Sendero Monte del Agua (Erjos - Las Portelas)
A 10.7 kilometre trail between Erjos and Las Portelas, of medium difficulty and around three hours' walking. Almost the whole route follows a forest track through the laurel forest and fayal brezal of Monte del Agua, in north west Tenerife. It is one of the areas where the endemic pigeons of the laurel woodland can be seen. The route is linear, so the way back to the starting point has to be sorted out.
The Monte del Agua trail links Erjos with Las Portelas over 10.7 kilometres, at medium difficulty and around three hours of walking. Almost the whole line follows a wide forest track, so navigation is straightforward and the effort stays evenly spread. The route crosses the laurel woodland of north west Tenerife: laurisilva in the damper sections, fayal brezal where the soil is poorer and more exposed. The massif is administratively split between El Tanque, Los Silos and Buenavista del Norte, and the usual start is at Erjos.
The main draw is the forest itself, among the best preserved on the island, and the wildlife that goes with it: this is territory for the endemic pigeons of the laurel woodland, heard more often than seen. Mist is common and the surface stays damp for long spells, so grippy soles and an extra layer are worth having, even in summer. The route runs point to point between two different places, so the return needs planning with two cars, a taxi or a bus. Carrying water matters, since there is nowhere to refill along the way.
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Sendero Cuevas Negras - Los Silos
The PR-TF 53 drops from Erjos down to Los Silos through the Teno Rural Park: 5.7 kilometres, around three hours, intermediate difficulty. It starts close to 1,000 metres and ends at 105, so it is more than nine hundred metres of almost continuous descent along the old royal road, through the laurel forest of Monte del Agua and the Cuevas Negras ravine. No permit is required to walk it.
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Sendero Las Charcas De Erjos
The Erjos ponds are one of the few wetlands on Tenerife, occupying former earth and aggregate pits worked in the 1970s and 1980s between the municipalities of El Tanque, Los Silos and Buenavista del Norte. Once they began to fill in the rainy season they became a key spot for birds, which use them to feed, rest and breed. The circular trail that runs past them crosses laurel forest and opens views towards Mount Teide.
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