Before
arriving to Tenerife I had researched the island to make sure that we avoid the
big tourist areas and can enjoy the island’s charm undisturbed by hordes of
pasty/totally red skinned foreigners. Many people have the notion that Tenerife
has lost all of its beauty to the masses of hotels and resorts and while it is
true that parts of it have there are still many places where it hasn't. That’s why instead
of the South we settled on the North and this is where we started to explore
the Island.
Our
first trip took us to a very remote area: Playa Benijo. This beach is famous
for being beautiful but utterly secluded. It is quite far from the more
populated towns of the island and even the drive there is an adventure in
itself. It leads you through the gorgeous green forests of Mount Anaga and
while you’re driving on the ridge of the island on the windy roads you will get
glimpses of jawdropping views on both sides.
There
are three viewpoints on the way that we dutifully checked out, the Mirador de
Jardines, Cruz del Carmen and the Pico Inglés.
True
to its fame Benijo is far from everything and it’s as secluded as it gets! No
hotels, no tourists, in fact there are only 2 tiny restaurants without menus,
they only offer the catch of the day. The road literally stops here. After you
find a parking space you have to go behind a bar/restaurant and start your long
way down the stairs to the beach. The view however on the way will make you
stop and start snapping many times.
Playa
Benijo is a volcanic beach with smooth black sand. This was the first black
sand beach I’ve ever been to and I personally found it incredible. There were
only a few people around as the tide was coming in and we settled down to watch
the ocean crashing into the rocks.
It
was truly hypnotizing to watch the waves. To tell you the truth we didn’t even
make it to the beach itself but stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stayed
there the whole time, waiting for the sunset.
If
you don’t want to come for one of the tourist free beaches, for the novelty of
black sand or the off the beaten track feeling, come for the sunset.
No
wonder the place is known as the ‘photographer’s paradise’.
Probably
due to its secluded location the playa is also a nudist beach however not only
nudists come here to enjoy a bit of sun. The beach ‘next door’ sees many surfers
hanging around and waiting for the waves.
You
can find Playa Bejino on the very North-Eastern tip of Tenerife. You can only
access it via Taganana TF-134.
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