Tenerife, Playa de las Americas Running Route

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Length 14.2 km (8.8 miles) but you can shorten it by starting further north, terrain: a few small hills, gain 63m

NOTE: Do this route in the mornings when its cooler and the other tourists haven't started filling the promenade. Make sure you're back home by about 9:30 a.m.

Anyone staying in the tourist resorts of Tenerife's Playa de Las Américas area knows how busy and urban the whole place feels. So if you're looking to get away from the chaos to a bit more quiet and nature, just head north. The farther north you get, the more nature you'll find, and fewer people.

This route follows the beach promenade as far as it goes, 7 kilometers north to La Caleta from Los Cristianos. But you could begin wherever you are staying: Los Cristianos, Playa de Las Américas, San Eugenio, Torviscas or Costa Adeje.

Camisón in Los Cristianos

The official start of this route is at Playa del Camisón in Los Cristianos, at the La Palapa Beach Club. Los Cristianos has a double beach promenade: one close to the sand and another a bit further back, where most people walk. It's your choice.

So, just turn west, with the water to your left side, and keep on running until the sidewalk ends at La Caleta!

At first, you'll go by a surfing beach, El Cabezo Grande, before the trail heads northwards.

Surfers at a surf school at Playa de Las Américas

There are more surfing beaches at Playa de Las Américas, where the promenade, called Calle Francisco Fumero, is lined with cafés and shops.

For much of the run -- especially after Puerto Colon -- you'll have a choice of running along any of one-, two- or even three levels of promenades, or even head through the beach sand. It doesn't really matter which level you take, there are frequent steps to switch levels as you please.

After Playa de las Americas, Calle Francisco Rumero ends when it comes to a channelized, dry river, the Barranco del Rey. The promenade turns to the right to take you to Avenida Rafael Lluvina (unless you want to run straight onto the sand beach).

Typical promenade scene at Troya

Continue northwards past Playa de Troya along the wide sidewalk next to the avenue, past the notorious Monkey Beach Club, then follow the pedestrian promenade back down to the beach at Playa de Troya.

Now you're running past sand again, until Playa del Bobo ends, then comes a scenic stretch where the promenade rises up above some rocky cliffs with cool beach clubs built into the rocks.

Las Rocas Beach Club

The only dumb part of the run is coming up next: the two-block area around Puerto Colón, where you have to run next to a road and past a parking lot for the port. The promenade runs into Avenida de Colón, with a bit of harbor traffic, where you continue northwards.

When running along the avenue, you'll be up high, above the level of the port and beaches. When you cross over a street that rises up the hill below you, take the stairs down to the lower level at the sign  for "Centro Commercial Puerto Colón". This will take you down to the boat docks.

Approaching Puerto Colón: take those steps to the right!

You'll then run past the docks and come out to the red-paved promenade of Playa la Pinta.

At the harbor

You're now coming into Torviscas, where you'll have a choice of levels to run on, past Playa de Torviscas and Playa de Fañabé. The north end of Fañabé is where the beaches start getting nicer and more natural.

Fañabé and the rocks

The promenades join together to go up high over more cliffs.

NOTE: my favorite way to go in Fañabé is to run down to the sand and then continue over the rock ledges below Fañabé Beach Club. You'll have to slow down in a few dangerous spots, so watch out! And a few homeless people live under the rock ledges, so women might not want to run alone down there.

When you round the Fañabé Beach Club -- either above on the promenade or down on the rocks -- you'll have a great view of El Castillo del Duque, a stone mansion built out on top of the next rock outcropping. It's owned by local celebrities. 

Castillo del Duque as seen from Fañabé rocks

The whole area seems nicer, more upscale and exclusive from now on. No more English pubs and chips shops. There's a little mojito stand right there. It makes me wish I'd brought enough money for a cocktail!

Time for a mojito break, right?

Again, you can either follow the promenade past the mansion, or run on the rocks below it along the water at Las Toscas.

Either way, you'll now come to the area's best beach, Playa del Duque. It's lined with exclusive resorts and shops.

Playa del Duque

At the Riu Palace resort, they are constructing a new beach, which is interesting to watch.

Beach under construction

Then comes another dry river, the Barranco del Agua, at the Sheraton resort. This is lined by a somewhat weird sight: the pebble beach, where people have set up hundreds of little stone pyramids.

The pebble beach, with Las Palomas in the background

You now have to run around the back of another rock formation the circular Las Palomas (the pigeons).

There is just one more resort, the H10 Costa Adeje, then the promenade ends at Playa de La Enramada, just before La Caleta.

Enramada: end of the promenade

La Caleta is in the process of being extended way back into the hinterland, but it still has a bit of the feel of a little fishing village, with winding little lanes going down to waterfront houses built out onto the rocks. So you might want to continue and take a look, but there is no more pedestrian way to follow.

So that's it, time to turn around and head home. You get to enjoy it all from the other direction now. Enjoy!