Hiking on Tenerife

The island of Tenerife is so much more than a bustling European tourist getaway. Sure it has beaches, but it’s also full of incredible hiking trails. Mac and I were fortunate enough to do three ultra-amazing hikes on this island. As a result, I can 100% confirm that hiking on Tenerife is spectacular and awe-inspiring. Ready to be woo-ed by some mountain photos?! Good! Because there are a LOT!

Hiking on Tenerife

Barranco del Infierno

The start of this hike is only a short 15 minute drive from where we stayed on Costa Adeje. Barranco del Infierno weaves along a valley and through a canyon, eventually culminating at Tenerife’s highest waterfall. The first half of the hike is in FULL sunshine. The trail clings to the side of the valley, with nary a tree or rock pile for shade. We went in January and it was hot. Lots of water and sunscreen is highly recommended.

Eventually the valley walls come together to form a lush canyon, providing some much welcomed shade. The highlight of the hike, and the last stop before turning around to retrace your steps, is the 200m-high waterfall. Because we were here in the dry season, it wasn’t as large and flowing as it could be, but the sheer height of the rock walls was still impressive. After taking in the sights (and stopping for a bite to eat), you take the same trail back to the start.

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Practical Information

Distance: 6.5km total

Time: About 3-4 hours (Entrance times are between 8am – 2:30pm)

Cost: 8.50€

Note: Due to the increasing popularity of this hike, access is now limited to 300 per day. Tickets can be purchased online in half hour time increments. Helmets are provided and must be worn for the duration of the hike. Close-toed shoes are also imperative. (I saw numerous people hiking in sandals and/or with their helmets off/askew/or unbuckled. Please do not do this. Putting your safety at risk is not fair to the rescue crew that will have to assist you if something goes wrong.)

Cruz de Tea to Mt Guajara

Mac and I had the most wonderful New Years Eve Day (that’s a thing, right?). Anyways, December 31st, 2018 saw us complete one of the most magical and memorable hikes of the year (in my opinion at least!). Drew dropped us off at the north end of Cruz de Tea, a small little village on the south end of the island. From there we hiked through a variety of nature scenes. Lush forests, mountain deserts, along cliff edges (with views for days), and through rocky terrain.

After a while, we came to my favourite section of the hike. The trail descended beside a huge sand mountain, and the rocky surroundings coupled with the endless sand (and cliff-side views to boot) created one of the most unique landscapes I’ve ever seen. The trail wove around the cliff – eventually giving way to a beautiful vista of Gran Canaria – before beelining it straight up one of the sand mountains. Ahead of us we could see Mt Guajara in all it’s glory – just waiting for us to summit it!

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The journey from the main trail to the summit was hard work – we were now over 2000m above sea level, and I could definitely feel the change in air up there! After a long slog, we made it to the top! At 2718m, Mt Guajara is Tenerife’s third highest peak. We had an incredible view of Mt Tiede before us – it’s volcanic colours and perfect cone shape made for quite the scene! (Tiede is Tenerife’s – and Spain’s – highest peak at 3718m.)

We could have spent longer up at the summit, but the relentless wind (and sudden time crunch to catch the bus!) beckoned us down. We descended on the west side of the mountain, and after eleventy-million switchbacks we made it to the Parador de Cañadas del Teide – a visitor’s centre and trail head on the scenic TF-21 highway. The landscape at the bottom was almost as unique as at the top. Barren plains with jagged rock piles and surrounding mountaintops everywhere.

Our day ended with a bang – literally! We watched the New Years Eve fireworks from the apartment balcony before calling it a night. This hike to Guajara was such an incredible way to end 2018.

Practical Information

Distance: ~18km

Time: We left Cruz de Teas at 8:20am and made it to Parador de Cañadas del Teide in time to catch the 3:45pm bus. (We stopped a lot for pictures and snack breaks!)

Cost: The bus from the Parador to the Costa Adeje bus station was ~6€ per person.

Trail Numbers: We started out by taking trail PR TF-83 from Cruz de Tea to Paisaje Lunar. Then we briefly joined up with PR TF-72 until the main crossroads of a heap of trails. From that cross roads, we took GM-131 up to the summit. The trail we took to the bottom was Sendero No 5.

Mount Teide

Well, I definitely saved the best for last. Hiking Mt Teide was such an unforgettable experience, and the perfect way to cap off our time in the Canary Islands. Chris, Drew, Mac & I caught the ferry from La Gomera to Tenerife in the morning, and by early afternoon we were back on highway TF-21 ready to hike Spain’s highest mountain! Mac and I started our hike from the Montaña Blanca parking lot (at KM-40).

Our destination for the day was actually not the Teide summit, but the Altavista Refugio. This isolated refuge is situated near the top of Teide at 3260m above sea level.  The first half of the 8km hike was fairly easy. It was uphill, but the grade wasn’t too steep, and the epic views did a great job of distracting us! The sides of the volcano are covered in flowing lava that has been frozen in time. The terrain is dotted with ‘Teide Eggs’ – giant round boulders made from lava bits that rolled down the mountain, growing like a snowball.

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We hiked along a side trail to the summit of Montaña Blanca (2748m) where we could see far into the valley below. It was here that we discovered the huge rocks lining the trail were actually volcanic and therefore deceivingly light! Mac really tested his strength by hoisting one of these huge boulders above his head!! 😉

About three-quarters of the way through the hike, the trail grade increases from 7% to 12%. This is where the hike became really tough. It took Mac and I over 1.5 hours to hike 2.5km (for reference, we usually hike around 3km/hour). But eventually the roof lines of the Refugio came into view and I did a little excited happy dance on the trail before running hauling my tired body up the mountain.

The Altavista Refugio can sleep up to 54 people per night. There are bathrooms and a basic kitchen for overnight guests to use. Booking is imperative as it is usually fully booked, and sleeping in the entrance hall or camping outside are not permitted. The hall opens at 11am, the facilities open at 5pm, and access to the dorms is granted at 7pm. Guests must leave by 7:30am the next morning, though setting out at 6am is advisable in order to reach the summit before sunrise.

After stretching and wolfing down some snacks, Mac and I were continually taken aback by the incredible colours of the sunset. The warm glow lit up the valley, and the lighting off the clouds on the horizon was just spectacular. But the most amazing thing about the sunset was definitely seeing the shadow of Mt Teide on the horizon. It’s hard to fully grasp in pictures, but trust me when I say that it was pure magic behold firsthand.

Sunrise on the Summit

Night came quickly (and with it, a drop in temperature and an abundance of stars!), and we were in bed before lights out at 10:30pm. Morning came equally as fast, with some of our dorm-mates rising at 4:40am. Mac and I ‘slept in’ until 5am and had a bleary-eyed breakfast with the bustle of hikers getting ready around us. We set out at 6am and were greeted with outside conditions of -4°C and 41km/hr winds. The trudge to the summit was tough.

The endless uphill slog, coupled with the increasing altitude meant I was slow going. My endlessly pounding heart made it hard to keep up with Mac, and our rain jackets and sweaters were definitely not the best protectors against the cold wind. It took me one hour to hike from the Refugio to the cable car station. From there it’s “only” 700m to the top. That last section was the longest thirty minutes I’ve ever hiked. I reunited with Mac at the summit and we huddled together against the brutal wind and cold and tried to take in the beauty of the sunrise.

Ultimately the wind and cold proved to be too much to handle and we decided to hustle down to the cable car station as the sun was rising above the horizon. My shivering body and frozen ice-blocks-for-hands took a while to warm up, but we were able to seek shelter in the bathroom/snack-room building near the cable car. Initially we had grand plans to hike 12km down to El Portillo – a small village on the north side of the National Park. Logic and common sense got the better of us, and we joined several other hikers in taking the cable car down to the base of Mt Teide.

This was one hell of a hike, and although it was (incredibly) difficult and mentally and physically exhausting, I’m so glad we did it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen scenery quite like what we experienced on Mt Teide. The landscape on this island is just mind-blowingly astounding. After hiking Mt Teide we met Chris and Drew in La Orotava on the north side of the island. We explored the town for a while before starting to embark on the last journey of our Canary Holiday.

Practical Information

Distance: From KM-40 on the TF-21 highway to the Refugio is 8km (with a 900m elevation gain). From the Refugio to the Mt Teide summit is ~2km (with a 500m elevation gain).

Time: It took Mac and I three hours to hike to the Refugio. The hike to the summit took me 1.5 hours.

Cost: Refugio – 25€ per person. Cable Car down – 13.50€ per person.

Hiking on Tenerife is such an incredible experience. The landscape is ever-changing, the terrain is so varied and unique, and the endless beauty of nature is so awe-inspiring. This bustling island is so much more than busy beaches and souvenir shops – it’s home to some incredible trails and now, some of my fondest memories.

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