BRITISH tourists have been left heartbroken after Tenerife's famous 'black sand' beach is closed just weeks before the holiday season gets underway. Playa de Los Patos is an iconic secluded coast that attracts thousands of tourists each year with it's unusual charcoal black sand. Despite it's popularity, La Orotava Council announced on Friday that the tourist destination will remain closed for summer due to terrifying rockfalls that have occurred.
The news comes after the beach cliff experienced scary landslides on Christmas Day last year. Since then the local council insists they have carried out emergency works to prevent the horrific debris from falling, but the cliffs remain unreliable. Various areas along the cliff coastline like near beach access points are unstable, reports say.
Specialist geological workers claim they have assessed the cliffs and say more research must be done to prevent any future landslides. After the local council met with the Directorate General of Coasts, it was concluded that the beach should shut for the summer to keep tourists safe. The council also made it clear that the beach is part of the Costa Acentejo natural area, making the Tenerife Cabildo's Environmental Department responsible to conduct much-needed research.
This includes a geological analysis of the condition of the cliffs, which could reveal whether the cliffs infrastructure is safe or at risk of landsliding. But it's not all bad news for tourists wanting to get pics on the iconic.
