One of the most unforgettable and amazing experiences that can be enjoyed in Tenerife is when there is a blanket of low, gray clouds that cover the sun. It is the moment when the sea of clouds is most spectacular.
Stage 1: Gray days
There is a simple rule. Don’t go looking for the sea of clouds when there are clouds over Teide. The best time is when the dense cloud that stretches to the horizon and beyond hides on the hillside. Valle de la Orotava is where the last villages in the valley run out and the pine forest takes over. The first stage involves a bit of a depressing journey with bleak views. This part makes what is coming next will be even better.
Stage 2: In the mist
Somewhere around 800m high you can see something like thin fingers spinning around the trees. This quickly turns into a pea-shaped mist as the surroundings start to look more like a scene from a horror movie, don’t stray off the path. It can be quite unsettling the first time you experience it, especially on narrow, winding country roads. But it’s part of the Sea of Clouds experience, and luckily it doesn’t usually last long, as the cloud layer that seems severe from below is only a couple of hundred meters thick at most.
Stage 3: Through the Blue
You barely have time for the fog to completely dissipate and you find yourself staring up at the most intensely blue, cloudless sky. It’s a travel time to WOW; the feeling is similar to breaking free from the clouds in an airplane, but doing it in a car.
Stage 4: Being above the clouds
Although getting free from the darkness is an event, the culminating act is to find a place where you can be as close to the edge of the sea of clouds as possible. In the car park of La Caldera near Aguamansa, and you can see the clouds pile up against the low wall right at your feet. “El Mirador de Mataznos”, beyond the TF-21, is also a good place to observe the sea of clouds. In fact, any lookout point that looks down on the coast (or where it should be) above 1000m has potential; although those that look towards the Orotava Valley are usually the best.
Any popular sun, sand and sea vacation spot can tempt you with the promise of warm sunshine. However, not many can show off a sea made of clouds where you can dip your feet.
