Let´s go hiking to Finca de Osorio – a beautiful large farmland near the picturesque town of Teror. It used to belong to the family of Manrique de Lara. They were an important noble family on the island. There is a traditional Canarian-style house near the entrance. You can admire its wooden balconies and English colonial style. Then in 1981 the government bought the property and converted it into an exciting place to visit. On its area of 200 hectares, you will dive into nature. There are multiple hiking trails to follow a couple of marvellous gardens to admire and many indigenous local plants to learn about.
Enchanted Forest Trail
There are 4 interesting routes within the area. I will describe the one to Pico de Osorio, the highest hill in the area. It starts from the large colonial house. The beginning is marked as “Camino al Pico”. Afterwards, you can simply follow the R1 signs. Unfortunately at some points, it is not very obvious how to follow, so you can follow this trail in Wikiloc. Luckily the path goes mainly through the forest so there will always be a lot of shade. Many times during your walk amazing views will open in front of you. You will see most of the island’s northern part, panoramics of Las Palmas, mountain views and if the visibility permits, you might see the neighbouring island of Tenerife and its Pico de Teide.
The Trail Characteristics
Start of walk: Osorio House 652m
Finish of walk: Osorio House 652m (circular)
Highest point: Pico de Osorio – 970m
Distance: 5,67 km (approx. 2 hours)
Accumulated height difference: 590m
Difficulty: medium. Walking sticks might be helpful if wet.
Type: circular route
Permission
You shall know that to visit the Osorio Farm you will need authorization from the government. It´s for free. Firstly, you will get it by registering on this link. Then you will have to send your passport and mobile phone to the government office email: oiac@grancanaria.com. Finally, if you have any questions, you can call their number +34 928 219 229 or visit them at C/ Bravo Murillo nº 23, accessing from C/ Pérez Galdós, ground floor. Therefore, at this address, you can also book your visit to the farm but don´t forget you will only be attended here if you have an appointment. Lastly, you can get the appointment on this number +34 828 105 202. Do you think it´s difficult? Welcome to the world of Spanish bureaucracy. But from my point of view, Finca de Osorio hiking is worth it.
The Classical Garden.
Finally, you shouldn´t leave Finca de Osorio without having visited the “Classical garden”. You will find it just next door to the main house. Here you can relax your feet after the hike. It´s a little gem any small castle could be proud of. Full of exotic trees, plants and flowers organized in ornamental composition with a beautiful fountain in its centre. There is also an interesting cave that used to serve as a dining room.
The movie
Surprisingly, in 2014 a part of Finca de Osorio was converted into Sampaka Cocoa Farm to become a movie scene. Afterwards, for 5 weeks the movie “Palm Trees on the Snow” was filmed here. A Spanish girl Clarence tries to discover the past of her uncle Kilian during his stay in Spanish Guinea. It is a romantic drama about a prohibited love. Later you can borrow the movie in the Public Library of Las Palmas on the corner of San Telmo Park.