The Best of Tenerife : Drive and Hike Holiday

The Best of Tenerife

11 Days & 10 Nights

Drive from coast to coast, ticking off all the best hiking areas of the island
Exhilarating walks through the mountainous Teno Rural Park on the west coast
Walk through the lunar-like landscapes of Teide and Chinyero volcanoes
Stay in the Parador hotel at the foot of Mount Teide
Discover the lush green hills and deep ravines of the Anaga Rural Park

Tenerife is an island of contrasts— from the mountains of the Teno Rural Park in the west, to the lunar-like landscapes of Mount Teide National Park, and the lush green laurel forest of Anaga Rural Park on the east coast. Ticking off all the best hiking areas, this tour uses car hire to enable you to discover the island in full. Start in the colourful town of Garachico on the rugged north coast, and enjoy a walk in the dramatic Teno mountain range. Continue to Santiago del Teide, via the volcanic landscapes of Chinyero volcano, and walk to the tiny mountain hamlet of Masca on an exhilarating ridge walk. Head to Mount Teide National Park, where a choice of walks lead you through bizarre rock formations and lava flows. And finally, for a complete contrast, finish your tour with hikes through the laurel forests and along the rugged coastline of Anaga Rural Park.

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What To Expect

This tour explores all the best hiking areas of the island, using car hire to give you the freedom to travel easily between them. Daily walks are between 8 and 14km with ascents of between 350 and 1300m. A few walks require surefootedness and a lack of vertigo. Overnight stays are in boutique rural hotels in Garachico and Santiago del Teide, the iconic Parador hotel in Las Canadas, and a larger spa hotel on the coast in Anaga.

Trip Style:

Self Guided | Go at your own pace on an independent active holiday.

Activity:

Drive & Hike | Enjoy the best of a large region by car and on foot. Day hikes in the best places. Itinerary usually inn to inn, with mapping provided. No bag transfer. Car hire offered as an option or included.

This trip is suitable for:

Multi-Generational, Mixed Abilities

Ideal if you have an interest in:

Coastal & Island
National Parks & Trails
Mountains

Grade & Terrain

This walking tour is graded moderate overall. Walks are between 3-7 hours on a mixture of rural tracks, footpaths and animal trails. Some of the terrain is quite rocky and you may encounter some loose rocks or muddy/slippery sections in wet weather. The higher areas may even have a dusting of snow during early spring or winter so warm clothing should always be taken with you. Ascents are between 400 and 900m (with a long descent of 1350m if you choose to do the longer loop walk to Mount Teide). This tour is not suited to anybody who suffers from vertigo as some of the paths do have steep drop-offs and narrow paths and therefore require a good level of sure-footedness.

As Mount Teide is located at 3718m there is the chance that you may feel the effects of altitude if you choose to do this option. 3 nights in the Parador gives you time to acclimatise to the high altitude and that is why we recommend doing the summit of Mount Teide on your last day there.

Navigation

The routes on this trip are generally well way-marked but we will also provide detailed route notes and maps. You will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone’s GPS so using this combined with the provided route notes and maps means you should have no problems finding your way.

Accommodation Information

7 nights accommodation in 3 and 4-star rural boutique hotels are included in your trip. We can arrange extra nights at any point on the itinerary for you. Prices for extra nights at the Parador are on a request basis.

Please note that if you are travelling over the Christmas and New Year period at the Parador a supplement will apply for compulsory evening meals.

Accommodation Location

We will always try and accommodate you at the locations detailed in your itinerary. Occasionally, because of limited availability, there is the option to be accommodated at an alternative location. In the unlikely event that we have to accommodate you elsewhere, we will advise you of this before confirming your booking.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is not available to solo walkers due to the remote nature of some of the walks. Single rooms are available and a single supplement is payable.

Meals

7 breakfasts are included and usually consist of breads, fruits, cheeses and meats. Lunches and dinners are not included but you will find suggestions in your route notes of local places to eat. Expect Canarian specialities which include grilled meat dishes such as puchero canario (a meat-based soup) and papas arrugardas con mojos (boiled potatoes with dipping sauces).

Included

7 Nights in 3 and 4* rural hotels
3 Nights in a 4* spa hotel
10 Breakfasts
10 days compact group car hire
Detailed route notes, maps and pre-departure information pack
GPX tracks and access to our smartphone app
24/7 emergency telephone support

Excluded

Travel insurance (required)
Travel to and from Tenerife
Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
Personal equipment

Extras

Additional nights before, during or after the tour

When To Go

You can start this tour on any day of the week subject to availability between November and April. Tenerife experiences a year-round dry, and sunny climate. We do not offer this tour in the summer months as it would be too hot for comfortable and safe walking then. You can expect average temperatures of between 16 and 25 degrees between September and March, with it beginning to heat up a bit in the springtime. There can be some rainfall and winter storms in the winter months of November to February but the showers do not usually last long.

Being at a high altitude of 3718m, there can be snow on Teide any time between October and May so you should always be prepared with warmer clothes if you do plan to summit Teide.

We do not offer this tour in May and October due to the fact that mouflon hunting takes place during these periods in the national park and access to a couple of the walks is restricted at that time.

Getting to the Start

By Air: Tenerife North Airport (TFN) is the closest airport to Garachico. There are no direct flights to Tenerife North from the UK, but you can fly there with various airlines from the rest of Europe including Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa. After collecting your rental car at the airport, it is approx a 45 minute drive to Garachico. Alternatively you can fly into Tenerife South Airport (TFS) which has better connections from the UK with airlines such as Ryanair, TUI, Easyjet, Jet2 and British Airways. From here it is approx 1h 20min drive to Garachico.

Getting from the End

By Air: Tenerife North Airport (TFN) is the closest airport to Punta del Hidalgo and is approx a 20 minute drive away. From Punta del Hidalgo to Tenerife South Airport is approx an hour’s drive.

General Information

The reviews for this tour up until December 2018, are based on a previous itinerary. As of December 2018, minor changes and improvements have been made including getting the routes all checked and route notes re-written as well as some of the accommodations having been upgraded.

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Mount Teide

If you would like to visit Mount Teide you will need to book cable car tickets and/or a permit to ascend to the summit in advance. Details of this will be included in your information pack.

Equipment

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Rental Car

10 days compact group car hire (similar to a Seat Leon) is included in the cost of your tour as this is a drive and hike itinerary. You will be able to park your car at all of the accommodations and the walks detailed all have parking areas where it is safe to leave the car. The car rental includes airport surcharges, a zero excess insurance, road tax, unlimited mileage and a sat nav.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.

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