Mirador de Humboldt

The origin of the viewing platform was found in the visit made by the German scientist Alexander Von Humboldt. It seems that at this point, seeing the Valley of La Orotava as the frame of the wonderful and impressive Teide, he declared that it was the most spectacular landscape he had ever seen, while he fell to his knees. The landscape has changed on its surface, but not in its essence, Teide continues to govern everything from its height and the new viewpoint is a worthy place to contemplate it.

Von Humboldt brought a bunch of plants from Tenerife and studied them. In his book Narrative, which is considered his main work, as many as two hundred and fifteen illustrated pages are dedicated to Tenerife, which is an absolutely incredible volume, considering that he spent only six days on our beautiful island. Six days, like most tourists these days, more than half of whom never get beyond the pool. By the way, Humboldt ended up in Tenerife relatively by chance, in any case unplanned. When nothing came out of his plan with Napoleon’s forces and under their protection, a sudden friendship with the Spanish foreign minister, Don Urquijo, brought him together with Aime Bonpland, a protégé of the royal house, who was just planning an expedition to Spanish-speaking America. The usual stop for provisions was made in Tenerife, during which we also walked over the mountain, with the help of porters and logistics organized by the French Honorary Consul, and on the way down from El Teide to Orotava on the north shore of Humboldt Island, the much-cited paradise was seen more or less from this point where you are now.