There is so much to do on the north side of the island of Tenerife and Mirador de Las Breñas is just one of the many things to do in Tenerife.
From surfing to coastal walks and even delicious wine tasting the north has it all. We’ve travelled around the island hiking the Guama-Tamaimo trail on the west coast and exploring the beaches in Puerto de la Cruz. Or even finding the best sunset spot in Tenerife.
We have also been searching for some hidden gems, where not as many tourists go. That’s how we stumbled across the Mirador de Las Breñas hike / coastal walk to Costa Acentejo which is only a short drive from Puerto de la Cruz.
If you’re willing to rent a car or take a bus away from the city and into the small local towns around Tenerife then you can find some pretty amazing spots on the island.
We stumbled upon this trail just looking for viewpoints on Google Maps. We found there’s a hiking trail that starts at the Mirador de Las Breñas viewpoint which is in the El Sauzal area.
The hike starts as a steep decline and then turns into a gorgeous coastal walk down by the ocean. So you get a bit of a hike and the coastal walk all in one.
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Everything you need to know about the Mirador de Las Breñas hike / coastal walk
The Mirador de Las Brenas hike / coastal walk is an awesome activity to do if you want to get out of the city and explore a bit of Tenerife’s more quiet and local side. It was such a peaceful trail that we had to ourselves with just a few locals passing by every once in a while.
On a sunny day, you can see Mt Teide, Puerto de la Cruz, and of course the beautiful costa Acentejo coastline that stretches for miles and miles in each direction. There are even plenty of these cliff caves that look really cool.
The hike itself (the trail down to the water) we would rate as moderate because of the steep incline / decline aspect of the trail. The coastal walk is a nice relaxing flat walk around the coast but to get there and then back to your car or a bus is a bit of a challenge.
The hike actually starts at the Mirador de Las Breñas viewpoint which you’ll recognize once you find it. There will be a statue of what looks like to be two people. It’s also a great spot to get a picture of Mt Teide far in the background.
The symbolism of the statue is quite fascinating. The sculpture itself actually represents the local fisherman who saved 23 out of 24 passengers. The passengers were rescued from a flight that crashed over the ocean in 1966. An engine failure caused the pilot to make a crash landing in the ocean. That’s where the local fishermen came to the rescue and saved the 23 passengers.
Looking down from the viewpoint you’ll get a full aerial view of the costa Acentejo coastal walk and you can see what the trail looks like. From there you can enjoy the cliffs, the cave formations, watching the waves crash along the beach, and you can even spot a few abandoned houses in the fields all around while having a peaceful walk in Tenerife.
We recommend renting a car to get to the viewpoint. You can actually park right next to the viewpoint if you want and start the hike from there. We didn’t know this and parked 2 kilometres up on the main road (our mistake, haha).
But if you’re comfortable driving down some local windy roads then definitely rent a car for a few days while exploring Tenerife and drive down to the lookout and explore the area. We went with Autoreisen that were both cheap and super easy to deal with.
In case you don’t rent a car then you can definitely still get to the trail by bus. It won’t drop you off right at the viewpoint but you’ll be able to walk down from the main road like we did. In the end, it’ll just seem like you did a longer hike. Win win! 😉
Practical information about the Mirador de Las Breñas Coastal Walk
Distance: 3.7km return / 2.3 miles return
Elevation: 310 m / 1017 ft. elevation gain
Type: Lollipop Trail (basically a loop trail)
Length: 1 – 1.5 hours (taking your time and taking pictures)
Difficulty: Easy (walking trail)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Click here to see a map of the beginning of the Mirador de Las Breñas trail
You may also like…
- Exploring The Famous Rambla de Castro Trail – Tenerife
- The Best Sunset Spot in Tenerife – Montaña Roja Hike
- Everything you Need to Know About the Tamaimo-Guama Loop Trail – Tenerife
- Hiking Gear Checklist
Route Directions
Step #1: Starting at Mirador de Las Breñas
The trail officially starts here at the viewpoint. Thats is where you will see the little statue of what looks like two people. You can park your car right in front of the starting point. Otherwise you can take a bus to the main road and walk down which we will explain a little further in the next steps.
There aren’t any markings on this trail because it may not be an official hiking trail but it’s known by the locals and you’ll see it’s a very well maintained hiking trail down to the ocean.
This first bit is the only real challenging part of the trail as there is quite a decline going down but it’s pretty short. You will zig-zag down the windy path dropping quickly in elevation to get down to sea level.
We actually forgot our hiking shoes but it would have been nice to have them for this first section of the hike. If you’re looking for new hiking shoes, we can recommend this pair from Columbia or you can check out our hiking checklist here for more recommendations.
Click here to see this step in MapyCZ.
Step #2: Walking along the Costa Acentejo
This part of the trail is kind of similar to the coastal walk we did in Puerto de la Cruz. The main difference is that this coastal walk you are actually much closer to sea level.
As soon as you get off the hiking part of the trail you will come on a nice coastal path that runs along the coast that has some amazing views of the area. You’ll see tons of cave formations in the cliffs that almost look like people used to maybe live in them..who knows!
You will continue along the coast on the Acentejo coastal walk and enjoy small inlets where you may see some local fishermen, surfers, or even free-divers. It’s a very local area where the majority of the people who visit are locals who live in the town above. This makes the walk very peaceful and enjoyable.
You’ll see big waves crashing in on the coast nearby which makes for some beautiful pictures. Also in the area you can tell there used to be some settlements or maybe even some sort of small fortresses that used to protect the area. The El Sauzal coast is such a beautiful little section of Tenerife to explore.
Click here to see this step in MapyCZ.
Step #3: Costa Acentejo back to Mirador de Las Breñas
So as you can see it’s not the longest coastal walk but it’s a good one to go out and see some of Tenerife’s beautiful coastline. Lots of locals actually say that El Sauzal (the area) has some of the most beautiful coastlines on the whole island.
This hike is an in and out slash lollipop trail so you will just go head back to the beginning once you’ve explored the area. So on the way back, you can enjoy the same coastline but from a new angle. We definitely recommend venturing off to some of the beachy areas where you can go see all the caves that look like they’ve been built into the cliffs.
We don’t know if people actually used to live in the caves, but it’s cool to use your imagination and picture people way back in the day living in them.
Once you’ve taken in the views, you’ll have your only incline of the whole hike where you hike back up the zig zag that you originally came down on. You’ll have the gorgeous Mt Teide to look at your whole way up.
After 20 ish minutes of walking up the zig zags (depending on your fitness level) you’ll get back to the trailhead where the statue of Los Breñas stands. From there, take in one last look at Costa Acentejo, and the crazy waves down below!
Click here to see this step in MapyCZ.
Where to stay when exploring El Sauzal’s coast
Thankfully Tenerife is quite a small island. It actually isn’t too far of a drive no matter where you go from and to. You can get to most parts of the island in under two hours.
We took a car to get to the Mirador de Las Breñas trailhead. Taking the bus is also an option though. The only difference is the bus takes a little bit longer and doesn’t stop exactly at the trailhead.
We recommend staying in Puerto de la Cruz. Or if you want something a bit quieter you may be able to find a cute little place in El Sauzal.
Staying in Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz is the perfect place if you love nature, coastal walks, and exploring new places.
We recommend using Airbnb or Booking to find a place. If you don’t want a lot of noise and something a little quieter we would recommend staying somewhere away from the main roads and on one of the less busy streets away from the center.
Here are a few good options:
Look for accommodation on Booking.com | Airbnb
How to get to the start of the Mirador de Las Breñas hike
If you want to take your car then we recommend parking just on the road next to the Mirador de Las Brenas viewpoint. Here is the exact point on Google Maps for the viewpoint.
You can also take the bus from Puerto de la Cruz or other parts of the island. There’s a possibility that you will have to transfer once or twice but it will get you very close to the trailhead. You can see the bus stop here. Add it to your current location to see which busses will get you to the hike.
You may also like…
- Exploring The Famous Rambla de Castro Trail – Tenerife
- The Best Sunset Spot in Tenerife – Montaña Roja Hike
- Everything you Need to Know About the Tamaimo-Guama Loop Trail – Tenerife
- Hiking Gear Checklist
Before you go hike the Mirador de Las Brenas trail
We first recommend checking the weather to make sure it’s not too windy or rainy. It won’t be fun hiking along the coast and down the zig-zag path while it’s muddy. You can see the weather for El Sauzal here.
We’d also recommend checking the bus schedule. Especially if you’re going on Sunday where busses don’t run as often. Just to make sure you don’t have to wait too long once you’ve done the hike. From the moment you start the hike give yourself at least 2 hours. If you plan on swimming or hanging out by the water then of course add some more time.
What to bring on the trail
You’re going to be exposed to the sun throughout the whole hike. Tenerife is extremely warm in the summer – and even in the off-season, it can get quite hot. We went in March and got ourselves a nice little sunburn. So come prepared because lack of sunscreen and dehydration isn’t fun.
There isn’t anywhere to buy food unless you go up to the restaurant in town. It’s a good idea to bring a few snacks while you enjoy the hike.
So bring:
- Water! You don’t want to wait until the end of the hike to buy some.
- Sunscreen is a must when you go anywhere hiking anywhere in Tenerife! Even if you go early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
- A camelbak (backpack full of water) is never a bad option.
- Bring some food so you can enjoy along the trail
- Relax, and enjoy the views with a nice PB&J, trail mix, or whatever you like to snack on while hiking!
- Also this is a great list of hiking gear that always has some inspiration!
We hope you enjoy this lovely coastal walk near El Sauzal. There are so many amazing places to visit and hike in Tenerife. Like the Tamaimo-Guama loop trail on the west coast or the famous Montaña Roja down south where you’ll get the best sunset view in Tenerife. We hope to share some of the best places on the island and inspire you to get out and explore all these little pockets of awe around the island.
We hope you enjoy the coastal walk as much as we did! It’s fun getting away from the touristy crowds in the city to quiet trails outdoors with amazing views.
Have fun!
Dom & Jo
Red White Adventures
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