ARTENARA TOWN

Dominated by a statue of Christ, this pleasant town is the highest on the island 11,219m. Every window, balcony or turn of the road offers thrilling views from its northern side towards the pinewoods of Tamadaba  and from its southern side across the wide valley in which the Roque Bentaiga  rises in solid splendor. The surrounding landscape is riddled with caves, some of them in continuous habitation since pre-Spanish times.

The biggest attraction here is the small, charming cave church, the Santuario de la Virgen de la Cuevita. The image of the Virgin and Child stands above an altar and pulpit hewn out of solid rock. A restaurant, La Silla (96), can be reached through a rocky tunnel bored right through the end of the ridge which the town straddles.