Short answer: this is a 75 km North Tenerife road trip through Santa Cruz, La Laguna, La Orotava, Puerto, La Guancha, Icod and Garachico. It is an editorial self-drive route, not an official trail. One ambitious day is possible. Two or three days feel much better.
I wrote this route years ago, when “go north and see everything” still sounded like a reasonable Saturday plan.
The towns are still worth seeing. The traffic, parking and temptation to turn every stop into a full excursion have not become easier.
The dragon-tree idea starts with Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos. From there, the route moves through old towns, green valleys, volcanic history and the Atlantic.
It is not a botanical trail through a forest of dragon trees. There is no single official “dragon tree road” to follow.
Local verdict: use the dragon tree as the story of the drive. Do not rush past five towns to reach one famous tree.
North Tenerife Dragon Tree Route At A Glance
The cleanest version starts in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and finishes in Garachico. You can reverse it, or begin from your base in Puerto de la Cruz.
The route is about 75 km. The kilometres are not the hard part. The stops are.
| Decision | Practical answer |
|---|---|
| Route type | Editorial self-drive itinerary through North Tenerife |
| Start | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
| Finish | Garachico, with the option to continue towards Teno |
| Main stops | Santa Cruz, La Laguna, La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, La Guancha, Icod and Garachico |
| Distance | About 75 km in the original itinerary; local detours add more |
| Time | One long day for highlights; two or three days for the towns |
| Car needed | Strongly recommended for the full sequence |
| Main risk | Trying to combine city walks, gardens, viewpoints and coast in daylight hours |
Who will enjoy it: drivers who like changing scenery, old towns, short walks and flexible stops.
Split the route if: you are travelling with small children, have no second driver, or want to properly visit La Laguna, La Orotava, Icod and Garachico instead of collecting their car parks.
What “Dragon Tree Tenerife” Actually Means
The Spanish name is drago. The species is Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands dragon tree.
You will see ornamental dragon trees in gardens and public spaces. The famous old specimen on this route is Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos.
Official Tenerife tourism describes the Icod tree as more than 16 metres high and around 20 metres around its base. Its age is officially estimated at more than 800 years.
“Millenary” is the local name and a piece of cultural language. It is not a precise botanical birth certificate.
Useful distinction: dragon trees naturally occur in warm lowland areas, but many town trees are planted ornamentals. The route does not cross private dragon-tree estates.
At the park, look rather than touch. Do not climb, carve, collect sap, seeds or cuttings, lean on the roots, or leave the marked visitor area. A tree that survived for centuries does not need your souvenir contribution.
Start In Santa Cruz, Then Walk La Laguna
Santa Cruz is the practical urban beginning: museums, old churches, Garcia Sanabria Park, food and a proper city morning before the road climbs north.
I would not attempt a full Santa Cruz sightseeing day and then pretend the rest of the route is still relaxed.
Move next to San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Its historic centre is the part that deserves time on foot: courtyards, wooden balconies, churches, squares and a street plan that makes much more sense when you stop looking for the next car park.
Planning tip: if La Laguna is your priority, park once and walk. If the weather is low-cloudy, that is normal for this side of the island. Keep the viewpoint idea flexible rather than chasing a grey panorama.
La Laguna has its own stronger guide, so I would use this route article for the sequence and open the La Laguna guide when you want the detailed historic-centre plan.
La Orotava And Puerto De La Cruz: Two Different Stops
La Orotava is the architecture stop: steep streets, carved balconies, shaded patios, churches and the valley opening towards Teide.
Give yourself time to walk uphill and back. The town is much more interesting at human speed than as a quick photo beside a viewpoint.
Common mistake: treating La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz as one quick stop. They are close on the map, but they reward different walks and different moods.
The botanical garden in La Orotava is a separate paid attraction, not a dragon-tree route checkpoint. Go if you like cultivated collections and have the time. Skip it if the itinerary already has too many “quick visits” becoming an accidental botanical degree.
Then descend towards Puerto de la Cruz. The old port, Plaza del Charco, San Telmo, Playa Jardín and Lago Martiánez give the middle section a more active seaside finish.
The north coast is beautiful, but waves and cloud are part of the offer.
I would not promise a swim here just because the sea is visible. If the water is rough, make it a town, food and viewpoint stop.
For the bigger regional decision, use my North Tenerife guide or the more focused Puerto de la Cruz guide. Do not force every north-coast idea into this driving day.
That is the useful north-coast rhythm: one town, one view, then move on before the day becomes a parking experiment.
La Guancha And Icod: Where The Story Becomes Botanical
La Guancha is the quieter transition between the central north and Icod. It is a road-and-landscape section, not a must-see monument.
Stop if you have a local reason, a view, a meal or enough time to be curious. Do not add three more pins just because the map is still open.
Icod de los Vinos is the route’s natural anchor. The famous tree stands in Parque del Drago beside the Church of San Marcos, close to the historic centre.
The town also makes sense on foot: old squares, San Marcos, traditional houses and the tree all fit into one compact visit.
Current official tourism information lists Drago Park opening hours as 09:00–20:00 from April to September and 10:00–18:00 from October to March, with paid entry and reduced rates. Check the current Tenerife tourism listing before travelling because hours and tickets can change.
Common mistake: arriving in Icod, photographing the tree through a gap in the street, then leaving. That is technically efficient and emotionally rather thin. Walk the centre, look at the valley and allow the town to be more than one famous plant.
Finish In Garachico, Not In A Hurry
Garachico is where volcanic history becomes visible in the town itself. The old port was damaged by the 1706 eruption.
The surviving streets, churches, fort and lava coastline make a strong last stop for the route.
Roque de Garachico, the old streets and the natural pools are close enough to combine, but the pools are sea-dependent. Treat them as a calm-water possibility, not a guaranteed swimming appointment. The Atlantic is allowed to disagree with your itinerary.
From above, the town’s shape makes the eruption story easier to understand. On foot, the details make it worth stopping.
Read my current Garachico guide for the town, pools, parking, weather and access caveats.
If you still have daylight and energy, choose one nearby addition. Do not turn Garachico into the place you saw from a roundabout.
How To Drive The Route Without Ruining It
- One day: choose three major walks, not seven complete town visits. Santa Cruz or La Laguna, Icod, and Garachico is already enough for many people.
- Two days: sleep in La Laguna, Puerto de la Cruz or the north-west and give the central towns their own daylight.
- Three days: add a slower La Orotava day, a Puerto de la Cruz day, or a Garachico–Teno day.
- Parking: use legal signed spaces and expect old-town streets to be tight. A small rental car is much less annoying here.
- Navigation: use the route as a sequence, not a promise that every old link or viewpoint is open. Check current road and protected-area alerts before leaving.
Safety rule: never stop on a bend, block a rural track, enter a closed road or improvise a private-land shortcut for a photograph. Check current Tenerife ON alerts when weather, fire risk or closures could affect the day.
Without a car, you can visit the towns separately by TITSA, but the full sequence becomes a transport project. Use the live TITSA planner, allow for missed connections and do not build a late return around an old timetable copied from a blog.
Map note: the north looks compact on a phone. Green valleys, steep roads and old-town parking make each leg slower than the line suggests.
Plan the north properly
Want the complete day order without driving back and forth?
Use my Teide guide to plan the volcanic section with real timing, route order and weather in mind. It is more useful than collecting every attractive pin on the island.
Where To Sleep Nearby Legally
The route itself is not a camping permission. Do not sleep in the car beside a viewpoint, on a roadside or on private land.
Tenerife’s public camping areas are designated facilities. The official reservation confirms the area, dates, people and camping type. Maximum stays are listed as up to seven consecutive days, subject to current rules and availability.
The official catalogue at Central de Reservas currently lists 16 camping-related activities.
Its pages also state that reservations are moving to Tenerife ON from 28 October and that availability is dynamic. I found no public price on the pages checked, so I am not inventing one.
| Official area | Municipality / practical base | What matters for this road trip |
|---|---|---|
| El Lagar | Altos de Icod de los Vinos / Icod | Tent camping, prior reservation, up to seven nights in the official catalogue; inland forest setting, about 1,000 m, with a roughly 9 km dirt-track approach and no useful public-transport shortcut. Nearby recreation facilities include toilets, tables, fire places and non-potable water. |
| Las Hayas | Montes del Norte / Icod | Another official Icod-area tent-camping option. Use it as a car-based forest base, not a walkable Icod hotel substitute; confirm the current Tenerife ON detail and availability before relying on facilities. |
| Arenas Negras | Garachico / Garachico | Volcanic forest camping at about 1,240 m; prior reservation, dirt forest-track access and no public transport. The adjoining area lists toilets, tables, fire places, parking and non-potable water. Garachico is the town/food reference, not the campsite itself. |
| La Caldera | La Orotava / La Orotava | Useful for a forest-and-valley itinerary around La Orotava. Prior reservation is required, stays are limited by the official rules and facilities belong mainly to the adjoining recreational area. Check current access, fire and weather conditions. |
| Ramón El Caminero | Altos de La Orotava / La Orotava | More practical for a vehicle-based Teide-side extension than for Icod. Tenerife ON lists access from TF-21 km 24.3, bus 348, an adjoining campsite, toilets during ranger hours, tables, fire places, non-potable water and parking. |
| San José de los Llanos | El Tanque / Garachico–Icod area | A useful Chinyero-side alternative close to the western part of the itinerary. The official detail lists adjacent tent camping, TF-373 access and TITSA line 360 to San José de los Llanos; facilities and openings remain reservation- and ranger-dependent. |
Camping rule: bring your reservation, follow the current site instructions, use only authorised fire points and never collect plants, seeds, rocks or firewood.
Plan like this: fire restrictions, weather closures and protected-area rules can override an available booking. Check the live Tenerife ON page again before departure.
What To Combine With This Route
Combine La Laguna with Anaga only if you have a separate day and a good forecast.
Combine Garachico with Teno if you are prepared for a more demanding road-and-weather day.
Combine Icod with Cueva del Viento or the coast for a fuller northwest itinerary. These deserve their own planning logic; they are not free additions to a 75 km loop.
If you want a broader list, open 36 things to do in Tenerife.
If you want actual walks, use the Tenerife hiking guide. For family pacing, compare the Tenerife with kids guide before choosing a one-day road plan.
This article is for the road sequence and the dragon-tree story, not for pretending every nearby attraction belongs to one perfect day.
Dragon Tree Tenerife Road Trip FAQ
Is the dragon tree route an official Tenerife trail?
No. It is an editorial self-drive itinerary built around North Tenerife towns and the Drago Milenario in Icod. Use official road, town and protected-area information for each current stop.
Can I do this North Tenerife road trip in one day?
Yes, as a highlights drive. I would choose three major stops and keep the rest short. For proper walks in Santa Cruz or La Laguna, La Orotava, Icod and Garachico, allow two or three days.
Do I need a car?
For the full sequence, a car is the practical answer. Public transport can connect the towns, but the timing becomes less flexible and the inland camping areas are especially car-oriented.
Is Drago Milenario really 1,000 years old?
“Millenary” is its famous local name. Current official Tenerife tourism information gives an age estimate of more than 800 years. Treat older exact claims as estimates or folklore, not a precisely measured fact.
My Final Verdict
I like this road trip because it shows the north as a chain of different moods: city, historic town, green valley, seaside, vineyard country and volcanic coast. The dragon tree gives the journey a memorable thread, but Icod is not the whole story.
Take a small car, start early, choose fewer stops, leave the old towns on foot and keep the weather in charge of the coast. Then this becomes a proper North Tenerife day rather than a 75 km race to photograph one tree and discover Garachico from the driver’s seat.
