PUNTA DEL HIDALGO – CHINAMADA HIKE, A UNIQUE OLD LINEN ROUTE
This hidden trail from Punta del Hidalgo to Batan and Chinamada is my number one hiking adventure in the Anaga Mountains, and maybe even on the whole island. The whole journey is full of beautiful views of the northern part of the island and the coast. The route takes you through an old linen route from Punta del Hidalgo to Chinamada, passing through the village of Batan where time seems to have stopped. This is a great way to forget about the world for a while.
PUNTA DEL HIDALGO – CHINAMADA HIKE FACTS
Distance: The total distance for this hike was 13km for the loop trail.
Hike duration: This hike’s duration was 4h and 45minutes. Adding few breaks, this hike should take no more than 6h.
Elevation gain: The total elevation gain for this hike was 900m.
Difficulty: This hike is moderate. The reason for rating this one as moderate is an elevation gain of almost 1000m on a fairly short distance. You really need to be fit to enjoy to this hike 😀
Gear needed: Hiking shoes suitable for a rocky terrain, head protection and a windproof jacket is a must. If you’re unsure on what else to bring for a hike, read this guide.
My Strava map + gpx file can be found here: PUNTA DEL HIDALGO – CHINAMADA – BATAN
GETTING TO PUNTA DEL HIDALGO – CHINAMADA HIKE
By car: The starting point for Old Linen trail in Anaga is located in Punta del Hidalgo town right next to Playa de los Torches. Google pin for parking the car can be found here.
By bus: Take the bus no 50, 105 or 224. Current bus schedules can be found here: https://www.titsa.com/index.php/en/
MY EXPERIENCE HIKING PUNTA DEL HIDALGO – CHINAMADA HIKE
This amazing route is in my top 3 hikes in Tenerife. I was invited to go on this loop trail by a good friend of mine who is an experienced hiker and mountain guide from Tenerife (thanks Sara!). The trail is an old path that is still used by locals from Punta el Hidalgo. It follows a riverbed all the way to the villages of Batan and Chinamada. I recommend starting this adventure in the afternoon, around 3-4 PM, so you can see the sunset on the way back like I did. The route starts near the Mirador Punta del Hidalgo and follows the riverbed all the way to Batan village.
Walking through the Barranco Del Rio and its riverbed was a spectacular experience. The rocks may not be as impressive as when hiking Masca (Masca hiking guide can be found here), but the fact that we were walking on an old linen trail that isn’t known to many made it feel very special. We reached a point where the road seemed to end (this is where most people turn back), but that is where the first steep and challenging climb begins.
Back in the day, It used to be a trail used by local people living in the surrounding villages, who carried various goods, food (mainly potatoes) and generally everything that was needed for everyday life. Their fitness is indeed admirable, and the ways to facilitate this route, although crazy, are incredibly interesting. Second picture is the perfect example – those little holes were carved in the rock by shepherds jumping on their wooden sticks in order to cover long distances across these lands. Sounds insane, doesn’t it?
After several hundred steps of a steep climb, we reached the top of the mountain overlooking the Barranco del Rio together with the Atlantic Ocean from one side, and the incredible village of Batan on another. That’s also a perfect spot for a lunch break with the view.
From here we here we began descending down to the village where time seemed to stop long time ago. There were only a few houses, community building and some animals. The whole thing gave the impression of an idyllic and peaceful life, without unnecessary distractions or worries. Fabulous!
As usual on the Anaga hikes, the next part of the adventure was the descent down the valley just to start another uphill climb towards Chinamada. Here’s where we got to appreciate some amazing views of the mountains and the incredible houses built into the rocks.
Reaching Chinamada felt awesome considering how demanding the climb was. From then on, my legs were able to rest a bit because the route to Punta del Hidalgo was now mainly a descent. The signpost indicated that we had 90 minutes left to reach Punta del Hidalgo and complete the loop.
This was probably my favorite part of the adventure. I had to stop every several meters, staring at the stunning views, taking hundred of photos to be sure that nothing would be missed.
We also passed by an amazing viewing point where I felt a bit like a little Simba in the Lion King. Since Rafiki did not join us, I had no other choice but to announce myself to the animal kingdom.
At this point the sun was already setting so we had to speed up our pace to avoid hiking in the dark. Going down, we reached the point that seemed to be the northern edge of Tenerife where we could admire the waves crashing against the beautiful mountains of Anaga.
As we were getting closer to Punta del Hidalgo, the colours of the sky kept changing making the end of our journey super enjoyable. After about 30 minutes we reached the starting point, where we could admire a wonderful sunset. It was indeed a very memorable adventure!
I hope you found this guide helpful and you will enjoy this magnificent route from Punta del Hidalgo to Chinamada just like I did. If you have any questions – don’t be shy and leave the comment below. If you like challenging hikes, check out: Pico Viejo, Teide, Sendero de Baracan or Playa de Ijuana hike.
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!
