46 ~ Driving up the Volcano

(click photos to enlarge)

I recently went on a drive with friends up the Teide volcano to the caldera and lava fields where at this time of the year the red biennial Echium Wildpretii, or Tajinaste Rojo as it is called in Spanish, is now blooming. It's a plant endemic to the island of Tenerife and to this high part of the mountain. They bloom during May and June, enticing nature lovers and photographers to come and see them.

Along the way as we drove higher, we came to fields of pink bushes of rock rose (cistus incanus), giant buttercups, white and yellow broom.

Overlooking Tenerife's Northwest Coast

Pink Bushes of Rock Rose

My friend Eve holds a flower

Rock Rose closeup

Giant buttercups

Closeup buttercup

We arrived at the village of Vilaflor, which is the highest municipality of all Spain, at an altitude of 1,400 meters, where the tajinaste plant grows quite easily in the village streets.

Tajinaste in Vilaflor

Banks of bright pelargoniums hang over walls.



Closer view of tajinaste

On the summit of the caldera, we encounter a film crew from Warner Bros. using one lane of the road as a parking lot for their dozens of trucks and vans. They are filming a remake of 'Clash of the Titans' with Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, using the sand and lava fields as a backdrop for the movie.

Teide volcano and road crew

Here they appear to be setting up a scene for filming.


The strange landscape of the caldera as seen through the car window.



White broom on the Teide

Coming next: Lunch in Spain's highest village.