Emigrant Viewpoint

Garachico lies below like a street plan: the roofs of the old town, the black lava shore, the El Caletón pools and the beach, with the Roque de Garachico standing out in the sea. Beyond the town the coast runs on a long way.

The board La Bahía que perdió Garachico makes sense of what you are looking at. Until 1706 Garachico had the island's busiest port; lava from that eruption filled the bay and left the low platform the town and its pools now sit on. From up here the shape of that flow is easy to read.

Few people stop. Come for sunset, when the light goes down over the sea.

• The viewpoint sits on a bend of the road, and parking can be hard to find.
• The nearest public toilets are about 500 m away.
• There is no drinking water nearby — bring your own.
• A look from here pairs well with a visit to the El Caletón pools in the town below.
• When cloud sits low over the coast the view goes, and there is nothing else to do here.

Most visitors arrive by car on the road above Garachico; the viewpoint is on a bend of it. There is a free car park about 44 m away and a second car park about 146 m away, and space on the curve itself is scarce. From either car park the rest is a short walk over.

By bus, the two La Cuesta stops are about 200 m and 270 m from the viewpoint in a straight line, and the rest is on foot along the road.

Best: late afternoon into sunset.

Avoid: grey days when trade-wind cloud hangs low over the north coast.

The sun sets over the sea and lights the coastline along its length, while low cloud flattens the whole view.