Roque Cinchado

Roque Cinchado is a volcanic rock formation and is such a unique site that it also features in the local currency. Located about 3.5 miles from Mount Teide, this 27-meter-tall tree-shaped rock in the Teide national park is one of the most photographed sites due to its shape and structure.

This formation is part of a much bigger collection of similar alignments of rock formations near the island’s summit, “Los Roques de Garcia”. “Cinchado” means “tightened” which is derived from its shape which is narrow towards the base and looks as if a belt tightened it. Experts express that over time due to erosion at its base, this formation may eventually fall apart. Volcanologists to this day still search for an explanation for the origin of these otherworldly collections of rock formations, so much is their uniqueness that they have formed the background to many inter-planetary cinematic ventures such as The Clash of the Titans. The landscape embezzles with a golden hue lent to it by the reddish color of these rocks which makes the trip to the national park all the more worthwhile.