Jinama and Charco Azul

“Refresh yourself at the natural swimming pool after a walking day that offers you views beyond than the horizon”.

Welcome to this beautiful experience today! I would like to invite you to live it with all your senses!

You start from the viewpoint mirador de Jinama. From here you can see the valley of Golfo if the weather is clear, otherwise you will get a unique and close cloud performance: When I was little I used to get hypnotized watching the dance of clouds and the invisible wind. I could stay there for hours not even realizing the time passing while my imagination was in a world of dragons and fairies where the good fought the bad, protecting the weak and, of course, always with a happy ending.

Once you start walking, you will enter the Rural Park of Frontera. The path, made of stones, is very old. Before the roads and first cars arrived on the island, the “herreños” used this trail for their “mudadas”. The islanders used to live half a year at the coast and half a year in the north to survive thanks to fishing, making wine, planting vegetables and ranching. If you look closer, you can see how the stones are worn out and slippery after so many years having been stepped on by different humans and their life stories.

You´ll be walking along the steep mountains enjoying different worlds just a few meters apart because of the changing vegetations that will accompany you until the end of the tour: First you´ll admire the laurisilva forest while drops might be falling from the leaves, mosses and ferns everywhere you can look. You might feel you are in a Lord of the Ring forest. The trees around you are: Erica arborea, Myrica faya, llex canariensis, Laurus azorica, Visnea mocanera…

As you get closer to the end, the landscape will change into drier and lower flora, bushes like Arbutus unedo will appear.

After passing two viewpoints and a natural spring, you will start seeing the vineyards that will conduct you to the end of the walking tour: The last part of the path will turn into a small road that leads you to the church Candelaria (built in 1615) with its bell tower (built in 1818) over the red mountain Joapira that reaches all the valley with its sound.

Here the Virgin “Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria” safeguards the population. At the left hand side of the building you can discover the “campo de lucha canaria”, a fighting arena where the traditional fighting sport is still performed a few days a year. I find it very interesting watching those strong young or older bodies bending against another, similar to the sumo fightings, measuring their strength.

After the long walk you deserve a cold drink. I suggest the bar Joapira in front of the church where you can also try a tipical canarian food, imported from Latin America: The “arepas”, a fried corn bread with tasty ingredients of your choice inside. Personally, the most delicious one is with the smoked cheese of the island; its strong taste reminds me of the smell of barbecues at the sea side.

Once you´re recovered, you continue by car to the cool up at a natural pool called Charco Azul. For me it is one of the most amazing corners of the island, not very visited, which makes it more authentic.

You will have to park and have a nice walk downhill, but the sound of the weaves will already welcome you from the top.

When you arrive at the coast, let yourself get surprised. I love walking around watching this strange stone formations that appeared when the hot lava touched the water and started to cool up.

I love observing the fishes swimming around and the water flowing into the natural transparent pool in this cave with the most beautiful blue tones...

This is a perfect place to end the day, relaxing, listening to the sounds of the waves, connecting to the place and the ocean that surrounds you, feeling the peace and having fun in the natural jacuzzi with the waves jumping into the pool and stroking your skin... This spot of the world is like heaven, enjoy it.