El Teide

This hike will take you up to 2820 m above sea level. The hike starts at 2400 m with a good 420 m climb with a distance of 5.5 km to the trail ends. All in all 11 km hike up and down. Make sure you have plenty of water, some food and preferably sunscreen at this height. Remember also to wear wind jackets etc because the wind at this altitude is icy cold. Expect the hike to be exhausting at times due to the thin air at that level. You will manage fine with normal outdoor leisure shoes etc as the trail is wide and even (but steep at times). The advanced climber may want to continue the extra distance to reach the "La Lambreta" at 3550 m. If you then want to continue to the summit at 3717 m you will need a special permit.

How to get here

By car. If you are on south Tenerife the fastest way is to go TF-1 motorway in direction Los Gigantes and take the exit toward Tamaimo/Los Gigantes. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Ctra. Chío a Tamaimo/TF-82. Then turn left onto TF-38 after a while. Continue up on TF-38 until you find TF-21 to the left. You will drive to Sendero de Montaña Blanca parking. The GPS Coords: 28.2593701, -16.6035847. There is a shortage of parking spaces and usually you would need to start early in order to get a spot. You can also park your car about 100 meters away along the main road.

Trail description

The trail is wide and has a quite even surface. In fact, the park ranger drive this path to the top. It will start with a rather modest ascent, but gradually it will start its winding turns with a lot more uphill. You will enjoy the wonderful scenery both to the north, west, east and south. When you reach 4.7 km the trail forks and one path lead to the steep ascent to the summit and the other will take you out to an scenic lookout at 5.5 km. You will enjoy the majestic view of the volcano in its full shape as you will be just 1.5 km from the volcano's crater summit.

Elevation

Min 2400 m
Max 2820 m

Distance / Time

Total 11.0 km
Elapsed Time 3:09:25