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WALK 5

Taganana, Afur and La Cumbre

Start/Finish	Taganana
Distance	14km (8½ miles)
Total Ascent/Descent	1000m (3280ft)
Time	5hrs
Terrain	A rugged coastal path and barranco, followed by steep paths through laurisilva woods.
Refreshment	Bars at Taganana and Afur.
Transport	Regular daily buses serve Taganana from Santa Cruz. Infrequent buses serve Afur and Taborno from La Laguna.
Waymarked route(s)	Route uses PR TF 8.

A cliff coast and a deeply set barranco are linked by a rugged path running from Taganana to Afur. A steep climb into dense laurisilva forest is followed by a descent to Taganana, though it is also possible to climb from Afur to Taborno instead, using Walk 6.

Buses do not enter Taganana, but pass on a winding road, so start from the highest bus stop on the edge of the village and walk up a road climbing parallel to the main road. Head for the church, where a map-board and signposts stand nearby. Go down the cobbled Camino Cruz de Limera and cross a bridge over the Barranco de la Iglesia.

The church in Taganana, looking across the valley to the Roque de Enmedio

The Camino Cruz de Limera climbs as a steep tarmac road, turning to level cobbles. The narrow Calle Lomo la Chanca is marked on the left, climbing steeply and winding past houses. Cross a road and continue up broad then narrow concrete, giving way to a steep, winding stone-paved path. Turn right gently down a road, then branch left up a terrace path, through a tiny gap and gently downhill with a pipe alongside. Continue along a track that levels out at La Bodega de Queque. Follow the track down past houses, plots, terraces and palms, and when it steepens it has patchy, broken tarmac on it. Pass a solitary palm tree and the track becomes a broad path leading to a stone-walled mirador overlooking the rugged coast.

A narrow path picks a way through a huge, crumbling gully. Further along there are smaller gullies to cross on the slopes of Roque Marrubial, where it is hoped that the path will remain in good shape. There are a couple of cultivated slopes and a white shed is prominent for a short while. The path rises and falls, in and out of gullies, crossing a very steep, scrub-covered slope of crumbling conglomerate. A rocky outcrop is seen ahead and the path passes through a gap behind it. The descent starts easily but becomes rough and stony, with a view of Playa de Tamadiste and a beach house.

Cross the Barranco de Tamadiste as marked and turn left to follow a fragmentary path upstream. Cross the bare rock bed of a side-stream and the path begins to climb steeply and ruggedly, passing a big cane thicket below a little house adorned with maritime salvage. Keep well below the house and pick a way below terraces. The path climbs and winds, with rocky corners and fine views deep into the barranco. Some short stretches are fenced and the rugged, uneven slopes sometimes feature crude steps. Eventually, cross the barranco and climb crude steps up the other side. The rugged and undulating path is followed by more steps, passing a big stump of rock before crossing a good track. Weave between houses into the tiny village of Afur, where there is a little chapel and a bar.

Playa de Tamadiste at the mouth of the Barranco de Tamadiste