mperdomo
Santa Brígida
Worth visiting!
Inland and greener
Santa Brígida is located about 10km away from Las Palmas, going inland towards the island center.
It’s probably best known to tourists for the Caldera de Bandama (a caldera caused by a huge explosion, not a volcanic crater) in Monte Lentiscal. The El Monte area is also known for its wine, which can be too hearty at times (others it’s just right).
The town of Santa Brígida is also pleasant to walk through, though small. Its charming older part is made up only of a handful of streets, and the new part is not much bigger.
In the village of La Atalaya the tradition of very old-fashioned pottery (thrown entirely by hand, without the benefit of a potter’s wheel) has been preserved, as well as that of cave-dwellings.
As the area faces north, it’s greener than the more touristy southern part of the island. Expect some rain in the winter, and green grass and flowers between January and April, more or less. After May or so things get drier, but you can expect interesting flora year-around, like the centuries old drago (dragon’s blood tree) near Pino Santo.