Lately, many of my guests on the tours asked me about the Banana Museum. It is a brand new activity and it seems like a super hit on the social networks, so I decided to go and check it myself. I loved this business idea and all the experience.
The price of 10€/person was reasonable. The guide Tidara was cute, funny and knowledgable. The guided tour took around 45 minutes and was very engaging, even for the small kids in the group. Well, every one of us has eaten a banana in our life so it is interesting to go behind the scenes and learn about it´s production.
The guided tour
The guide will meet you in a garden with an amazing sea view. Here you will briefly learn about the history of banana cultivation. To me, as a guide, it was really interesting to find out that there used to be some kind of indigenous bananas in the Canaries back in prehispanic times. The aboriginal people didn´t eat them though, because they were not very tasty.
Then we went to the part of the plantation behind the banana museum, where the bananas are cultivated in the traditional way. From this place, I have taken my lovely photos. You will learn about the plants and their unique life circle. You will get an idea about all the processes before the bananas reach your house. Afterwards, you will go to the interior part of the museum where you can read more information on the wall installations.
Tasting
Later on, of course, the tasting part comes. You can start with the banana marmalades on crackers (aloe vera/banana, cactus/banana and pure banana). The non-drivers can have fun tasting the small shots of banana wine, banana liquor and banana sparkling wine. For me, the deal-maker was the freshly cut banana. I took it home and had it after my lunch. It was so sweet and delicious. All these treats you also can buy in the shop together with some more banana products and souvenirs.
Reservations
There is a great chillout area in the gardens surrounding the museum with magnificent views. Sometimes they organize weddings or other events there. You are invited to use the place till the closing time. The guided tours in Spanish start every whole hour. I didn´t have a reservation, but maybe I was just lucky. It was in the low season of late September. The English tours are a little bit less frequent so it might be convenient to check the schedule and book in advance. For bookings and more info check their website: www.haciendalarekompensa.es/museodelplatano/
How to get there
You shall definitely visit this place if exploring the beautiful town of Arucas. They have a large parking area (free of charge). You can also take a public bus 210 from Arucas. You can check its timetable at www.guaguasglobal.com. This bus works just a couple of times a day and the museum is only 4km away from the centre of Arucas so it might be convenient to take a taxi.
You can see some banana plants also on my Northern Soul Tour. On the coffee plantation as a side activity, they produce various kinds of tropical fruits on a very small scale (bananas, avocados, mangos, papayas).
