Tenerife's Playa Bollullo - the hidden beach of Puerto de la Cruz in the Canary Islands

Many tourists come to the resort of Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife in the Canary Islands without ever finding out about one of its hidden gems, namely the beach known as Playa Bollullo. It is a secluded black sand beach and only accessible by walking or by car for part of the way.

It is well worth the effort though and a favourite beach for many locals who know about it.

There is a coastal path (Camino de la Costa) that leads to Playa Bollullo from the La Paz suburb of Puerto de la Cruz or you can follow the TF-31 road on that side of the resort and then take a pathway and steps that go downwards. The route leads through banana plantations and along the top of the cliffs and then descends down to the beach itself.

There are a lot of steps that go down to it but also they go upwards in some parts of the track. I had seen somewhere that there were 300 so made a count and it is more like 250 in total if you include every step in all sections of the pathway.

As you get down to Playa Bollullo you will see a small cave in the rock-face beside the path and it is full of primitive crosses fashioned out of sticks and driftwood. There are a few elaborate and artistic ones too, adorned with shells and decorations.

It looks like some sort of shrine but to whom? I haven't been able to find out the origins of why people started leaving crosses there, or to which local saint the place is dedicated, but it is thought to bring good luck to leave an offering there! So the crosses continue to be left and add to the mystique and mystery of this curious place.

The beach itself is quite a long one and is of black volcanic sand with flecks of a more golden-coloured sand in it too.

Bathers and surfers do so at their own risk because the currents at Playa Bollullo are known to be very strong and the waves can be very high like small tsunamis. For safety there is a lifeguard present.

There is a small shack-style café bar selling drinks and meals, and a lovely tabby cat that lives there too. The cat has a feeding bowl and is well fed and looked after.

Further up on the cliff where a road meets the pathway there is another bigger bar and restaurant but both it and the beach bar are closed on Thursdays for some reason.

There is an interesting large rock formation in the sea at Playa Bollullo and some great views along the coast back to Puerto or in the other direction. There are two more coves further along for those who want to investigate further.

The walk from La Paz is a couple of kilometres and could take around 30-45 minutes to get to Playa Bollullo depending on where you start walking from and how fit you are. Going down to the beach is perhaps easier than going back from it, which is a climb, so take this into account if you decide to visit this secluded and hidden coastal gem.

It is well worth the effort though because Playa Bollullo is regarded by many as one of the best beaches in Tenerife's north!

Copyright © 2011 Steve Andrews. All Rights Reserved.