Bunker of San Andrés
Trip to a hidden bunker near Santa Cruz, built during World War II.
We arrived in a picturesque village called San Andrés, located in the north-east of the island near the capital Santa Cruz. Nearby is a beautiful and one of the most famous beaches on the island, Las Teresitas, with golden sand imported from the Sahara. The water is so clear and the beach surrounded by palm trees and rocky cliffs that you will feel like in paradise. Although this beach was not the goal of our trip today, we enjoyed stunning views from above.
The village of San Andrés is built at the foot of a mountain, which hides a long-disused and abandoned bunker built during World War II. That's where we headed! That day the weather was very strange, so first we hesitated to go on a trip and explore the whole thing. As soon as we got off the bus, we hid at the stop and waited for the rain to pass. After a while, the sun slowly appeared out of nowhere and it was suddenly very warm. So it was decided that we set out on a journey!
According to the map, it didn't look like a particularly long path leading to the bunker. So we set off through the alleys of San Andrés leading more to the left to the mountain, on which houses are built one above the other. There were long stairs between the houses, which we climbed up. When we reached to the terrace in front of some apartment buildings, from where Las Teresitas beach began to be beautifully seen, it started to rain again!
We rushed a bit as if we wanted to run away from the rain and we got to the upper road leading along the mountain. We turned right and looked for the beginning of the trail leading to the top. Suddenly we came across a rising rocky path, which we set off. After about 20 minutes we reached the other side of the mountain and the journey was not difficult. Las Teresitas disappeared from view and the industrial part of the capital Santa Cruz appeared on the other side.
Along the way, we came to a crossroads, where on the right we´ve seen a green hill and a small hole in the rock at the top. It would certainly be a nice walk, but due to the bad weather, we decided to leave it for another time. But our path to the bunker continued straight and more to the left, as we needed to bypass the rock and find the destination of our journey. After a while, the cliff was lined with a wire fence and suddenly we came to a freely accessible entrance to the bunker.
When we peeked in around the corner, we had to turn on the flashlights on our phones as a dark, longer tunnel opened in front of us. We hesitanted to continue, because a look into the darkness gave us scary thoughts. We tried to overcome fear and stepped forward. That moment we heard loud footsteps from the inside of the tunnel and we immediately ran out. We waited and listened for a while, but heard nothing but complete silence. So we tried to go inside again, but as soon as we entered the dark tunnel, we heard cracks and footsteps from the inside again! When I called out loudly, the same thing came from the other side, and at that moment it was clear! We scared ourselves because there was an incredibly strong echo!
After this detection, we regained our courage back and finally entered deeper into the dark tunnel. Another even longer tunnel was waiting for us at the other corner, and gradually, dark rooms with open spaces for doors and windows began to appear next to us. It wasn't the best feeling to walk in their immediate vicinity, but there was no other option. All over the walls, inscriptions were revealing as we shone around. (Something like - "Do not look inside, Do not enter, The ghost attacks", etc.). Kinda scary no?
Finally we saw a bit of light. Next to the mentioned rooms, we suddenly came across an iron ladder concreted into the walls with a very narrow passage upwards, where there was a lookout tower. (If you don't want to climb up, continue the tunnel a little further and around the next corner you will find another view. There is only a small hole for the view and the rest is barricaded, so I recommend going up there).
One by one we climbed the ladder and the light blinded us. Above was a narrow longitudinal opening overlooking the entire Las Teresitas beach, the wide ocean with cruise ships, and the Santa Cruz industrial zone and its coastline. We enjoyed the view for a while before we had to go back down into the darkness. I've seen too many horror movies for this, and that's why I was so happy when we got back to daylight.
Tips for you
• Bus from Santa Cruz no. 910, 945, 946 to San Andrés.
• Stairs lead up from "Florida Primavera" and the start of the path to the bunker is behind "Las Teresitas Apartment".
• At the crossroads, you can also turn right and explore another way and rock formation situated up the hill.
• The bunker is not suitable for claustrophobics.
• Don't forget a charged mobile phone or something to illuminate in the bunker.
• Don't be afraid of your own echoes!