THE PLANTS AND GARDENS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS. 73 
neighbourhood is a fine Dragon tree of great age. To the 
north-east are the woods of Las Mercedes and the lovely forest 
of La Mina. To the south-west are the Laurel woods and Fern 
glades of Agua Garcia. 
Beyond Laguna the visitor is launched at once into the 
heart of the picturesque — a land of gardens and rich vegetation. 
The roadsides are lined with tree Fuchsias, Myrtles, Acacias, 
Palms, and Agaves. In early spring the Peach and Almond 
trees brighten the landscape, while large bushes of Heliotrope 
and Roses scent the air. Before the valley of Orotava is reached 
there are magnificent views speckled with gold and shade ; on 
either side are fields of corn, vineyards, and Olive trees, backed 
above by the sombre Pine woods. If clear, the snow-capped 
Peak shows above the long sloping ridge of Tigaiga. Many 
thousands, in voyaging north and south, have had a distant 
view of the Peak from the sea. It looks then even grander than 
it does from the island itself. 
Humboldt was enchanted with the Orotava Valley. If seen 
under favourable circumstances, " the delightful climate, the 
softness of the air, the sky, strewn with milky-tinted clouds, the 
happy mixture of verdure and rocks, all soothe the eye and go 
to the heart." * To approach this fair spot in rain or mist is 
to lose a most pleasurable sight. The valley is a network of 
gardens and trees with encircling hills, sloping from the vast 
shoulders of the Peak down to the sea. Villa Orotava is a 
picturesque town at an elevation of 1,100 feet. Below it, 
near the sea, is Puerto Orotava, once an important shipping 
port for Canary wine. 
Orotava to Guimae. 
To obtain a good idea of the successive zones of vegetation 
in Teneriffe, nothing is better than a trip across the island over 
the " Cumbres," or, preferably, over the " Cailadas," the elevated 
platform on which stands the Peak. The highest point 
attained would be about 7,000 to 8,000 feet. In March 1893 a 
small party started at daybreak from Puerto Orotava, and passed 
the Villa (1,100 feet) on the way to Agua Manza, Pedro Gill, 
* " Orotava as a Health Kesort." By George Victor Perez, M.B. (Lond.). 
London, 1893. 
