Humboldt Viewpoint on Tenerife: Spectacular views

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The Mirador de Humboldt offers a spectacular view over the Orotava Valley, but the planned café cannot be built due to a lack of parking spaces and the extremely steep slope.
An extension is impossible: behind the viewpoint lies a cave belonging to the Guanche chieftain Bencomo, which is a protected archaeological site.
The viewpoint itself remains well worth a visit and can be reached via the TF-21 at kilometre 1 - despite limited parking facilities and a lack of bus services.

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Architecturally a complete success, the Mirador de Humboldt blends harmoniously into the landscape of northern Tenerife, even when viewed from a distance. The modern, semi-circular building, with its glass façade, sculptures and a giant lizard on the roof, pays tribute to the monument to Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt without taking itself too seriously.

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On paper, a café was to be built at the Mirador de Humboldt. In reality, however, a number of factors stand in the way: the slope, history, the topography and even common sense.

Anyone familiar with the viewpoint knows what a magnificent view it offers over the Orotava Valley. The idea of running a café there, however, is one that could only really occur to a planning office that knows the location solely from a bird’s-eye view. The terrace on which the Mirador stands is little more than a narrow ledge. The surrounding terrain is so steep that only mountain goats could possibly manage it.

Humboldt Mirador: Tenerife’s spectacular viewpoint with its flaws

Planning a restaurant when the small car park is already overwhelmed by the number of spaces required for staff and delivery vehicles speaks volumes about planning errors. For a catering business – no matter how spectacular the view may be – the site does not offer sufficient parking space to survive commercially.

Mirador de Humboldt, Tenerife: viewpoint, view — The view from the Mirador de Humboldt on Tenerife stretches across Puerto de la Cruz and the entire Orotava Valley. Photo: Thomas Koch

It is impossible to build any more car parks. Immediately behind the viewpoint, a steep rock face rises up. The cave within it is of great archaeological significance: Bencomo, a great mencey (chieftain) of the Guanches, lived there. The rock face is therefore under archaeological protection.

Perhaps the Restaurant – which has since been boarded up – could be repurposed as social housing. After all, it is in a spectacular location.

Despite all the criticism, the viewpoint itself is magnificent. Visitors can reach the Mirador de Humboldt via the TF-21 at kilometre 1 (UTM coordinates: 0352353/3143301). Parking spaces are limited, which is why taking the bus is the better option. Either way, anyone who makes it to the viewpoint will be rewarded with a wonderful panoramic view of the Orotava Valley.