Punta de Teno — Attraction in Buenavista del Norte

I need to give today's trip to the lighthouse one star. I believe it's a beautiful place, but we couldn't reach it.

Let me start from the beginning. I was searching for information online because I knew that personal cars have restrictions. I found out that almost every day of the week after 19:00, personal cars can go up to the lighthouse. We wanted to enjoy the sunset at a nice spot, so we decided to go.

We set off from Puerto de Santiago. I knew it would be a challenging road, but the reality was worse. First, we went through endless twists and turns and small villages until we reached the highest point. We thought we would easily descend, but the opposite was true.

The switchbacks that led us to the town of Los Silos were even worse. We managed it. We were getting closer to our destination, and suddenly, a roadblock, a closed road. Approximately 6.5 km before the lighthouse.

The lady told me that they no longer allow personal cars. I should take a taxi or a bus, as they allow those. Alternatively, I could go by bike or on foot. So, we turned around and went back.

I do not recommend this route for inexperienced drivers who have not tackled more challenging...

There is a big gate not allowing you to go by the lighthouse to the mirador at the far and enjoy the views to whole Teneryfe. It's pure rudeness. They don't give a damn about the tourists on this island. Pay lots of money for the holiday, fly thousands of kilometers and drive dangerous roads there to see nothing. Not the best views. Or pay horrendous amounts to see them (Masca Gorge). The same situation is on the other side of the cliffs, in Los Gigantes. You cannot access the 2 best viewpoints of the cliffs there. You cannot see them from the harbour, because there is a huge stone wall around it and they don't facilitate walking in top of this wall (no steps, side path closed with no access allowed). There is also a path going towards the cliffs (top of the town), but it is also closed with a barrier and 'no access' sign. They could place the barierrs a bit further, around the corner, and put some railing around and alllow a viewpoint there, so people could enjoy best views of the cliffs. But they don't care. I am so very dissapointed with Tenerife (and it is not the island...

We originally planned to try sleeping overnight in our campervan but the road is controlled and only open from 20:00-07:00 Mon-Thurs. Instead, we parked in Buenavista del Norte near the stadium and took bus 369 for 1€. A good move as the road is narrow and winding along the cliff making passing oncoming vehicles difficult. There's also parking at the entry gate where the bus stops but it's limited. There's another bus stop in between the stadium and the entry gate that also had parking so that's what I'd recommend if you can find it on a map. The bus departs hourly (on the hour) from Buenavista and returns on the hour +25-35 minutes.

It was extremely windy when we went so we didn't stay long and it was too windy/rough to swim but I'm sure it would be nice with calmer weather. Still nice to go for a short walk and see the high cliffs and rough seas...