Tenerife. Masca for the Whole Family

Masca for the Whole Family We try to avoid places overrun by tourists. But some simply have to be visited because of their wondrous beauty. Masca Gorge and the village of the same name are considered the most picturesque places on the island of Tenerife. The cavalcade of vehicles winding across the island in that very direction bears this out. Once they arrive, motorists park closer to the far end of the village, zipping past its most colourful part after mistaking it for a little restaurant. At first, the lane really does disguise itself as a path to the restaurant, but after passing it, it continues in gentle zigzags between old tiled roofs, stone walls and flowering trees. Some homes are completely abandoned, while others are quite well kept. The people spilling out of cars and buses five hundred metres from where we stopped have no idea what a magical place they have just missed. Thanks to their mistake, we stroll down the narrow sloping lane as though we have family here rather than being here on an excursion. Somewhere a goat bleats; pots clatter in an open kitchen... Time hangs weightless and still among ivy-clad old stones and terracotta roofs. Villages like this are where they film medieval fairy tales. And we are all alone in this fairy tale. Only towards the end of our walk did we meet an elderly couple with backpacks. Apparently, they had hiked down the gorge all the way to the ocean and were now making their way back. From the Sea Masca can also be approached from the sea aboard a sailing yacht . Two and a half years ago, we had already anchored in this bay. The place was unfamiliar, the boat was chartered, our youngest junior crew member was still a nursing infant, and the first mate was in a cast . Just in case, the captain spent the night in the cockpit, keeping his finger on the pulse of the anchor chain. The pulse was steady. Perhaps the place was named “Masca” for the bizarre basalt grimaces of Dementors on the sheer cliffs. It looks as though molten lava flowed down the precipices and froze. These formations loom over the ocean in utterly incredible 200-metre masses, truly resembling the grimacing mask from the film “Scream.” This time we stayed in the gorge for several days. Having slipped neatly into the wind shadow of the coastal cliffs, we dropped anchor, launched the dinghy and fell asleep in joyful anticipation of going ashore... Continued here >>