Hotels in Vilaflor

Vilaflor

Vilaflor de Chasna is the highest village in the Canary Islands, perched at 1,400 metres above sea level in the pine-forested highlands of southern Tenerife. Founded around 1520, legend holds that a Spanish captain exclaimed "Vi la flor de Chasna" — I have seen the flower of Chasna — upon meeting a beautiful Guanche girl, giving the town its poetic name. The village is the birthplace of Pedro de San Jose Betancur, the first Canarian saint, whose sanctuary can be visited at the site of his childhood home. Surrounded by fragrant Canary pine forests, Vilaflor serves as the main gateway to Teide National Park from the south, with winding mountain roads climbing toward Spain's highest peak. The nearby Paisaje Lunar is a striking geological formation of white pumice towers shaped by centuries of wind erosion, accessible via a popular hiking trail. Vilaflor is home to the highest vineyard in Europe at 1,600 metres, producing distinctive wines from volcanic soils and mountain-cooled grapes. The historic PR-TF 72 trail follows the old Royal Pathway of Chasna, a 13-kilometre circular route that once connected the north and south of the island. With a cool Mediterranean climate averaging just 14.7 degrees Celsius year-round, the village offers a refreshing escape from the coastal heat. The municipality also encompasses the mineral springs of Fuente Alta, whose water is bottled and sold across the islands. With fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, Vilaflor preserves an authentic rural Canarian atmosphere of stone houses, quiet plazas and traditional agriculture far removed from the tourist resorts below.