Photo spot in Tenerife
Anaga laurel forest
A prehistoric cloud forest of moss, laurel and fog in the north-east — the opposite of everything else on the island.
About Anaga laurel forest
Get directionsThe Anaga massif holds one of the last laurisilva forests, a woodland type that covered the Mediterranean before the Ice Age and now survives on a handful of Atlantic islands. Twisted trunks, moss on everything, and fog that comes and goes within minutes.
It photographs completely unlike the rest of Tenerife: cool, green, soft-lit and enclosed, where the south of the island is hot, bright and open. A session that visits both has more range than most whole cities can offer.
The fog is the variable. It is what makes the place, and it cannot be scheduled — some days the forest is clear and ordinary, some days it is extraordinary. Treat it as a bonus location rather than the centrepiece.
Best time to shoot
Mid-morning, when fog is most likely and the light is already up
Tips
Winding mountain roads and frequently damp underfoot — proper shoes. It is genuinely cooler here than on the coast; bring a layer.
Other spots in Tenerife
Teide National Park
A volcanic desert at 2,000 metres, above the cloud layer — the closest thing in Europe to photographing on another planet.
Playa de Benijo at sunset
Black volcanic sand at the end of the Anaga road, with rock stacks standing offshore and the Atlantic breaking around them.
Masca — the village in the Teno ravine
A hamlet on a knife-edge ridge deep inside a volcanic gorge, with palms, terraces and rock walls closing in on every side.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know Anaga laurel forest — free of charge.
