An isolated village in Tenerife: how Teno Alto survives, where the best goat cheese is made

Usually, isolation is a bad thing. But for the village of Teno Alto, located at an altitude of 750-900 meters in the Teno Rural Park in Buenavista del Norte, life at such a height has, on the contrary, become an advantage. Why? Because it is difficult to get there. Until 1972, the only way to Teno Alto was the steep Del Risco trail, which winds near the Bujame ravine. It was this trail that locals used to go to Buenavista to sell their goods, get married, and even bury the dead.

That is why public chests are still preserved in Roque de la Cruz – they were used to carry the bodies of the deceased to the city.

Now, in 2025, only 54 people live in Teno Alto, according to the local council. "Almost nothing happens here," says Justo Acevedo, the owner of the only bar in the village, Los Bailaderos. "There are at most 30 people living here now. When my father opened this bar in 1988, he lived off the locals, and there were about 150 residents then." Now, tourists from other countries and cities can be found in the bar.

Valerio del Rosario, the owner of El Cardón NaturExperience, knows these places well. His grandmother was from Teno Alto, and he often dedicates his work to this village. "Teno Alto lives its own life, regardless of what is happening in Tenerife. And it's great that it has been preserved. But problems such as people leaving the village and the aging population make the main occupation of the locals – goat herding – more difficult," he says.

At Los Bailaderos, cheese and goat meat are the most popular. The owner of the bar is proud of these dishes: "This is what my parents cooked, and I continue their tradition – using local products."

Teno Alto is famous for its goats and cheese. "Cheese is our everything," says Alexander López, a goat herder and owner of the Naturteno cheese factory. He has been in this business for over 10 years, and his cheese is considered one of the best in the Canary Islands. He has received many awards for his small but high-quality production. He has 200 goats and a few sheep to make cheese from their milk sometimes.

López took over the business from his grandparents. He inherited the land from which the island of La Gomera can be seen on clear days. His farm is located on the southern slope of Tenerife, and if you look to the right, you can see La Palma at sunset.

During the safra season, he lets the goats graze at night and gathers them at dawn. It wasn't easy at first, especially in winter. "Winters used to be real, but now there are almost none," he complains. And in his words, there is concern for the future of this business, because young people do not want to do it. There are four official goat farms in Teno Alto. Livestock grazing and cheese production are two closely related activities. If they disappear from Buenavista, it will be a great loss.

Livestock grazing, which is practiced by the owner of Naturteno, is what the aborigines did before the conquest of the Canary Islands. The Teno Mountains and the Daute region were among the places that most resisted the Spaniards. And again, isolation helped preserve local traditions.

But not everything is so good: the Titsa bus does not go to Teno Alto. "It used to go, but the schedule was inconvenient," says Carmen Rosa Verde, the owner of the local Dauteno store. According to her, the bus made only a few trips a day, so it was not popular. Carmen Rosa lives in Teno Alto, and until recently, her children, who grew up here, lived here. "They liked living here, they were happy. But now one works in another city, and the other recently left to look for a better life," she explains.

Therefore, Del Rosario believes that in order for people to want to live in Teno Alto, living conditions need to be improved: "Every resident of Tenerife has normal transportation and internet. Why can't it be the same here? We are talking about people who provide food for many other residents of the island. They need to create normal living conditions," he says.