Punta del Fraile Viewpoint

The road hangs on the cliff. Heading towards the viewpoint, the rock walls rise higher and more vertical with every minute, until the carriageway is a shelf cut into sheer lava with the ocean beneath it. On a windy day the noise along this stretch is enormous.

From the lookout the coastline runs out towards Punta de Teno and the open Atlantic. In the evening the light turns warm and pastel, and the lava around the viewpoint shifts through shades of red and brown.

• Private cars and motorbikes can use the Teno road only early in the morning; after that only buses get through. Check the current hours before setting out.
• The road is sometimes closed outright, and stones fall from the cliffs above it. Skip it on stormy, windy days.
• There are no toilets, drinking water or information point at the viewpoint, and none nearby. Bring water.
• The cliff stretch gives no shelter from wind or sun, so bring a layer and a hat.

The viewpoint sits on the road out to Punta de Teno, west of Buenavista del Norte. The nearest parking is about 600 m away in a straight line, with a second area about 975 m away, and the last stretch is on foot.

When the road is shut to private cars, the bus keeps running. The nearest stop, Camino El Risco, is about 1.5 km away in a straight line. Walking in along the cliff, the wind is the first thing you hear, and on this stretch stones come down from the rock above.

Best: early in the day, while private cars are still allowed on the road, or towards evening, when the lava turns red and brown.

Avoid: windy, stormy days, when the road can be closed and stones come down from the cliffs.

The lookout faces the open Atlantic, so the low evening sun comes in off the ocean and warms the colour of the rock.