By far the largest settlement in the Anaga, the tiny town of TAGANANA , 13km north of Santa Cruz was once the local centre of sugar cane production and then later wine production. Precariously sprawling over several ridges and steep hillsides, it was long remote from the rest of Tenerife and was only connected to the road network in 1968. Nowadays it's easy to reach, with regular buses from Santa Cruz (#246 via San Andrés) negotiating a good, though steep and narrow twisting road to the town.
Taganana is worth a quick stroll around for its narrow streets lined with simple old Canarian houses, before carrying on along the coast to the villages of Almaciga - terminus of the bus from Santa Cruz - and Benijo by way of the pebble beaches Playa del San Roque and Playa de Benijo , both of which are popular with local surfers and have a few little bars and restaurants. High winds along this coast can make for awe-inspiring breakers, but even in calm conditions visitors should be wary of the dangerous currents and rocky surf and follow the advice of locals before bathing. From Benijo it is possible to hike east along a dirt road that hugs cliffs high above the sea to the village of El Draguillo , so called for its surviving dragon tree, 2km away.

From El Draguillo paths head to Chamorga and Roque de Bermijo . If you are after a longer hike (10km; 4-5 hour) it is well worth getting off the bus (or parking the car) at El Bailadero, near the Mirador Cabezo del Tejo - not far from the intersection of the main east-west route through Anaga and the road from San Andrés - and walking down to El Draguillo and on to Almacigá (a further 3km away) to catch the bus back to El Bailadero or on to Santa Cruz from there. Note that buses don't stop directly at the viewpoint. To reach it follow a path from opposite the bus stop and parking area at El Bailadero and head east along the road for just over a kilometre before turning onto a track signposted El Pijara. This track is one of the best in the region and takes you through premium laurel forest along the spine of the Anaga range, but without requiring any real climbing. Following the path as it joins then leaves the road you eventually come to the Mirador Cabezo del Tejo, which affords stunning views across the rugged coastline around Playa de Benijo. A little further along from the viewpoint the path comes to a crossroads where you turn left to head down to El Draguillo, right to Chamorga (less than 1km away), or straight on to Roque Bermijo (4km).