El Bujero

A challenging hike leading to a rock gate at an incredible height above Los Gigantes 

One beautiful sunny day we went on a hike near Los Gigantes to find a naturally created gate in the rock that we heard so much about and had to go explore it. If you like hiking, amazing views and adventure, this is definitely something for you!  

By bus (= Guagua, as they are called here) we arrived to a village called Tamaimo, near Los Gigantes, and were looking for the beginning of the hike. It is a very nicely built Canarian village with lovely houses, narrow streets and a beautiful square with trees and a church. Just before we got there, they sprinkled the roads, so the wet floor of the square threw amazing reflections of everything around. 

Tamaimo is surrounded by mountains, and we were heading on the top of one of them. Behind the church on the mentioned square, we walked through a few alleys, where the village ends and the ascent to the mountain begins. The path of this hike immediately starts up steeply on the rocks and in one section there is also a rope attached for better overcoming. Along the way we saw a big white cross towering on the top, so we went up almost to it and we had the first part of the tour behind us.

The second part includes just walking along the peaks, where you can take a break from the challenging climbing in the first part. If you have the cross within reach, you don't have to walk up to it, but go left to the other side of the cross on a paved path and the hill slowly swings to the other side. Then the way descends for a while, and at that moment we didn't know where to go and where exactly El Bujero was, because it's quite hidden.

So we kept calm and studied the location of the place on the map and continued. (When you can see 2 rocks in front of you on opposite sides of the mountain, you have to head to the one on the right side). When we were descending, we went further to the right immediately which was more to cry than good. Remember to descend the mountain completely! We made a mistake and wanted to shorten the journey. Off the path, the mountain is built like stairs, which of course we had no idea and we had to go through the bushes and descend the rocks from one floor to another, which was much more difficult and a bit dangerous.

Suddenly there was a loud buzzing of flies among the bushes as we came closer, a hare was lying there, half opened with blood and incredible stench everywhere. Now I regretted even more that we had chosen this path.

Finally, we came to the rock where our goal is to be behind and looked for a way around it. Paths were getting narrower and narrower and were steeper and closer to cactuses. Suddenly a rock appeared with a hole inside and we overcame the last section, which leaded up the hill along the rock, where it is better to hold on to something.

The place itself is very high, and the clouds were within reach, as you can see in the last photo. I won't lie, the height was a bit scary, so we preferred to be very careful when moving under the rock gate and when taking photos. On the other hand, sitting inside this rock formation was a huge experience and I can only recommend this trip in Tenerife to all adventurers!

I would like to add that in the area of Los Gigantes is mostly hot and sunny weather and there is nowhere to hide along the way. There were only parched paths, bushes, and cactuses everywhere. This is the disadvantage of this tour, but on the other hand, you will find breathtaking views all around - at first to the village of Tamaimo, where we started our tour, the mountains which rise around and El Teide in the far. After a short walk you will see on the other side the port town of Los Gigantes, it´s famous giant rocks rising from the ocean and in clear weather the views of the islands of La Gomera and La Palma.

Tips for you

• Set aside at least half a day for this trip - length approx. 4-5 hours - there and back with breaks. (It took us approx. 7h).

• You can get to Tamaimo by bus n. 460 (from Costa Adeje Central bus station in the direction of Icod de Los Vinos). The journey takes approximately 50 minutes. 

• Bring enough drinks and snacks (Tamaimo has a shop and many local restaurants). 

• Don't forget to cover your head and use a suncream (you can't hide much from the sun). 

• I would not recommend to take children on this hike, given the difficulty and great caution on the final rock lookout and to people who are afraid of heights.