Tamaimo is a good place for walking

Tamaimo is a town or large village with a population of 2, 414, according to figures in Wikipedia. Situated in the mountains of the south of Tenerife on the west side of the island, Tamaimo is below Santiago del Teide and above Guía de Isora with a road going down to the coastal resort of Los Gigantes.

Tamaimo is on the bus route between Playa de las Américas in Tenerife south and Icod de los Vinos in the north. The bus service between Los Gigantes and Puerto de la Cruz also goes through Tamaimo and these two bus routes makes it easy enough to get to for anyone wanting to travel there.

Tamaimo has several pathways that can be taken to enjoy walking in the Tenerife mountains and without having the difficulty of any of them being too steep or too far away from civilisation. Whilst walking on the mountainsides around Tamaimo you can really appreciate some great views and the majesty of the rocky peaks above you but at the same time not having to worry about being very far from a village.

One pathway will take you right to the top of a mountain on which stands La Cruz de los Misioneros ("Cross of the Missionaries"). It is a steep climb upwards and will take you over an hour but is well worth it for the amazing views.

It is also possible to walk the 6 km uphill to the neighbouring village of Santiago del Teide and to enjoy the views over the valley below. Santiago del Teide is a highly recommended mountain village to visit in any case and is where the road to Masca begins.

You can also leave the Tamaimo to Santiago del Teide route to explore the smaller villages of El Retamar ("The Broom") and El Molledo along the way. The weather is usually fine and sunny in this part of Tenerife so make sure to wear a hat and bring plenty of water if you expect to be out walking for long.

The vegetation growing in the scrub-land of the area is mainly "Tabaibas" (Euphorbia species), Houseleeks (Aeonium ) and Prickly Pear cacti but keen botanists should keep on the lookout for other rarer species that grow in the region of Tamaimo.

Local farmers keep goats and you may pass some of these animals as you ramble too.

Besides taking pathways that lead uphill to Santiago del Teide it is of course possible to go the other direction and walk on down to Puerto de Santiago and Los Gigantes. There are paths through the rugged countryside as well as a winding road that zig-zags its way down.

Tamaimo is actually in the municipality of Santiago del Teide and is the economic centre for this region of Tenerife having banks, a post office and many local businesses. There are a number of restaurants and bars, a florists, a variety of shops and a church with traditional-style Spanish square.

Tamaimo is located in some stunning mountain landscapes but within easy reach of the popular resort of Los Gigantes down on the coast below.