Drago Park

Drago Park (Jardín del Drago) is a small botanical garden in La Cuesta, a district of the municipality of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in Tenerife, built around one of the island's oldest living dragon trees. It's a quieter alternative for travelers who want to see a genuine drago without the crowds of the island's bigger tourist parks.

How do you get there?

The garden sits on Calle Santo Domingo 7, on the grounds of the former Convento de Santo Domingo, a building that once served as the diocesan seminary. La Cuesta lies between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the historic center of La Laguna, so the park makes a convenient stop for anyone splitting a day between the two cities — the tram line connecting Santa Cruz and La Laguna has a stop nearby, making the visit easy without a car. Drivers can find street parking in the surrounding blocks, though spaces can be scarce in the denser parts of the district.

What will you see?

The centerpiece is a centuries-old dragon tree (Dracaena draco) that once grew in the seminary's adjoining orchard, acquired back in 1916. The tree has broken twice over the years — most recently in 1994 — which led to the construction of a reinforced base to stabilize the trunk and protect its roots. Despite this damage, the drago is still alive, and several young trees have naturally sprouted at its base, forming what's effectively an incipient dragon-tree grove — a striking detail, since Dracaena draco rarely regenerates on its own in the wild.

The garden was redesigned in 2003 by botanist Wolfredo Wildpret de la Torre together with architect Fernando Saavedra Martínez, under a plan approved by the Cabildo de Tenerife (the island council). The layout is split into four zones that mirror the island's main vegetation belts: a coastal tabaiba-cardón scrubland, a thermophilic forest, a laurel cloud forest (monteverde), and a pine forest. Despite the garden's modest size, a short walk through it offers a condensed sample of nearly the full range of Tenerife's native flora.

The park serves a double purpose — a recreational green space for La Cuesta's residents and an educational site that introduces visitors to the Canary Islands' endemic plant life. Its dragon tree is often mentioned alongside the more famous specimens in Icod de los Vinos and La Orotava, all three considered among the archipelago's most remarkable living dragos.

When should you visit?

Morning is the best time to come, when the light brings out the shape of the tree's crown and the garden is at its quietest. Given its compact size, a visit typically takes 20 to 40 minutes, making it a natural add-on to a walk through La Laguna's UNESCO-listed historic center nearby. Tenerife's climate makes the park worth visiting year-round, but it's worth checking local opening hours in advance, since they can vary seasonally.

Frequently asked questions

Is Drago Park the same place as the famous Parque del Drago in Icod de los Vinos? No. These are two different parks in Tenerife sharing a similar name — both built around a dragon tree, but located in different towns. The garden in La Cuesta is much smaller and far less known to tourists than the one in Icod de los Vinos.

How old is the dragon tree in the park? The drago grew in an orchard acquired in 1916 and is considered a centenarian specimen, though the exact age of dragon trees is difficult to pin down since they lack the growth rings found in typical trees.

Is there an entrance fee? The garden functions as a local, freely accessible green space, unlike ticketed attractions such as Parque del Drago in Icod de los Vinos.

What else is worth seeing nearby? While in La Cuesta, it's worth pairing the visit with a walk through the historic center of San Cristóbal de La Laguna — Tenerife's former capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just a short tram or car ride away.