Playa Charco los Sargos

The name comes from the white seabream that were once abundant along this piece of coast. The pool opens at the foot of a tall cliff in the El Golfo valley, and its shape is pure erosion: the swell has hollowed out the lava flow into several basins and inlets of clean water, joined to each other by tongues of rock. Unlike La Maceta or Charco Azul, the sea gets in here with less of a filter, so the swim feels livelier. Facing west, the place turns the end of the day into one of its strongest moments.

To get there, head from Frontera towards Las Puntas and look for the signposted turning on the left at a crossroads. Up top there is a parking area and a sun terrace, and from there a path drops down to the basins in a few minutes. The same stretch of coast carries the shoreline trail that links La Maceta with Las Puntas, about 2.8 kilometres through lava fields with wooden walkways and several viewpoints. There is no lifeguard and the northern swell arrives unobstructed, so check the tide before going in, avoid days with ground swell and tread carefully on wet rock.