La Montaña de los Frailes (The mountain of the Monk)

Municipality: Los Realejos
 Aproximate time: 30 min (even less time)
Maximun Height: 370  m (aprox)
Minimun Height: 250 m (aprox)
Distance (Km): 1,5  Km (aprox)

Area Information

La Montaña de Los Frailes (monks ) has been already mentioned in the publication on the crosses It is placed in the core population of La Montaña or Montañeta, belonging to the municipality of Los Realejos. It owes its name to which this one was a place of stop and traffic of the Austin friars, in there was a warehouse, a press, etc. (nowadays there is a restaurant which still preserves some of these elements).

Hermitage

It is a volcanic cone that measures 25 hectares (approximately)  and is fitted inside a small chain composed by three volcanic cones that were formed of joint form, doing that the line of coast was spending of having 50 m to 1 km. Three cones are:

- La Montaña de los frailes (monks): (about that we are speaking), it would be the biggest of the three.

- La Montaña de las Arenas (sands): which possesses a hotel in the crater, if we have said, a hotel in the high of a volcano that is composed of picón, Sahara, etc.

- La Montaña de la Gañanía: this one would be the third volcano and that lamentably we cannot admire, since its material was used for different plantations. Nowadays this place is the industrial estate of La Gañanía and the water raft of La Cruz Santa.

Puerto de la Cruz and the Montain of Las Arenas

Its eruption is historical due to the fact that The original inhabitants of the Canary Isles reported on the meetings with the Castilians the eruption in this place, being able to take place in the 13th century (approximately 800 years ago).

In 1987 the cone is declared as Espacio Natural de Canarias ( Natural Space of Canaries, a law of protection), due to the geological importance, that before were mentioned. With this one protection the area is delimited as an ecological sensibility area. It is a volcano composed for basaltic "piroclastos" and "tranquibasálticos" (drosses, bombs and lapillis). 

Though this protection turns out to be a bit ironic, none of three volcanoes that are situated in el Valle de la Orotava have been lucky. We cannot also say which of the three is the worst, since La Montaña de Los Frailes possesses a hermitage in his highest point (it does not possess a great visual impact, and for the characteristics of the volcano neither in the area (not much)). But nevertheless the base of the same one is eaten, that is to say, it is surrounded by construction, the inn, a college, houses, gardens, street, etc. And slightly also incredible, these volcanoes are private places, yes yes, it has owners, they are not public places, they can be visited, but they are private spaces.

Drago

The vegetation is scanty, since the materials from wich are formed are not a soul to shelter any vegetable species, but in them we find some ferns (Pteridium aquilinum), tuneras (Opuntia ficus-indicates) and between the introduced ones rabo de gato (Sideritis angustifolia), etc. As for the fauna the autochthonous species would be the lizard (Tupinambis teguixin). (Always species can meet the animal and vegetable in the inn, but it is not something natural of the volcano).

In the same zone some archaeological remains have been situated, as some jars, for what the zone was place of the step or residence of the former settlers.

Description of the Path 

The drop of the Path

The zone is in La Montañeta, and to get here  we can go by car (it is possible to leave the car in the zone of parking  of the inn or in the streets of the population core). Also we can go in the public transpor, the line to take is 352 (from Puerto de la Cruz, going for La  Orotava and for Los Realejos). 

To rise to the zone we pass of the restaurant, being the first part with cement and coming at the end of the same place we find the way of the path, already with land and there is a fence (to prevent the traffic of cars). From this point we begin the ascent to the volcano, it is not a pronounced rise since it goes in the shape of zigzag.

Hermitage

The only point where we can find a slightly higher slope, is in the last meters before coming to the hermitage, in this part we go for one of the wings of the crater.

To choose the way of return, it is possible to move back, or take another way that stops surrounding the crater. Also another access exists in the zone of parkings, but it is steeper and less travelled, this one that we are describing is more qualified, and has the measure in order that it fits a car.

It is a small tour, but from which we can see impressive views of El Valle de la Orotava, enclosedly the beak of the Teide.

Los Realejos