Pirámides de Güímar

In the valley of Güímar, six enigmatic stepped pyramids of volcanic stone rise where many saw only piles of farming rubble. The Pirámides de Güímar Ethnographic Park turns that mystery into a fascinating walk through archaeology, gardens and sea views.

The route combines the stone terraces with a carefully kept botanical garden, the Casa Chacona museum, an auditorium screening a documentary, and spaces such as the Poison Garden and the exhibition on the colonisation of Polynesia. The grounds also hold a full-scale replica of the Ra II, the reed boat with which the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Atlantic to prove that ancient civilisations could sail between continents.

Heyerdahl spent his final years here and argued that these structures were no accident: the pyramids are astronomically aligned, and from one of their platforms you can watch a double sunset on the summer solstice. That detail, invisible to the distracted visitor, completely changes the way you look at the site.

The park opens every day from 10:00 to 18:00 and a relaxed visit takes about an hour and a half. Standard entry costs 12,50 €, you explore at your own pace, and it makes a perfect outing that blends nature, history and a riddle that still sparks debate today.