The Orotava valley runs from the flanks of Teide down to the sea at Puerto de la Cruz, a sweep of terraced banana plantations, vineyards, and garden estates that has been cultivated for over 500 years. The town of La Orotava itself, about eight kilometres above Puerto de la Cruz, is one of the best-preserved colonial towns in the Canaries: Baroque mansions with traditional Canarian balconies, a lace-making tradition that persists in the old town, and the exceptional Casa de los Balcones where local crafts are still made and sold.
The valley is best explored by car or bicycle, taking the slow road up through the farms rather than the motorway. Above La Orotava, the landscape transitions from subtropical cultivation to pine forest and then to the bare volcanic rock of the national park. The views back down the valley from the middle slopes — banana plantations in foreground, ocean behind, the volcanic peak above — are among the most distinctive landscapes in the Canaries.