Vilaflor lies on the southern slope of Tenerife at about 1,400 metres, and it is generally described as the highest village in Spain. The air up here is cool and thin, and the landscape is a mix of terraced fields, almond and pear trees, and the dark, scented forest of Canary pine that cloaks the mountain above. Below, the land falls away in long folds to a sea that is often hidden by a layer of cloud. It is a small, whitewashed place of just under two thousand people, with a church, a plaza and a long reputation for garlic.
The village is also associated with Saint Peter Claver, a Jesuit missionary born in Catalonia who spent his life working among enslaved Africans in Colombia, and who is said to have lived in Vilaflor early in his career. A statue stands in the square. Above the village, the road climbs into the Teide National Park, where the great volcano Mount Teide, at about 3,700 metres the highest peak in Spain, dominates a lunar landscape of lava fields, pumice and rock pinnacles. The Roques de García, a cluster of bizarre rock formations, stand beside the road and are a classic photo stop.
The riding on the Teide road is superb. It climbs in long, graceful bends through the pine forest, past viewpoints over the clouds, and then emerges onto an open plateau, with the volcano's bulk filling the sky. Air thins, engine power drops, and the temperature can fall by fifteen degrees compared with the coast. In winter, snow can close the road, and fog and strong winds are common. In summer, the road is busy with tourist buses, so early morning is best.
There are a couple of simple restaurants in the village, serving rabbit in salmorejo, goat stew and wrinkled potatoes with spicy mojo sauce.
The sunsets above the clouds are extraordinary, and at night the sky is so clear that the national park is a recognised stargazing site.