The Arrieta Circle is about 2 hours. The short section up on to the ridge is quite steep, but well worth the effort for the views from the top. The trail is good under foot and easy to follow, but I recommend walking poles for the descent. Depending on parking option this is either a 4km or 7km walk.
Directions Option 1
Follow the LZ-1 out of Arrecife and take the first exit at the Tahiche round-a-bout. Continue along the LZ-1, past Costa Teguise, Guatiza and Mala. In Arrieta, take the 3rd exit at the round-a-bout, LZ -10 for Haria. About 700m on the right, take the dirt track next to the Water Storage depot and park up at the end of the dirt area. There is a track here where Parking option 2 joins our route.
Click on the map image above to open a Google map of the area in a new tab.
Directions Option 2
Follow the LZ-1 out of Arrecife and take the first exit at the Tahiche round-a-bout. Continue along the LZ-1, past Costa Teguise, Guatiza and Mala. In Arrieta, take the 1st exit off the round-a-bout and then immediately left into the parking area opposite the school.
The Walk – Parking Option 2
Head across the carpark, over the LZ-1 and follow the dirt track ahead. Keep heading roughly north, following Barranco la Negra. Don’t take the track to the right, continue ahead, the track turns west and comes out onto the LZ-10. The walk for the two parking options now coincide.
The Walk – Parking Options 1 & 2
Look up the LZ-10 away from the coast and cross to the path on the opposite side heading north. After about 300m you see some old abandoned building, up to your left you pick up the trail that starts the ascent. The start is quite gentle as it zigzags up the hillside. The last section is a steep ascent straight up.
The top of the ridgeway offers some splendid views back towards the coast and down into Tabayesco.
Follow the path initially ahead (west), bearing left following the path round the fold in mountain. At the corner as the path turns sharply to the west again, you see a path heading down. Follow this path back down the hillside, turning left onto a dirt track road at the end.
Follow the dirt road roughly north north east until it comes back out onto the LZ-10. For Parking Option 1, you are back at the start. For Parking Option 2, look up the road, away from the coast, 50m and you see the dirt track you used earlier. Retrace you steps back to Arrieta, following Barranco la Negra.
Arrieta Circle – History
To read more on the history of Arrieta and the surrounding area you can checkout the following sites:
The sites are in Spanish, so if it helps I have made an attempt to summarise a few topics of interest in the History section.