Chanajiga (Chanajiga Path)

Municipality: Los Realejos

Aproximate time: 4:30h

Maximum Height:1350m (aprox)    
Minimun Height: 1100m (apox)

Distance (Km): 9,3km

Area Information

To come to this site, we must cross in entirety the municipality of  Los Realejos, since it is in the high zone of the same one. It is a Caldera (Great volcanic depression in more or less circular form). However we call by that name for a recreative area, where we can find ovens, tables and banks, swings, etc. Nevertheless on the island we have some Calderas and at the same time are places of scattering. (This way of calling Caldera in a recreative area is more extended in the north of the island, that in the south. 

Path (at the beginning)

This path passes on the part of the La Corona Forestal (It is a wooded mass about the national park of the Teide), so we are walking through an area protected from 1987. With 50.000 hectares, It includes the municipalities of  Los Realejos, Adeje, Vilaflor, Guía de Isora, Santiago del Teide, Garachico, Icod de los Vinos, La Orotava, La Guancha, San Juan de la Rambla, Granadilla, Arico, Fasnia, El Tanque, Güímar, Arafo y Candelaria. 

This is a really important due to the fact that it exercises an emphasized paper in the capture of waters and the conservation of soils before the erosion.

El Pino Canario ( The Canary pines)  is the best example of the vegetation of the zone. Also we find green mound that remains constituted by the forest of laurisilva and fayal-brezal. It is also finding some endemic species like the bejeque, the chahorra, the marzagana, etc.

The fauna are tied to the pine, for what the best example that we find is the pinzón azul (is is a kind of bird). There are also other flying species as the bat and the moth. As for species of major size we find the muflón (like a sheep) and the rabbit, that they were introduced  in the zone

Vegetation

The ravines, pythons, washes and recent lava are the most representative geomorphologic elements.

As for the history, the original inhabitants of Tenerife were living on the zone, because it was found some archaeological remains in the diverse natural caves. After the conquest, the zone suffered an intense deforestation, because the wood was an important element for the houses, ceilings, ships, etc, from that it was used on the island and a great part was exported. After the big hurts caused by this deforestation, the La Corona Forestal was afforested, for that  the endemic species are so narrow.  

Description of the path

The drop of the Path

We begin the tour leaving the vehicles in the parking zone of Chajiga, we can also take the bus line 347 (from La Orotava, it passes through the upper part of town, but does not reach la caldera). From there we start walking and rightly to the height of the swings we find the signs of a path. We did the tour of the forest road, for what with a few meters of these signs we find the sign of wrong path. Nevertheless, we cross this sense, to go towards El Pino Llorón (Weeping Pine)

In this section we do not find signs of the path, however we find some of the paths that connect with this road and pass across it. On having walked almost along the half of the tour, we find a table with banks, where it is possible to re-put forces and enjoy the sight of the Valley.

Valle de La Orotava

We come to a crossing, where it is possible to take for the antenna of TV, or continue in the way that ascends. It is at this point where there is a Pino Llorón (Weeping Pine) (it calls this way since  when it is cloudy it catches the water of the clouds).

We continue in the ascending way, and take the first entry to the left side that we see, to few meters one finds a house (if we were not turning aside, we would continue in the path that is going to give to Las Cañadas del Teide,  exactly to the zone of el Cabezón (Pigheaded)).Continuing in this way, that there are signs, it is easy to continue (if it is not left) since it is a forest road. Along this tour, we go on from leafy zones to more uninhabited zones of vegetation. Also we will cross with signs of other paths, and again with the one that puts up signs as Cañadas.

Some signs

On having finished this section, we come to the forest road that connects with La Caldera de la Orotava 

(Orotava´s boiler). In this crossing we come to a shed and take the signposting of Chanajiga. At the end of this way, we come to the boiler, just to the point where the autos were left, the point of the beginning.

Along the tour, we come through for zones of mud (if it has rained previously), zones in which it is possible to see the valley, Izaña, zones full of vegetation, zones where the vegetation is cut, etc.

We continue in the ascending way, and take the first entry to the left side that we see, to few meters one finds a house. We follow for this way, that though not this one put up signs, it is easy to continue if it is not left. At the end of the same one, we come to a shed, where there appears the sign of another way, to go up to the boiler of the Orotava, but we take to the left side

It is suitable to do it in a cleared day and cloudily, though this second prevents from seeing the valley, nevertheless if in half of the tour it is started clouding, is a spectacle to see the movement of the clouds for all this zone, since they are ascending.

We only have done a small tour inside La Corona Forestal, inside the same one, there are a multitude of paths.

La Palma