Vilaflor

Travel Agent's View

approximately 4000ft above sea level, high up in the mountain on the slopes of El Teide National Park close quotes

Vilaflor is situated on the south of the island. It is approximately 4000ft above sea level, high up in the mountain on the slopes of El Teide National Park. It is the highest parish of Tenerife.

Vilaflor is an ideal resort for people who love walking and hiking, but not for the elderly or wheelchair users.

In the protected nature reserve, which is 1400m above sea level, Paisaje Lunar and the mineral springs of Fuente Alta can be found. The 17th Century Church of San Pedro is found in the main square. The village is a good place to buy arts and crafts.

Vilaflor is situated approximately 25km of Tenerife South Airport.

Insider's View

Vilaflor feels more Alpine than sub-tropical with its pine forests and fir trees close quotes

If you're a lover of natural beauty, you'll fall head over heels with Vilaflor close quotes

I get an overwhelming urge to belt out 'The hills are alive… with the sound of music' every time I set foot in Vilaflor. No, it's not a nun obsession, it’s the fact that Vilaflor feels more Alpine than sub-tropical with its pine forests and fir trees.

It's Spain's highest village and when the clouds descend and waft through its flower lined streets chilling me to the bone, I'm reminded of that fact. If you're staying here during the winter months, you’ll need to pack a fleece.

Vilaflor's location is such that, when it's above the clouds it's picture-postcard pretty, warm and sunny but when it's in them it's distinctly chilly and looks like one of those horror movie towns where a zombie could lunge out of the mist at any moment. If the cloud rolls in, I head to one of the town's excellent restaurants, preferably one with an open fire like Rincon del Roberto, and order some hearty local food such as puchero, a traditional stew which includes everything but the kitchen sink. With a bottle of the local wine uncorked too, I could hope the cloud stays for ever.

If you're a lover of natural beauty, you'll fall head over heels with Vilaflor. I love picnic-ing at the forest site just outside town and showing friends the pino gordo pine tree which is the fattest on Tenerife. The night skies here are unbelievably clear with loads of shooting stars and it's a perfect base for some high altitude walking and for exploring the Teide National Park.

And the must-sees? The surreal landscape at Paisajes Lunar is one of the strangest on Tenerife and well worth seeing. But it's a three hour trek to get to it unless you've got a 4x4, or the bottle to test the hire-car's suspension on the dirt road which runs to within a more leg-friendly 45 minutes of the rock formations.