Los Realejos · Nature
Paisaje Protegido de Los Campeches, Tigaiga y Ruiz
A 691-hectare protected area between Los Realejos and San Juan de la Rambla, made up of deep ravines such as Barranco de Ruiz, coastal cliffs around 500 m high and former sea cliffs left inland by later eruptions. Tree heath covers much of the slope, with cardón-and-tabaiba scrub lower down and cloud forest from about 600 m; potatoes, wheat and fruit are still grown. It is a Special Protection Area for birds, and its most notable wildlife includes the laurel and Bolle's pigeons.
- 23 min · 18.3 kmFrom Icod old town
- Half a dayIt takes
- Los RealejosMunicipality
- No record that it is neededBooking
28.3834° N · 16.5968° O
Checked 2026-10-24· official source
01Practical details
- Category
- Protected landscape
- Area
- 691.2 ha (0.3% of the island)
- Municipalities
- Los Realejos and San Juan de la Rambla
- European protection
- Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA)
- Places of interest
- Barranco de Ruiz, Icod el Alto, Los Campeches
- Best time to visit
- All year round
03Around
What you have nearby
Ordered by real distance between coordinates, not by our preference.
Mirador de La Corona
A viewpoint on a summit of the Tigaiga massif, 750 m above sea level, looking across the full width of the Orotava Valley. There is a take-off ramp for paragliding and hang-gliding, and several footpaths start here. The cross was put up in 1922 at the wish of some Realejo Bajo residents who had escaped unharmed from an accident nearby.
Mirador de El Lance
A viewpoint beside Icod el Alto, at km 5 of the TF-342, the road that winds down to Los Realejos. It takes in the Orotava Valley and its three municipalities: Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava. A bronze statue of the Guanche king Bentor by Carmen Luis León (1996) stands here; tradition holds that he threw himself from this spot rather than be taken by the Castilian troops.
Cascos históricos de Los Realejos
Los Realejos grew up around the camps of the last stage of the conquest and keeps two old centres listed as historic ensembles, Realejo Alto and Realejo Bajo. In Realejo Alto, the church of Apóstol Santiago, regarded as the first Catholic church in Tenerife, holds the font where the Guanche kings were baptised and the Santa Bárbara altarpiece. Realejo Bajo grew out of the 15th-century Hacienda de los Príncipes, centres on the church of La Concepción and still keeps 70% of its historic fabric. The house where the writer Viera y Clavijo was born in 1731 is also a listed site.
Playa de El Socorro
A 400-metre beach of fine grey volcanic sand on the Los Realejos coast, the busiest in the municipality. It is a well-known surf spot that hosts surf and bodyboard championships, mostly from July to September. You can drive right down to the sand from a signposted turn-off near the Mirador de San Pedro.
Official sourceChecked on Next check
Finca Julia · Icod de los Vinos
And at the end of the day,
the terrace.
An old Canarian house on the hillside, with the Atlantic in front. Availability and price are on the official Airbnb listing.