The Pino Gordo of Vilaflor: the tree nobody stops for

Everybody knows the Drago of Icod. Almost nobody knows that going up to the Teide from the south you pass, without noticing, another tree that would deserve the same queue.

It is called the Pino Gordo, it stands in Vilaflor de Chasna, and it is one of the largest known Canary pines. There is no ticket, no fenced park, and on many days there is nobody there at all.

Where it is

Vilaflor is the highest village in Tenerife, sitting at around 1,400 metres, on the southern climb to the Teide National Park along the TF-21.

Almost everyone driving to the Teide from Los Cristianos or Costa Adeje passes through Vilaflor. The vast majority do not stop: they carry on upwards, towards the crater. That is precisely why the Pino Gordo is still peaceful.

It stands on the edge of the village, signposted, a short walk from where you park.

What a Canary pine is, and why it matters

The Canary pine (Pinus canariensis) is not just any pine, and understanding it changes the visit.

It is endemic to the islands, adapted to a volcanic archipelago where fire is part of the landscape. It has thick bark that insulates the trunk, and an ability that is rare among conifers: it resprouts after a fire. Where other trees die, the Canary pine pushes new needles straight out of the burnt trunk. If you have ever seen photographs of a blackened hillside with green tufts emerging from charred trunks, that is this.

Its needles also comb the fog: they condense the moisture carried by the trade winds and let it drip to the ground. A good part of the water in the midlands arrives that way, drop by drop, thanks to the forest.

The tree itself

Different sources give different figures for the Pino Gordo, which is why we are not going to hand you an exact measurement as though it were beyond dispute. What can be said without any doubt is what you see on arrival: a trunk that two or three people with outstretched arms cannot get around, and a crown that makes you tilt your head back.

The feeling is different from the Drago. The Drago impresses through its shape, twisted and almost animal. The Pino Gordo impresses through sheer scale.

How to visit

It is one of the simplest outings on the island:

• It is free, with no booking and no opening hours.

• The walk is short, a few minutes from where you leave the car.

• You can walk right around it, see it from several angles, with no fence in the way.

• Half an hour is enough to take it in properly, photographs included.

Go early if you can, not because of crowds but because of the light: by mid-morning the sun comes in between the pine trunks and the whole forest turns gold.

What to combine it with

On its own, the Pino Gordo is a thirty-minute stop. What makes it worth the detour is everything around it.

The Paisaje Lunar. Near Vilaflor are these eroded tuff formations, pale columns that look like they belong on another planet. You reach them on foot, and it is one of the most photographed routes in the south.

The village. Vilaflor has a traditional centre, a quiet square and a reputation for almond trees. It is the logical place to eat if you are up there that day.

The Teide. You are on the national park road. If you carry on up, read first how the summit permit and the cable car work, because access to the peak is booked separately.

The viewpoints on the climb. The TF-21 strings several together. We have a selection of the best viewpoints in Tenerife if you want to plan the stops.

Before you go

Three things people forget, and then feel:

You are at 1,400 metres. Even if it is twenty-eight degrees on the coast, it can be ten degrees cooler here, and it drops sharply once the sun goes. Take a layer even if you set off in a t-shirt.

The sun is stronger. At that altitude the radiation is harsher and the air is drier. Water and sun protection, even for a short walk.

Closed shoes. The forest floor is pine needles and loose stone. It is not demanding, but flip-flops are not the plan.

And one last thing. The Corona Forestal pine forest is the largest protected area in the Canaries, and this tree has stood there for centuries watching cars drive past on their way to something else. Fifteen minutes is the least it can be offered.

Cover photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Second photograph: Cayambe, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.