a dangerous dead end. Trail coordinates: GPX, KML.

  

But the Los Gigantes provide many more adventures beyond that trail, with numerous water tunnels, canyon trails and impressive cliffs that can easily beat the Masca gorge. All of the water tunnels are open, except for the two that lead into the Masca gorge. For the tunnel through Risco Blanco, you will have to squeeze yourself through a small opening in the gates though. For the tunnels you will need a flashlight, but your phone's one should be enough. The tunnels have sharp rocks inside, so a helmet would be optimal, but also a basecap will lower potential injuries in case you do not pay attention and hit your head. There are always trails (more or less proper ones), and you are not required to go "off-road". The trails and tunnels are mapped on Openstreetmap—Google Maps is of no use here. The MapsMe or Organic Maps mobile apps are ok-ish, but it is recommended to use OsmAnd or Mapy.cz, which are much better in reading and recognising the trails and for GPS navigation. Plan well ahead, canyons and tunnel require their time, and always tell someone where you are going, or just go in a group. You can download the here mentioned markers as GPX using the top right GPX icon on this website.

• At the end of the latter Los Gigantes Cliffs trail you will find the 28.262961-16.8381249 first water tunnel that you can cross to reach Barranco Mancha de Los Díaz.
• If you follow the water canal, it keeps continuing through dozens of shorter tunnels and opening called 28.273117-16.84765410 Windows of Barranco Seco about 150-200 m above the Playa Seco with impressive and exciting views. This is a difficult trail and should only be undertaken if you aren't afraid of heights and can deal with and walk steep cliffs.
• Alternatively, you can hike up in the canyon of Barranco Mancha de Los Díaz and head back through the 28.27303-16.8339411 second and longest tunnel, the 28.27555-16.8312 third tunnel, or the 28.27488-16.828213 fourth tunnel. They will lead to the Camino de Santiago de Tenerife on the southern side of the mountain, which leads down to Puerto de Santiago again. You can also extend the hike via El Bujero or just across the mountain down into Tamaimo.
• In case you are bold or already on the other end of the Windows of Barranco Seco path, you can experience the second canyon further north called 28.28312-16.8462914 Sauces Canyon, which is more impressive than Barranco Mancha de Los Díaz and more similar to the Masca gorge. There is a trail in good condition in this canyon, even though a few parts have fallen apart. It connects the Windows of Barranco Seco path exit and the 28.287623-16.83271415 fifth tunnel (Risco Verde), which leads back to Barranco Mancha de Los Díaz where you can exit through one of the former tunnels or across the mountain down to Tamaimo, as explained before. You can also use this firth tunnel as continuation of the El Bujero hike (explained above at El Bujero) in the other direction.
• As a last trail alternative, the Sauces Canyon and Barranco Mancha de Los Díaz canyon are also connected via 28.2724-16.849616 Playa Seco—swimming not recommended!

• 28.23902-16.83951 Lidl. Daily 08:00-22:00. (updated Mar 2023)

There are restaurants along the marina, the many promenades in the area and in the centre(s). CK's Bistro, in the village, serves English cuisine, but Indian and Chinese are readily available.

• 28.23815-16.841061 El Paseo (just southwest of Lidl, in the town center). M-Fr 08:30-22:00, Sa 08:30-14:00 19:00-22:00 (Pizza from 12:00). The must see Italian-run pizzeria in town–super affordable but still super delicious. They also sell mouth-watering pastry. €5/pizza. (updated Mar 2023)

• 28.181061-16.8187722 Casa Gusto, Avenida del Emigrante 28, ☏ +43 642 00 27 90. Tu-Su 18:00-22:00. A small restaurant with ocean view run by a French couple that took pride in importing specialties from Brittany, and preparing them in some of the most delicious combinations imaginable. €15-30. (updated Aug 2019)

There are some bars, but nightlife is not the priority here—daytime activity is.

The area has numerous hotels and at least one hostel:

• 28.232731-16.8404151 Arena Nest Hostel, ☏ +34 628991703, [email protected]. 10-bed dorm, female dorm, and two doubles. Breakfast included. (updated Apr 2023)

For further cheap accommodation alternatives, see Santiago del Teide#Sleep and Teno Rural Park#Sleep—there are two or three campings nearby and the hiking hostel Albergue San Jose de los LLanos.

• Masca – A picturesque mountain village in the Teno Rural Park and starting point to the Masca Gorge, one of the most popular treks on Tenerife.
• Teno Rural Park – The park itself offers numerous hiking opportunities and include Punte de Teno, the western most point of Tenerife with a lighthouse.
• Guía de Isora – Desert town known for its greenhouse cultivation of bananas, tomatoes, and flowers.