Puerto de Tazacorte: beach, where to eat and what to do

Where it is, and why people get confused

The Puerto is down at the mouth of the Barranco de las Angustias, on Avenida del Emigrante. Up the hill, five minutes of winding road away, is the Villa: the town with the church and the Banana Museum.

Both are called Tazacorte and it throws everyone. If you are meeting someone, check which one.

The beach

Black volcanic sand, like almost every beach on this island. What makes it different is the pier: the water is usually calm and clear even on days when the sea is rough further out.

It holds a Blue Flag and the Ecoplaya mark. There are showers, toilets, sun loungers and adapted access for people with reduced mobility. Parking is free, next to the port and the promenade.

And something that surprises visitors: you can swim here in December. The climate is steady all year and the water does not cool down the way it does on the mainland.

If you find it full, which happens in August, head to Los Tarajales beach just south of the port. Same black sand, far fewer people.

The old pier

It dates from the late nineteenth century, built of stone, and first sugar and later bananas from the whole valley left through here. It is no longer used for that, but it still stands and it is the best place in the municipality for photographs of the coast.

Beside it is the marina and fishing pier, with the promenade, the terraces and the viewpoints. That is where the boats go from.

A detail almost nobody mentions: Alonso Fernández de Lugo landed here in 1492, during the conquest of the island. The port has been the gateway to this valley for five hundred years.

Where to eat

Right by the water you have Bar Trébol, the Taberna del Puerto, the Bodeguita del Italiano and the Casa del Mar. Fish of the day, straightforward cooking and tables facing the sea.

You do not normally need to book except in August and on fiesta days. On Sunday lunchtimes half the valley comes down, so if you can choose, go early or go late.

The local staples: fresh fish, papas arrugadas with mojo and Palmero cheese. If you would rather try local produce unhurried and without a queue, we have that covered in the farm tasting.

What to do on the water

Boat trips leave the port along the west coast, which has the most marine life on the island. Dolphins are common, and with luck you see larger cetaceans.

There is also kayaking, paddle surfing and snorkelling. Short kayak routes reach the new fajana, the land the volcano created in 2021, which are literally the youngest beaches in Spain. Longer ones head north to the Cueva Bonita and the Poris de Candelaria.

And there is sport fishing and boat hire, for anyone who wants half a day out on the water.

The sheltered water by the pier is the best spot on this coast to try paddle surfing for the first time, especially with children.

When to go

Midday, to eat and stay on the beach; or at sunset, which is when the old pier really comes into its own.

If you then drive up for the sunset from above, the Mirador de Las Hoyas is on the LP-213 towards La Bombilla, has parking and looks over the whole valley.

The Carmen fiestas

If you are here in July, the maritime procession of the Virgen del Carmen is one of the finest things that happens all year. They take the figure out to sea on a boat and the whole fleet goes with her.

It is not a show staged for tourists. It is the town’s own fiesta, and you can tell.

Fitting it into the day

The Puerto works very well as the end of the day: museum in the morning, a farm visit mid-morning, and down to the port to eat and stay.

The full day, with timings, is in the guide to things to do in Tazacorte.