La Orotava is located 335 metres above sea level in the valley that was once described by the German explorer and naturalist, Alexander Von Humboldt, as “that charming country, of which travellers of every nation have spoken with rapturous enthusiasm.”

Before the Spanish conquest of Tenerife, this was the Guanche kingdom of Taoro and was ruled over by the mighty Mencey Bencomo, considered the greatest of the island’s nine Menceys (Guanche kings).

The fertility of the soil and abundance of water sources of the Orotava Valley placed a high price tag on these lands. The wealthy settlers who came here following the conquest planted its slopes with sugar cane and built their homes alongside the saw mills and gofio mills of the small settlement that had begun to grow around the church of Nuestra Señora de La Concepción; Tenerife’s aristocracy had arrived.

With today’s availability of cheap flights to Tenerife, La Orotava isn’t only accessible to the rich, but in our opinion it’s still the classiest town on the island; the whole of the old town is an open air museum of perfectly preserved sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions. Whilst it bustles with visitors during the day, drawn by its colonial beauty, at night La Orotava’s streets are equally vibrant as residents congregate in its bars and restaurants and to browse the town’s smart shops.

To get the most out of your visit to La Orotava make sure you have your copy of The Real Tenerife Guidebook or our La Orotava Old Town Walking route.

Posts about La Orotava

25 Trackbacks / Pingbacks

  1. Revisiting the Dragons on Our Real Tenerife Island Drive | therealtenerife.com
  2. Discovering The Guanches in Tenerife | therealtenerife.com
  3. Turrón Means Christmas on Tenerife | therealtenerife.com
  4. Pay Attention to Weather Alerts When Walking on Tenerife | Walking Tenerife
  5. Why I Won’t Watch English Language Movies in Spanish « Living beneath the volcano
  6. Hotel Las Águilas, Dispelling Myths in Puerto de la Cruz « Living beneath the volcano
  7. San Abad 2012 | therealtenerife.com
  8. Tenerife Restaurant Review, Las Tres Casitas in La Orotava | therealtenerife.com
  9. The Best Fiestas, Festivals and Food Feasts on Tenerife in June 2012 | therealtenerife.com
  10. Cheese with Attitude on Tenerife, Benijos Semi-Curado | therealtenerife.com
  11. Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 20th to 26th August | Walking Tenerife
  12. Wish You Were Here? Playa Bollullo | therealtenerife.com
  13. Highlights of Tenerife Tour | therealtenerife.com
  14. The Week Big Brother Came to The Real Tenerife | therealtenerife.com
  15. Rediscovering Real Life in the Real Tenerife | therealtenerife.com
  16. La Oficina in La Orotava, Home of the Wonder Burger | therealtenerife.com
  17. The Best Fiestas, Festivals and Events on Tenerife in June 2013 | therealtenerife.com
  18. Weather Forecast for Tenerife from 3th to 9th June | Walking Tenerife
  19. Guide to the Corpus Christi Flower Carpets in La Orotava | therealtenerife.com
  20. Discovering the Belenes of Tenerife | therealtenerife.com
  21. The Botanical Gardens in Tenerife, a Tropical Paradise | therealtenerife.com
  22. The Price of Tenerife Wine | therealtenerife.com
  23. Sweet Doughnuts, Review of Öko in La Orotava | therealtenerife.com
  24. Creatively Colonial, the Restaurant at the Hotel Rural Victoria | therealtenerife.com
  25. Town Walking In La Orotava | therealtenerife.com

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