At present we find seven lighthouses in Tenerife guiding the sailors along the coasts of Tenerife. The oldest dates from 1863. The new technologies have made the lighthouses have been changing their height and shape but retaining its essence and beauty.
Lighthouse of Punta de Abona
The Punta de Abona Lighthouse is one of the oldest on the island of Tenerife. It was inaugurated in 1902. It served to help navigation between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the western islands. In the 1960’s there was an accident with a rubber dinghy due to the poor condition of the signs.. Hence the expression “they will change the lighthouses when the frogs grow hair”. A few years later, in 1978, the lighthouse was abandoned and they stopped using it.
In 2003 the rehabilitation work started. Among the changes, the height of the lighthouse increased from 6.5 to 39 meters. One of the projects that is pending is to convert the lighthouse keeper’s house into a museum restaurant.
Thanks to the eruption of a volcano called Montaña de la Centinela, there are puddles around it where you can bathe. In addition this mountain has a high geological value and has a wide range of fauna and vegetation.
Lighthouse of Teno
The lighthouse is located on the cliffs of Punta de Teno. An impressive spot where the two parts of the island meet. The nearest town is Buenavista del Norte, about 7 kilometers from the capital.
The construction of the lighthouse was approved in 1889, the works were finished on April 15, 1893 and four years began its operation. At that time the fato had a building with a stone floor, this time brought from La Gomera, like those of that time. The tower measured 7.62 meters. It also had two small houses to accommodate the two bullfighters and their families, these had a dining room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, all around a courtyard and offices, warehouses, etc. The two bullfighters had four-month shifts and two vacation shifts.
Over the years the lighthouse has evolved in both form and function. In the 70’s the cylindrical tower prevailed over the rest, it was made of reinforced concrete and painted with white and red stripes. In 1978 another tower was built, 20 meters high, almost 60 meters above sea level.
Lighthouse of Buenavista
A 42-meter white tower with a spiral staircase stands out in the middle of an unparalleled landscape. It is located four kilometers from Buenavista. It started operating in 1997, hence its modern shape. You can’t visit it but it is worth going to see its dimensions and its geographical locatio
Lighthouse of Puerto de la Cruz
The lighthouse was completed in 1995 and one year later it began its operation. It is 31 meters high and consists of a cylindrical tower with a modernist style staircase. It also has a black rectangular structure simulating windows. This lighthouse replaces the one in the dock of Puerto de la Cruz.
Punta de Hidalgo Lighthouse
It is located on the coast of San Cristobal de La Laguna, in Punta de Hidalgo. Its idyllic location and design does not leave anyone indifferent. It was built between 1991 and 1992 by the plan carried out to avoid the black spots of the Spanish coast. 50 meters high, in this case the height is important and is not chosen at random. Due to the curvature of the earth, if it was lower, sailors would not be able to see the lighthouse.
Because when the lighthouse was built the technology had already advanced enough, we can not find the homes of the lighthouse keepers, there are two machine rooms one on the first floor and one on the top floor. The lighthouse was put into operation in 1994. As a curious fact on September 6, 2007, along with five other Spanish lighthouses, was represented in a stamp of the Post Office.
Anaga Lighthouse
This lighthouse has been guiding sailors for more than 150 years, since 1863, in fact it was the first one that illuminated the Canary Islands coasts. It is also the only one that has not been replaced by a new one. It is located in one of the most abrupt places of the island, on Roque Bermejo. To access the lighthouse you can go by land, through a mountain path, or by sea.
According to Francisco Ruiz Ojeda, author of a book dedicated to the lighthouses of the Canary Islands, the tower also had a social function for the poorest people of the place. The people who lived in the hamlets would come to the lighthouse to collect oil in order to light their homes.
Lighthouse Punta Rasca
It is located in the Special Natural Reserve of the Malpaís de La Rasca. Although the studies for the installation date from 1848, the work would not begin until 1883, was completed in 1895 and was inaugurated four years later. Even though we see it today as being far from civilization, at that time it was even more so, in fact there were small boats that brought the lighthouse keepers everything they needed, food, water and fuel above all.
Apart from the lighthouses of Tenerife, its surroundings, its different villages and coast will not leave anyone indifferent. Take advantage of visiting the towns and villages where the lighthouses are located and you will fall in love with the place.
