Boca Cangrejo, Tenerife: Goodbye to the Colorful Hearts

Last Updated: October 11, 2026

You may have seen photos of this little bay covered in colorful hearts somewhere in the Canary Islands. Unfortunately, the lovely Boca Cangrejo in Tenerife looks a little different nowadays. In this article, I’m sharing my experience visiting it and how it has changed in 2026.

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This used to be a guide to discovering the beautiful heart paintings in Boca Cangrejo. Unfortunately, as of 2026, the colorful hearts that decorated the little bay holding Playa de Berruguete are now just a faded memory, their vibrant colors wiped away. The merciless TikTok effect hasn’t spared this tiny village on Tenerife’s coast, and while it pains me to learn what happened, I also feel like part of the problem. But aren’t we all?

What happened to Boca Cangrejo?

I was updating this guide when I discovered the colorful bay had returned to its original gray-and-white. But the reason makes me sad, and somehow also part of the problem. Apparently, by late 2024, the small village was seeing so many visitors that locals rebelled, drawing graffiti over the colorful hearts to drive visitors away.

Of course, this reaction might not have happened if tourists had been more respectful and hadn’t left garbage behind or rung random doorbells at any hour to ask directions to the “colorful hearts.” Even so, the small village couldn’t handle the wave of tourists arriving in rental cars, crowding the narrow streets, taking parking spaces from locals, and blocking emergency services.

The village still stands, and although I haven’t personally returned recently, I’m sure it’s still a lovely place to enjoy sea views and wander around its narrow alleyways. But the colorful paintings are gone, now just a memory for those who visited, along with the photographs left as testimony to a place someone tried to bring to life through art and color.

I debated removing this article altogether, but I decided to keep it, a small ode to a place I had the privilege to witness before it became a victim of our generation’s curse: content virality. So keep reading if you’re curious about this place and its sad story.

The colorful hearts of Boca Cangrejo

Boca Cangrejo would have been just another seaside village in Tenerife if it hadn’t been for local artist Rafa’s wonderful artwork. The village became famous on social media around 2022 for the colorful hearts covering the walkway and walls of a handful of houses facing a small pebble beach.

Rafa, who lives in a small house on the cliffside facing Playa de Berruguete, decided to bring a splash of color by painting hundreds of hearts in all sizes and colors. The entire bay became a rainbow of hearts, from the house walls to the pavement Rafa cleaned carefully every day.

I arrived in Boca Cangrejo one late afternoon to find Rafa cleaning the heart-covered pavement in front of his house. At first, he seemed almost annoyed at the other two people around and me, but he gestured for us to come down, so we did. After wandering around the little bay and taking some photos, I stopped to talk to Rafa.

I learned he’d been doing the artwork for years, painting every surface of the little bay and keeping it in tip-top shape. From the way he spoke, one could tell he truly loved his work and didn’t expect anything in exchange. He then pulled out a bag filled with colorful bracelets and offered me two as he spoke about life’s challenges and how we should never give up, always look forward, and keep doing the things we love. I cherish that conversation to this day, and I still wear the bracelet on my wrist.

Unfortunately, that conversation, the bracelet, and the pictures of the heart-covered bay are all that’s left of the place. When neighbors protested mass tourism and some even vandalized his precious artwork in an attempt to put a stop to it, Rafa spent two nights repainting the walkway back to its usual gray and the house walls white. He only left a handful of colorful hearts in front of his house.

How mass tourism ruined a labor of love

It breaks my heart to learn what happened to Boca Cangrejo and Rafa’s work. I can only imagine how painful it must have been to paint over something he’d spent years creating and maintaining. He simply wanted to bring some life to his village. It was a labor of love, dedication, and selflessness. He didn’t do it for fame, but it reached him despite himself. More than anything, I feel for this man who just wanted to bring beauty to his world.

This is just one example of how overtourism is ruining so many places. And I can’t help but feel responsible in some measure. I know my little blog, read by a handful of people, didn’t single-handedly destroy Rafa’s artwork. I didn’t even drive to Boca Cangrejo. I know I am just a drop in the ocean, but I still feel like I contributed to this. After all, I also went there because I saw some posts on social media and wanted to see it for myself.

I feel conflicted now that I know how this all turned out. On one hand, I feel grateful and privileged to have experienced this. To have spoken to Rafa, to have seen how he brought that place to life with color and beauty. But I also feel anger and disappointment that we, as humans, have become so focused on chasing the latest trend that we’ve forgotten how our actions affect the livelihoods of people who live in the places we visit.

After all, what I cherish most from my visit to Boca Cangrejo is the chat with Rafa. I went to see the colorful hearts, but I left with a bracelet I still wear and a human interaction I won’t forget. And that’s what travel should be about. The people we meet along the way, and those who make a place special, whether locals or other travelers. Not chasing the trends, showing up for a picture, and moving on to the next viral spot.

Should you still visit Boca Cangrejo?

Most people would head to Boca Cangrejo to see Rafa’s artwork. But now that it’s gone, you may wonder: is the village worth visiting? Do locals not want visitors at all? And is there anything else to see?

I personally had a lovely time exploring the narrow alleyways and stairways offering glimpses of the ocean. It actually took me a while to find the famous heart-covered bay, so I explored the whole village thoroughly, and even if I hadn’t found the paintings, I still would have enjoyed my visit. I also visited on a late afternoon in February, and only a handful of other visitors were around.

One reason locals protested the masses of tourists flocking to see Rafa’s colorful hearts was that the village simply couldn’t handle so many people. Boca Cangrejo has only one restaurant, Bar Camarón Loco, near the local church, Ermita de la Virgen del Carmen. No other services exist, so tourism brings little financial gain. But locals aren’t entirely against tourism. It was simply too much and too disruptive.

You can still stop by if you want to discover a small, laid-back seaside village. You can easily pair it with a visit to other southern-coast spots, like the lovely Candelaria or Güímar. Just don’t expect the colorful hearts, unfortunately.

If you’re looking for other quaint villages in Tenerife, I highly recommend Garachico on the northern coast and Taganana in the Anaga Rural Park. It’s bigger and much better equipped for visitors!

You can also check out my article on the best spots to visit in Tenerife for first-time visitors, and this one with the coolest activities in Tenerife South.

Lastly, if you want to get really off the beaten path, check out this stunning hike near Puerto de la Cruz: Sendero El Jagre.

How to get to Boca Cangrejo

If you still want to visit Boca Cangrejo, you have two options: by car or by bus. The easiest way to get to Boca Cangrejo is by car. However, you can reach the village by public transportation, and this way you don’t contribute to the parking issue that was among the main reasons locals protested.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the closest city to Boca Cangrejo, so if you’re staying anywhere in the north, you’ll need to get there first. From the Intercambiador (main bus station), take bus 122 and get off at Polígono La Campana. Bus 111 should also work, but I read it only stops to take passengers when going south. From the bus stop, it’s a half-hour walk downhill to the village. The challenge is climbing back up. Buses run pretty frequently (every 20/30 minutes).

Another option is to catch bus 138 to Puerto de Radazul and walk roughly 15 minutes to Boca Cangrejo. The bus takes longer and runs less frequently than the other two, especially on weekends and holidays. Bus 139 also stops at Puerto de Radazul and is faster, but it also has only a few departures.

A bus ride from Santa Cruz costs €1.50, but I highly recommend getting the Ten+ card to top up and pay as you go. The Ten+ fare is discounted, so if you take the bus a lot, you can save a lot of money. Titsa, Tenerife’s transportation company, has the most up-to-date information on bus schedules and fares.

Boca Cangrejo – FAQs

P.S. If you want to learn more about what happened in Boca Cangrejo, you can read this article on CanariasAhora or this one on Cadena SER. They are in Spanish, but you can use the Google Translate function.

Travel Resources

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite websites and apps for travel planning.

Roxana

Hi, I’m Roxana, a travel writer who’s spent the last 15 years traveling solo and collecting stories from around the world. Travel With New Eyes is where I share the places that moved me, the lessons I learned along the way, and the tips I wish I had before each trip. I choose slow travel and revisiting places over country-counting so I can go deeper and see even familiar places with new eyes – hence my blog’s name. Thanks for being here, it means the world to me!

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