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This walk is a circular starting from the plaza at Erjos. 

After the recent wet winter the lakes at Erjos are very full.  This walk takes you past the lakes, and then climbs the slope to enter the laurel woods on the other side of the ridge, which are recovering well from the fire which affected the edge of the woods.  The area of woods affected by the fire is full of flowers, where the light has reached the forest floor and enabled other plants to grow and flower.  The laurel and heather trees are growing up from their bases, so will soon shade out the flowers again, so go and enjoy them while they’re there.
Apart from the section through the valley past the lakes, most of the walk is in deep shade, so it makes an excellent walk for the summer.  When you enter the shade of the laurels on a hot day, you can feel the temperature difference, which is very welcome.  In the winter, though, you may well find it quite cool, so go prepared with extra layers.  And of course, the laurel forest is a cloud forest, so in winter especially, be prepared for cloud, and rain, or better still look at the forecast before you go.
Grade: Moderate
Distance:  Green route 13.8km/8.63ml;  Circuit with return via blue route (track) 11.62km/7.26ml    
Time:  Green route 4hrs 15min; Circuit with return via blue route 3hrs 45min
Equipment:  Good walking shoes,  extra layer of clothing (or 2), raincoat (particularly in winter), water, food, suncream, sunhat.  Walking stick(s) if used.
Total ascent:  Green route approx 400m /1300ft;  Return via blue route 280m/920m.  
 How to reach the start point:   Erjos is on the TF-82 road between Santiago del Teide and El Tanque.  The walk starts behind the plaza where there is some parking.  The buses 325 (Puerto de la Cruz to Los Gigantes) and 460 (Playa de las Americas to Icod de los Vinos) stop there also.

Start the walk:
1.   GPS coordinates: Lat/Lon 28Ú19.664N;  16Ú48.248W:  UTM 28R 323137E, 3134830N.  WGS84.  (This is behind the plaza).  From the plaza walk across the main road, and pass down some steps, with the little church on your right.  Then cross the narrow street, which is the old main street through the village, and take the road opposite the church, till you reach, after only 50m or so,  a right-angled bend in the road going to the right.  On the bend you turn off to the left.  The path is signposted ‘Punta de Teno’.  You pass a house to the left and descend into a sunken lane.  At (1) there is a path going up to the right within a few yards, which you will return by if you return on the track, but for now you continue in the sunken lane.  You will come to a track which you cross, again following the ‘Punta de Teno’ signs and the yellow and white footpath marks. 

2.  The sunken lane joins another wide track and you turn right.  Looking right just after this turn you will see a range of troughs, possibly used in the past for doing the washing.  
3.  Another ‘Punta de Teno’ sign tells you to turn right, and the track passes between two of the lakes.  Shortly afterwards there are two paths going off towards the left.
4.  The second left is the footpath to Punta de Teno, but this is where we leave this route, continuing on the track to the right, passing the yellow/white cross, and climbing up towards the ridge.
5.  When you reach this point, you will be on the ridge, and have just passed a hairpin bend where a path leaves to follow the ridge.  If you choose to return by the green route through the woods, you will rejoin the outward path at this bend.  But for now go a few yards beyond the bend, to the left, until you see a path going towards the right, into the woods.  The path is easy to follow, despite being narrow and occasionally requiring you to negotiate fallen trees.
6.  Take the right fork here, and stick with the path as it circles the top of the slope that is covered with the laurel forest.  You will pass a small path to the right, normally blocked off, which leads to a forest oasis, with basalt hexagonal rocks littered under the trees, and a tapped spring coming out of the rocks.  It makes a shady spot for a rest on a hot day!  Later you will pass a path going left, but you continue straight on and start to descend.
7.   Here you meet a track, right next to an apple tree, turn right and go along the track, round a bend, for about  200m, and then turn right onto a footpath.
8.  There is a no cycling sign and a yellow/white cross, but continue along this for about another 300m  or so, going back into the laurel woods till you come to a fork.
9.  Take the left path and continue along this until you reach the viewpoint at (10).  On the way you find yourself in a fairly open place under some pine trees.  Here the path is not so clear, you have to go to the right over a slight bank and you will see the path again.
10.  Enjoy the view from the little clearing here and when you are ready take the path that goes down to the right of the way you entered.  You will zig-zag down to a track.
11.  Turn right up the track for about 400m, where, on a bend, you will see some signs indicating no cycling, which draws your attention to the paths that go up from here.
12.   One path goes up to the right and joins the path you have walked at point 9, but the one you want goes left.  However, here is where you have a choice to continue walking up the track (marked blue on the map, go to point 14).  
13.  The woodland path winds its way uphill till you reach the ridge again just to the left of the hairpin bend on the track you came up.  So go right and rejoin the track to go down to the lakes and retrace your steps to Erjos.
14.  If you go on the track you will get to a bend next to some communications masts, where you can see the village of Erjos again.  Here you leave the track taking a path going virtually straight on, descending to point 1 on your outward walk, so you turn left to enter the village and return to the start.
Can be found on the internet at http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=771872 where you can view it on maps of various types (and print them off if wanted), and download the GPX file.

©Sally Whymark, Tenerife