Roque Nublo, new rules of access

Rare occasion of water puddles on a little plateau on which The Rock stands

It was more than ten years ago when I first walked up to the iconic Roque Nublo, an imposing monolith overlooking Caldera de Tejeda in a most regal way. I wrote it up then, but it’s definitely time for un update.

What changed? As far as the geology is concerned, nothing, Roque Nublo is still very much there and shows no signs of deterioration. On the other hand, I am reasonably sure the deep crack in El Fraile, The Monk, grew deeper and wider over these years, so maybe he will fall apart pretty soon. In geological terms, of course.

Silver Tansy, slow recovery after a wildfire

Silver Leaf, Silver Feather, Magarza Plateada flowers by Parador de Tejeda

A few days ago, still in the first half of June 2025, I went for a short walk between Cruz de Tejeda and Artenara. On getting off the bus at Cruz de Tejeda, I always take a pic or two of the Caldera de Tejeda and generally look around. I must have a few hundred, if not thousands, pics taken from this spot. 

This time, looking to my right, towards the cliffs of Los Moriscos, I've noticed a few white patches on the slopes and the sight filled my heart with joy.

Roque Bentayga

Looks like a troll with his tongue stuck out, no?

Roque Bentayga is my favourite piece of rock on the island.

What follows is a description of a very short walk, or rather a visit, to the uppermost reasonably accessible bit of it. There is a little platform up to which you can come by a path. After that the formation becomes really vertical and you can’t possibly scale it without climbing equipment, and I believe you are not supposed to. I think there is about thirty meters from the platform to the very top.

The surroundings of the Roque offer beautiful views around Caldera de Tejeda. As I said, the walk could be extremely short, if you simply drive up to the car park, but doesn’t need to be, if you feel energetic. It can be done as a side branch of one of many possible circular routes that start and end in Tejeda.

For example, this circular route — https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/circular-tejeda-por-timagada-y-las-moradas-191897592 — is just over 8 km. The visit to Roque Bentayga will add another 6 kilometers to it. And if you don’t feel as energetic as those resulting 14 kilometers you can do what I did — take a bus to shave off some of the distance, visit Bentayga and return to Tejeda walking. The number of routes criss-crossing the center of the island is such that it permits endless permutations.