Playa de Benijo
Best for. Adventurous travellers, photographers and experienced surfers who want raw nature and drama over loungers and easy swimming.
Best spot. The open black sand looking out to the sea stacks for the view, with low tide opening up more beach and rock pools to roam.
Know this. This is a powerful exposed Atlantic beach with strong current and little lifeguard cover. Read the swell and tide, surf only if you are experienced, and treat it as a place to walk more than to swim.
If La Tejita is the wind beach and Playa Jardin is the tamed north swim, Benijo is the wild one. It sits at the far northeast end of the island, out past Taganana where the road threads through the ancient laurel forest and cliffs of the Anaga rural park before it simply runs out above the sand. The reward at the bottom of the steps is one of the most dramatic shores in the Canaries, black volcanic sand under towering green cliffs with a cluster of sea stacks standing offshore.
For the active traveller the draw is honest and specific. Benijo faces the open Atlantic with nothing in the way, so it picks up the north swell that the southern resorts never feel, and experienced surfers track the forecast and come out when it lines up. This is a powerful, committing wave on a remote coast, not a learner break. There are rocks, real current and no easy way out, so it rewards surfers who can read conditions and look after themselves, and it punishes anyone who treats it casually.
The same energy that makes it a surf draw makes the swim a serious matter. There are no breakwaters and often no lifeguard, the shore break can be heavy, and the rip current is the kind that does not let go. On a small, calm summer day a confident swimmer can enjoy the shallows, but the honest default here is to come for the walk, the air and the view rather than a guaranteed dip. Watch the tide too, because at high water with a bigger swell the usable sand shrinks toward the rocks and you want a clear path back.
What you do get, in spades, is atmosphere. Sunset is the headline act when the low light catches the roques and the whole bay glows, and it draws photographers from across the island. There are a few simple restaurants on the cliff above for a drink or a plate of fresh fish, though specifics and opening hours are best confirmed locally before you rely on them. Bring water, sun cover and good footwear for the steps, and treat the whole trip as a small expedition rather than a quick stop.
Who should skip it. Families wanting safe shallow swimming and full facilities, and anyone short on time or nervous on a winding mountain road, will be happier on the sheltered southern sand or at Las Teresitas near the capital. But if you want the real wild north, the swell, the cliffs and a sunset you will not forget, Benijo is the best of them.
Clubs on this beach
Benijo is a wild protected beach with a few cliffside restaurants rather than a daybed club on the sand, so for loungers, pools and table service we route you to the beach clubs of southern Tenerife.
No beach club on this beach
This is a wild Anaga beach with simple restaurants on the cliff above rather than a club with daybeds and table service, and that wildness is the whole point. For a club style day with loungers, pools and food brought to your sunbed, the scene gathers far away on the south coast, and we list every option in the Tenerife beach clubs directory.
Anaga, far northeast
Benijo lies at the end of the road beyond Taganana in the Anaga rural park, reached by a slow winding mountain drive from Santa Cruz or San Cristobal de La Laguna. Parking is limited and fills fast in good weather, so an early start or an off peak hour is the way to do it.
Facilities are minimal. There are a few simple restaurants on the cliff for a drink or a fish lunch, with opening hours best confirmed locally, but little shade and few services on the sand itself, so bring water and sun cover.
Read the swell and tide before you go, the way a surfer would. A calm low tide opens the beach and the rock pools, while a big swell at high water leaves little safe sand, so plan your timing and your way back down the steps.
Photo: Márton Csernenszky via GoogleBook a beach club
Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a daybed or table at a beach club on the south coast, where the island club scene lives. We reply by email.
We are an independent editorial resource. Booking requests are passed to clubs and operators, and some may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices, availability and opening status are set by the venue and are to be confirmed at the time of booking.
Common questions about Playa de Benijo
Can you swim at Playa de Benijo?
Only with real care, and many days not at all. Benijo is a wild open beach facing the full Atlantic with no breakwaters and frequent strong swell and current, so it is not a relaxed family swim. On a calm small day a confident swimmer can paddle in the shallows, but when the surf is up the shore break and rip are dangerous, and there is little or no lifeguard cover. Treat it as a beach to walk and watch rather than a guaranteed swim.
Is Playa de Benijo good for surfing?
It is one of the wild Anaga beaches that picks up plenty of north swell, and experienced surfers do come for it when the conditions line up. It is a powerful and remote spot rather than a beginner beach, with rocks, current and no easy bailout, so it suits surfers who can read the ocean and look after themselves. If you are learning, the gentler beach breaks elsewhere on the island are the safer school.
How do you get to Playa de Benijo?
You drive out to the far northeast through the Anaga mountains, past Taganana to the end of the road at Benijo, where steps and a path lead down to the sand. It is a slow winding drive and the parking is limited, so arriving early or outside peak hours helps. The remoteness is the whole point, and it is why the beach stays wild.
Why is Playa de Benijo famous?
For its raw drama. The black volcanic sand, the cliffs of the Anaga rural park and the offshore sea stacks make it one of the most photographed beaches on the island, especially at sunset when the light hits the roques. It is the opposite of the polished southern resorts, a genuinely wild Atlantic shore.
Do the tides matter at Playa de Benijo?
Yes, more than at most island beaches. At high tide and with a bigger swell the usable sand shrinks and the water reaches the base of the rocks, so check the tide and the swell before you go and give yourself a clear way back. Low tide opens up far more beach and rock pools to explore.
