The Best of Tenerife

After arriving into either Tenerife North or Tenerife South airport pick up your rental car and make your way to Garachico—approx 45min or 1h15min respectively. This colourful town on the north coast has a fascinating history. It was the island’s most important port until 1706 when a major volcanic eruption buried the town in lava. Nowadays it is home to pretty cobbled streets and exudes typical Canarian charm. During the warmer months, a dip in the natural pools are very refreshing or simply relax in the bustling plaza with restaurants serving fresh fish and seafood.

A quick 20 minute drive brings you to the village of El Palmar, the ‘capital’ of Teno Rural Park. Life moves at a slower pace here with locals mainly working on agriculture, wickerwork and the production of gofio, a delicious roasted grain flour. A lovely walk takes you through the tranquil El Palmar valley and into the Monte del Agua forest. Arriving at the traditional village of Teno Alto, we highly recommend stopping for lunch at one of the little bars serving the delicious local goats cheese.

Continue onto the ridgeline of the Cumbre de Baracan where far reaching views down the deep barrancos and on to the coast are quite spectacular, before finishing your walk back down in El Palmar.

Ascent/Descent: 650m

Today you drive to the town of Santiago del Teide, stopping off to walk around the volcanic landscapes of Volcan Garachico and Chinyero.Chinyero is Tenerife’s youngest volcano with its latest eruption dating back to just 1909 and your walk will take you through contrasting landscapes from bright green pine forests to the solidified black ash and lava flows of the 1909 eruption, with Chinyero itself tipped in orange.

Finishing your walk, continue to the traditional town of Santiago del Teide, located in the Valle de Santiago, where you will stay overnight in a beautiful ranch-style hotel.

Ascent/Descent: 380m 

From Santiago del Teide, an exhilarating ridge walk over the Cumbre de Bolico (the meteorological divide between the north and south) leads you to the colourful mountain hamlet of Masca, deep in the heart of the Teno mountains.Quite often referred to as the most beautiful village in Tenerife, the stone houses here cling to the cliffs of the mountainside, looking down on rich green forests filled with exotic flora. Enjoy a coffee taking in the views before taking the bus back to Santiago del Teide. 

Ascent: 400m

Descent: 700m

A 45 minute drive brings you to the wonderful Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide, located at the foot of Mount Teide. Evenings spent here are quite an experience, with the clear and clean night skies providing wonderful star-gazing opportunities and the restaurant serving Canarian specialities such as Canarian Puchero, a tasty stew.On arrival, you may choose to take it easy or an easy 4km walk is available to the pinnacles of the Roques Garcia and the iconic Catedral.

Ascent/Descent: 200m 

The great hulk of a mountain behind the Parador, Guajara is your goal today. Rising to 2715 metres, this walk should not be underestimated but is within most keen walker’s abilities as you start from 2200m at the Parador and an evening there will have given you the chance to acclimatise to the high altitude. Reaching the plateau on the top, enjoy views over Mount Teide, the caldera and cloud-cover permitting, the neighbouring islands of Gran Canaria and La Gomera.

Ascent/Descent: 670m

There are a couple of different ways to experience Mount Teide—which one you take depends entirely on how energetic you are feeling! The first is to take the teleferico (cable car) to cover nearly 2000m of ascent from the base to the upper station. From here, the Telesforo Bravo trail leads you steeply uphill to the summit at 3718m, taking approx 1 hour. Enjoy the most extraordinary views from the “top of Spain”  over a sea of clouds,  the Teide crater and its fumaroles spouting sulphur before heading back down on the cable car.

Or the other option is a longer loop walk, taking the cable car up to the summit before walking back down via the Altavista Refuge.

Loop walk to summit: 10km, 160m Ascent/1350m Descent, 3-4 Hours

Walk from upper cable car station to summit: 1.5km, 150m Ascent/Descent, 1 Hour

A slightly longer drive today (1h 30m) brings you to the north east of the island and one of the islands best areas for hiking, the Anaga. For a complete contrast of landscapes to the previous days, park up at Cruz del Carmen where a trail leads you through lush laurel forest before emerging onto a narrow path with expansive views of the rolling green valleys below.

Traditional life is still very much alive in the Anaga mountains, evident as you pass by small goat farms perched on the edge of the mountainside, and when you reach Chinamada, where local people to this day live in cave houses.

Your base for the next few nights is a spa hotel in the quiet coastal town of Punta del Hidalgo. Relax in the sauna or steam room at the end of a long days hiking, or for something even more refreshing take a dip in the sea in one of the natural seawater pools.

Ascent: 370m

Descent: 410m

Your walk today has an “ends of the earth” feel to it, starting in the village of Chamorga in the far eastern tip of the Anaga peninsula. Narrow paths lead you along steep barrancos leading down to the sea, with colourful wildflowers and cactus trees lining the trail. Walk along an ‘airy’ ridge to a lighthouse and then to the tiny isolated hamlet of Roque Bermejo. Having descended most of the way so far, it is inevitable that a steep climb will lead back to Chamorga, where you can reward yourself with a refreshing drink in the village bar.

Ascent/Descent: 680m

A final walk in Anaga leads from the hamlet of Afur to the secluded sandy beach of Playa Tamadite, passing small waterfalls and shallow ponds. Take a rugged  path along the wild north coast before continuing through vineyards  and passing small hamlets to reach Taganana.

Take a wander round this historic village with its cobbled streets and 16th century church and enjoy lunch in one of the restaurants before returning to Afur. A final night spent relaxing in Punta del Hidalgo completes your coast to coast journey of the island of Tenerife.

Ascent/Descent: 900m 

Check out after breakfast and return to the airport where you can drop your rental car.