AFUR HIKE IN ANAGA MOUNTAINS
This Afur hike is a beautiful loop trail located in the Anaga Rural Park in Tenerife. This guide is for one of the less-known trails on the island, so you will often have the beautiful views all to yourself. Hiking Afur from Casa Carlos is a serene experience plus it’s also a great introduction to the Anaga Mountains in Tenerife. This trail goes along many different sights including the village of El Fronton and Roque Negro. If you’re looking for alternative and more quiet experience hiking in Anaga Mountains, this one’s for you.
AFUR HIKE FACTS
Distance: The total distance for this hike was 12,5km for a loop trail.
Hike duration: This hike’s duration was 3h and 40minutes quick pace. Adding a lunch break, this hike should take no more than 5 hours.
Elevation gain: The total elevation gain for this hike was 971m.
Difficulty: This hike is moderate. Difficulty will of course depend on your experience and fitness level. The reason behind rating this one as moderate is the elevation gain, distance and the fact that some parts of the trail are overgrown and sometimes hard to find making it more challenging.
Gear needed: Although Tenerife is warm all year round, you should always remember to check the weather forecast. You should avoid this hike during storms or rainfall as the trail might get extremely slippery. I strongly recommend packing long trousers because of the plants with sharp spikes. If you’re unsure on what else to bring for a hike, read this article.
My strava upload can be found here: Casa Carlos – Afur route
My .gpx upload can be found here: Casa Carlos – Afur .gpx
GETTING TO AFUR HIKE
By car: The starting point for Afur hike is located behind the Casa Carlos Restaurant. Navigating there was easy, I just took the road TF-12. Google maps pin for a starting point can be found here.
By bus: Take the bus no 076, 077 or 275. Current bus schedules can be found here: https://www.titsa.com/index.php/en/
MY EXPERIENCE WITH AFUR HIKE
This adventure begins next to the Casa Carlos Restaurant. The trail descends through the forest along the ridge, following the route PR TF2 and then PR TF 2.1/9. After about 15 minutes, I have reached the first viewpoint. From there, continue descending until you reach a fork with a signpost pointing the way to Afur.
About 30 minutes later, you’ll find this cute little tumbledown cottage. I strongly recommend taking a detour to the right side of the ridge to fully experience the Afur Valley. On the opposite side, there’s a great spot to sit down for a quick snack. Detours are always good!
Shortly after a gentle descent, you should reach El Fronton, where you’ll be greeted by the sounds of chickens. Just before entering the village, there’s a signpost pointing the way to Afur. This route takes you through a valley filled with bizarre rock formations. It’s a very unique sight and definitely can’t be missed.
From there, you’ll reach Lomo Centeno, another small village where the houses can only be reached by scooter. The most interesting part of this village are the houses suspended on huge rocks. Not gonna lie, they blown me away, it’s insane how adaptive human beings are!
At the bottom of the valley, you’ll find another signpost pointing the way to Degollada la Negra. To continue your journey, turn right and begin a steep and tiring climb up the mountain.
After a short climb I have now reached Roque Negro and Casa Azul which I thought would be a perfect stop for a coffee. Sadly, that place seems to be closed permanently (let me know in the comment if it’s re-opened so I can update you all!). Feeling a little disappointed I was left with no other choice but to move on.. descending through the village.
As you continue your descent, you’ll eventually reach the bottom, which means it’s time for another climb to the next peak. This one was very steep and narrow, so I recommend taking it slowly. As I made my way up, I passed by a beautiful, fully remote house and was greeted by a bunch of little puppies, who were likely surprised to see a stranger on such an unpopular trail.
The next part of the trail involved a steep descent through an overgrown forest trail filled with beautiful but sharp-spiked plants. I regretted not wearing long trousers, as my legs were cut up quite badly. Once I reached the bottom, I knew I had one more challenge to face: a steep and tiring climb back up to Casa Carlos, where I started. Casa Carlos is open every day until 6 PM (5 PM on Sundays), making it a great spot to treat yourself to a cup of coffee and a sweet treat after your hike.
CONCLUSION
Afur hike is a great adventure for hikers with a good fitness level. I loved it mainly because it was very quiet and most of the time I had the views for myself. The way back might be tricky for some but I enjoyed it anyway. I hope you found this guide helpful. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Happy and safe hiking!
HAVE YOU SEEN MY OTHER HIKING GUIDES FOR TENERIFE?
I lived and worked in Tenerife for three months, hiking nearly every day. I’ve explored over 70 trails to bring you an ultimate guide – highlighting the Top 30 Best Hikes in Tenerife. Each guide has a detailed description including the distance, difficulty, gear needed and everything else needed to complete the hike successfully. If you happen to notice any changes on the trail that should be updated – please drop the comment below so I can keep this guide up to date.
If you prefer easier hikes that can be completed under 3 hours, check out Top 12 Short Hikes in Tenerife guide.
Safe and happy hiking my friend!
