Güímar

Güímar is a town on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands archipelago. It is best known for its 6 Guanche pyramids, and for a ravine called the Barranco de Badajoz. A coastal part of Güímar, dominated by volcanic landscape, has been protected as the Nature Reserve of Malpais of Güímar. Güímar's harbour district, Puertito de Güímar, has many restaurants and taverns that offer patrons a view over the ocean. It is a modern residential suburb compared to most of Güímar and has ample facilities for walking and cycling.

Understand
Güímar is used to refer to the municipality and town with the same name, as well as the famous valley in the eastern part of Tenerife. It borders La Orotava and the Teide National Park to the west, Arafo to the north, and Fasnia to the south. The town has 20,000 inhabitants (2018).

History
Until the 15th century, the territory of modern Güímar was part of the Kingdom of Güímar, an aborigine (Guanche) Menceyato. Its economy was based on livestock (goats, sheep, pigs) and agriculture, as well as fishing and forestry.

After the conquest of the island, an attempt was made to integrate the Guanches into the new society, but few managed to obtain ownership of the lands they possessed previously. As a result, many were forced to continue to live in caves like Guaza in relative isolation until the 17th century.

The first modern settlement was established in the 16th century in the neighbourhood San Juan, referred to as Güímar de Arriba. The first buildings constructed were linked to a sugarcane mill founded by the brothers Juan Felipe and Blasino Piombino. The economy gradually diversified, and vineyards replaced much of the sugarcane sector. Güímar became known for its honey as well.

Climate
Güímar has a hot semi-arid climate, with extremely dry summer months (June-September) and limited rain the rest of the year. Temperatures vary between ca. 12°C in winter to nearly 30°C in summer, when its steppe climate is fortunately tempered by the mild influence of the Atlantic Ocean. A pleasant wind makes the temperature even in summer quite tolerable, but make no mistake: the sun is shining mercilessly, and sun cream is a necessity!

By bus
Línea 111 stops along the highway, connecting with Santa Cruz, Costa Adeje and the southern airport. From there you have to walk to the road connecting Güímar with Puertito de Güímar, from where to the center (3-4 km away) you can catch another more regional bus connecting both towns.

Línea 035 and Línea 037 connect with Granadilla de Abona and Arico.

On foot
The city centre of Güímar is walkable, with the ethnographic park about 10 min uphill from the.

By car
Finding a parking spot can be challenging in Puertito de Güímar, so it might be easier to commute with a TITSA bus rather than driving.

See
Güímar has enough to offer to spend at least a day exploring its natural and cultural treasures. The pyramids in the Ethnographic Park are the best known attraction of Güímar, but for those not interested in archaeology there are churches, architecture, and nature also well worth visiting.

Buy
Güímar is famous for cultivation of aloe vera and the various aloe vera products that are produced locally. These include soaps, shampoos, and many other types of personal hygiene style products as well as aloe vera based drinks. They are for sale at Finca Canarias.

Eat
There are a few restaurants in the historic centre, but opening hours are somewhat limited, and on a Sunday evening it is nearly impossible to find anything open at all. On the other hand, also Mondays are sometimes closed overwhelmingly. The coastal town has many restaurants and taverns that offer patrons a view over the ocean. Many have later opening times, and some are also open during the weekend.

Go next
Güímar is closer to the metropolitan region of Tenerife than to the south:
 * Santa Cruz de Tenerife – The capital of the island and multicultural metropolis
 * Candelaria – A coastal city with magnificent basilica, ca. 15 km north east of Güímar
 * La Esperanza (El Rosario) – Famous for its mist forests
 * San Cristóbal de La Laguna – The former capital of Tenerife, its historic centre is a
 * Teide National Park – with an active volcano


 * La Orotava – Despite its proximity, can't be reached easily from Güímar because there is no mountain pass between the two. You will either have to make a detour through the Teide National Park or through La Esperanza.