The Dragon Tree of Icod

One of the most classic and recommended excursions within the island of Tenerife is the visit to the Millennial Dragon Tree of Icod de los Vinos, a natural monument of Spain since 1917, a marvel of nature with unfathomable beauty and mysterious appearance, as from another era, from another temporal dimension, from another world. 

The DRAGOS, dracaena draco, are not properly trees, they are woody herbaceous, but this one from Icod de los Vinos has exceptional dimensions. With eighteen meters high and more than three hundred branches, it is unparalleled in the world, or should we say, in Macaronesia, since the dragon tree is one of the most egregious endemisms of this region made up of the archipelagos of the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde, Savage Islands and certain stretches of the western coast of the African continent.

Nobody agrees with the age of this magnificent specimen. Years ago, it was speculated that it had an age close to 3000 years, today, it is speculated that it may be between 800 and 1000 years old. With dragon trees it is not the same as with trees. There are no rings to count, we can only speculate with the number of blooms, ramifications, resort to the chronicles that already spoke of the existence of a dragon tree of singular proportions at the time of the conquest of the island in 1496, but none of this contributes to give us certainties. Dragon trees are capricious species that can remain without flowering or branching for years, stopped, like wintering, without changing their appearance, and suddenly, without further announcement, they begin to develop, and this can lead them to grow a lot in a short time.

The Icod dragon tree is not only exceptional in itself for its electrifying beauty and appeal, it is above all a symbol of the island of Tenerife and the proud banner of the historic town where it is found, Icod de los Vinos.

Next to the dragon tree stands a beautiful centenary Canarian palm tree, but also the very admirable church of San Marcos with its treasure and large silver processional cross brought from Puebla in Mexico in the 18th century, surrounded by its charming square, a cast of Traditional Canarian houses of the best heritage and a large park dedicated to the native flora of the area that serves as a protective mantle for the dragon tree. Sum up to this the nearby leafy cliffs of La Culata, and you will find yourself undoubtedly in one of the most magical and inimitable corners of Tenerife.