What to see in La Guancha, from the slopes of Teide to the Charco del Viento

La Guancha is a small municipality in the north of Tenerife, between Icod de los Vinos, San Juan de la Rambla and La Orotava. It covers 23.78 km² and runs from the slopes of Teide down to the sea. What there is to see sits at three levels. Up top, the pine forest, the El Pinalete picnic area and the El Topete viewpoint. In the middle, the town and its chapels, with Santa Catalina, from 1510, the one with the earliest date. Down below, the Charco del Viento, four pools among lava flows. And in August, the Baile de Magos.

A name with a legend

Turismo de Tenerife tells the story like this. During the conquest, some Castilian soldiers saw a young native woman drawing water from a spring with a clay jar. A captain tried to seize her and she chose to throw herself into the ravine. The area where the town now stands became known as Fuente de La Guancha.

The legend is on the coat of arms: two native women holding a clay bowl, with Teide and the summit forest behind. The motto reads «Nombre te dieron agua y mujer», roughly “water and a woman gave you your name”.

The Santa Catalina chapel

It stands at Calle Real 8. According to Turismo de Tenerife it was built in 1510 and rebuilt in 1878, after a flood damaged the building. The outside is plain: the bell tower and the round-arched main door stand out. Inside it has a coffered ceiling and three images: Saint Catherine the Martyr, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Bartholomew.

In the square next door stands a centuries-old cedar, one of the few on record in Tenerife.

The other chapels in the districts

Several small chapels are scattered through the districts, most of them twentieth century. Turismo de Tenerife lists these:

• Santo Domingo, at Avenida VIII de Agosto 67. It dates from the 1930s and holds images of Saint Dominic, Saint Anthony the Abbot and Our Lady of Fátima.
• El Calvario, in La Guancha de Abajo, at Calle San Antonio 1. It is early twentieth century. Its Christ has jointed arms, so it can be taken down from the cross in the Holy Week ceremony.
• Nuestra Señora de Coromoto, at Calle San Antonio 21. It went up in 1957 on a plot given by a local man who had emigrated to Venezuela. The image of the Virgin came from there.
• San Lucas, at Los Sauces 8. It is a recent building: it was blessed in October 2009. It has images of Saint Luke and Saint Dorothy.
• San Antonio de Padua, at El Pinalete 11. Classical in style, beside the pine forest and above a water gallery.

Up high: El Pinalete and the El Topete viewpoint

The El Pinalete picnic area sits beside the San Antonio chapel, in the district of the same name. It has barbecues, tables with benches and drinking water, all inside the pine forest.

The El Topete viewpoint is in the district of El Topete. From there you see Teide and the north coast. Turismo de Tenerife lists no facilities: do not count on a bar.

Higher still: the TF-344 and the Corona Forestal

Above the town climbs the TF-344, the road from La Guancha to Icod el Alto. It crosses the Corona Forestal Natural Park, the largest protected area in the Canary Islands: 46,612.9 hectares, 22.9% of the island, according to Tenerife ON. Canary pine dominates, surviving fire thanks to its thick bark.

Tracks leave that road for two Cabildo recreation areas, and neither is in La Guancha. El Lagar, at km 8.8, belongs to Icod: about 9 km of dirt track, open from sunrise to sunset. La Tahona, at km 5.2, belongs to San Juan de la Rambla. Both have tables with benches and places to cook over a fire, but the water is not drinkable.

Down below: the Charco del Viento

It lies in the Santa Catalina district, at Lomo La Bautista. Two arms of old lava close off a small bay and break the swell. Turismo de Canarias counts four pools with sandy and rocky areas, a sun terrace and a children's area. You reach it by a signposted tarmac link off the road towards Icod, through banana plantations, to a large car park and a renovated stairway.

Charco del Viento: how to get there

Festivities: August and the Baile de Magos

August is the big month. 17 August 2026 was a local holiday for the Patron Saint Festivities, according to the Canary Islands Government. The other local holiday in 2026 was 17 February, Shrove Tuesday. As part of the festivities of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza comes the Baile de Magos, known here as la Papada. In 2026 it fell on 23 August: hundreds of people take to the streets in traditional dress, among street bands and folk groups. Turismo de Tenerife places it in mid-August: check the date each year.

Municipality

23.78 km² · from the slopes of Teide to the sea

Santa Catalina chapel

Calle Real 8 · 1510, rebuilt 1878 · centuries-old cedar

El Pinalete

El Pinalete 11 · barbecues, tables and drinking water

El Topete viewpoint

Views of Teide and the north coast

Charco del Viento

Lomo La Bautista · four pools · no lifeguard · best at low tide

Baile de Magos (la Papada)

Mid-August · 23 August in 2026

Getting there

On the TF-5, Icod exit; TITSA buses

From Finca Julia

La Guancha borders Icod de los Vinos, so it is easy to fit into a day. A simple plan: the Charco del Viento in the morning, at low tide with a calm sea, then the Santa Catalina chapel and its cedar. In the afternoon, head up to El Pinalete or the El Topete viewpoint to look at Teide. If you fancy the hills, carry on along the TF-344 to El Lagar, which is already in Icod. In August, look up the date of the Baile de Magos.

Towns near Icod

What to see in Icod de los Vinos

What to see in Los Realejos, further east

Walks near Icod

How to get to Teide from Icod

Cueva del Viento lava tube

Frequently asked questions

Can you swim at the Charco del Viento?

Yes, with a calm sea and ideally at low tide. There is no lifeguard and the swell sometimes comes in hard. If in doubt, stay out.

Which is the oldest chapel in La Guancha?

Of those Turismo de Tenerife dates, Santa Catalina, on Calle Real. It was built in 1510 and rebuilt in 1878 after a flood.

When is the La Guancha Baile de Magos?

In mid-August, as part of the festivities of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza. In 2026 it was on 23 August. Check the Turismo de Tenerife events listing each year.