I was surprised at how easy it was to walk from Puerto del Carmen to Puerto Calero. Normally I don’t think twice about how to get there as I just drive but for tourists staying in Puerto del Carmen without a hire car I wondered how they would visit the marina. From Puerto del Carmen, they could catch the Arrecife Bus, take the water taxi, arrange a free transfer if booked on Catlanza or the Submarine excursion or they could walk!
I started my walk from Playa Chica next to the Fariones Hotel in Puerto del Carmen, look for the promenade that takes you through to the old harbour area. You can see our destination from the start point, where the sun is shining!
The old harbour area of Puerto del Carmen has a great atmosphere, there are some good restaurants and tapas bars with spectacular sea views. From the old harbour look for the steps to the right side and follow the tiny puzzle of side streets along the side of the harbour.
Peeking between the tiny houses that were once fishermen’s cottages you can see a brand new wooden decked area, the access points are still blocked off but at some point in the future you will be able to walk along this section. The climb up to the coastal path looks hard, but the path slopes gently back and to, there’s a great view if you need to stop to catch your breath.
At the top there are some wonderful places to sit and enjoy the view, benches with bougainvillea trailing over pergolas offering shade if its a hot sunny day.
Looking back you can see the new harbour wall extension now in full use, going forward the pavement stops but the path is smooth and accessible for pushchairs or mountain bikes – just don’t take this corner too fast, there were a few skid marks and a fair drop.
At the end of the built up area around the harbour there is a lovely coastal path marked out with stone walls and wooden posts, again benches have been installed so you can sit along the way and enjoy the views.
Although high above the water there are steps leading down to the rocks offering easy access for those seeking to cool off with a swim or a spot of fishing.
The path twists and turns along the coastline, I passed joggers, walkers and families out for a stroll, you’d need to keep an eye on young children as there are some open sections with steep drops to the sea in places.
There is a series of steps leading down into the Barranco del Quíquere and up again which can be a bit awkward with a pram but passable.
Just around the corner the marina of Puerto Calero comes into plain view, here the sea is only just below the path offering another chance for a swim.
Once you reach the marina you can’t access the car park area, the path leads down past the security gate and back up again.
The path ends (or starts if walking to Puerto del Carmen) at the security hut in the middle of the road as you drop down into Puerto Calero.
The walk had taken less than an hour and I had stopped frequently during that time to take photos and admire the view, it’s lovely and would recommend everyone to try it! I just fancied a cup of tea and knew where to get the best ……Café del Plaza are situated in the plaza just below the end of the path, where you will find a fantastic selection of homemade cakes as well as free wifi if you need to get online.
The path continues on paved up to Secrets Hotel and then dirt tracks to Playa Quemada and through the Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches to Femés, that’s for another day. The start of this walk connects with the end of the promenade walk in Puerto del Carmen. If you’ve walked enough, you can always take the taxi boat back.
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