Mount Teide

Teide Volcano is the highest point of Tenerife and all of Spain. The area around Teide is a Spanish national park – a nature reserve, included in the UNESCO list in 2007.

Teide National Park (Parque Nacional del Teide) received its protected status in 1954. It is the largest and most visited natural site in Spain, with global significance. Its area covers 14 thousand hectares. The historical and natural scientific value of the reserve is extremely high. Teide Park is a very popular tourist zone. Travelers, mountaineers, and adventure seekers come here from all over the world.

Read my report:

• Visiting the Teide Crater.
• The Best View of Teide.

How to Get to Teide and Do You Need a Permit

You drive to the lower cable car station. Leave your car in the free parking lot. Take the cable car up to the upper station.

The upper station is almost at the summit. There are several viewpoints and a short walking trail there. No permit is required for this area.

But if you want to climb the last 100m to the crater, you need to obtain a free permit. Here is a list of routes that require a permit.

If you arrive on foot at the upper station before 8:00 am, you can walk to the volcano without a permit, as the checkpoint is still closed. This is a great opportunity to catch the sunrise.

What’s Interesting in Teide Park?

Teide Park is located in the Las Cañadas caldera, formed 150 thousand years ago. Researchers claim that the highest point of El Teide once reached 5,000 meters, but part of the summit collapsed after a major eruption. Teide’s current height is 3,718 m.

The grand cone of the volcano rises in the center of the park. The surrounding area, with its fanciful peaks and frozen lava flows, looks so unusual and picturesque that it is often called a “lunar landscape.” In this landscape, you can see rock formations with amazing shapes: God’s Finger, Bear Mountain, and the Queen’s Slipper. In winter, the summit of Teide is covered in snow.

Eruption of Teide Volcano

Teide is considered a dormant but active volcano. It emits a noticeable smell of sulfur. The Guanches believed that Guayota, the evil demon of the island, lived inside Teide.

Within Teide Park, geological evidence of landscape changes in different periods has been preserved. These can be studied to learn about the history of the formation and development of volcanic islands. The park is home to the European Northern Observatory.

The caldera has a unique contrasting climate. Bright sunshine combines with sharp winds and relatively low temperatures. I recommend bringing windbreakers, shoes with treaded soles for walking on slippery volcanic ground, sunglasses, and effective sunscreen.

Unique Flora and Fauna

The park has a unique flora. Due to the high altitude and harsh weather conditions, few plant species have taken root here. Botanists have counted 168 species; 11 of them are endemic to this nature park. Only here can you see the Canary Island pine and the Red Tajinaste (tajinaste rojo).

The fauna of Teide Park is diverse. It includes seven hundred species of invertebrates, most of them endemic to the Canary Islands. Three species of reptiles, five species of bats, and ten species of birds live here. Among mammals, you can encounter sheep, hedgehogs, and rabbits.

In the park area, there are two information centers for visitors. A road runs through the entire reserve, and along this entire route, there are observation platforms. You can enhance your journey by taking a funicular ride and viewing the “lunar” landscapes, valleys, and rocks of Teide National Park from above.

How to buy tickets for the Teide cable car?

It’s best to buy Teide cable car tickets in advance online at volcanoteide.com/ru/, to avoid standing in a huge queue. Tickets are sold for a specific time, so don’t be late. The cable car operates from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. They let people board for the ascent only until 4:00 pm. You’ll ascend from an altitude of 2000m to 3555 meters!

The cost of round-trip tickets: adult – €40, child – €20. In the slides, I showed the process of purchasing a ticket. The ticket will come to your email as a PDF file. Print it out or download it to your phone. The main thing is to show the barcode before boarding.

Buy the ticket in advance here or here.

Tip: Bring strong sunscreen and warm clothing. And don’t forget comfortable closed shoes.

How to refund tickets if the cable car is closed?

It often happens that the cable car is closed due to poor weather conditions. In this case, you’ll receive an SMS and an email. But don’t rush to return the tickets, as they have 7 Fridays a week. The Teide cable car is frequently closed and reopened many times a day. Just keep checking the website to see if it’s open.

If the cable car is still closed by the departure time, go to your account and click cancel booking. Canceling the ticket costs €6 round-trip, but if the cable car is closed due to weather conditions, you’ll get a full refund without any penalty.

We’ve bought tickets this way and returned them many times, as the cable car is closed very often.

What to wear?

Map of hiking trails around Teide

How to climb to the crater?

For this, don’t forget to obtain a permit online.

Here are the rules, and here you can obtain a free permit.

Where to eat near Teide National Park?

There are several restaurants and cafes within the park area. For a quick bite, you can grab sandwiches at Cafe & Bar Los Roques in the Parador hotel, but only if you’re really hungry. There’s also a restaurant on the side of the same hotel, with better food.

Further down the road, you’ll find 2 restaurants with Canarian cuisine catered to tourists. You can have a hearty lunch there, but the food is not tasty:

• Restaurante Papillon
• Restaurante Bamby
• Restaurante El Portillo

But I recommend enjoying delicious Canarian cuisine before or after visiting the park at these great restaurants:

• Mesón Era Las Mozas – near Arona
• Restaurante El Chamo – on the way to Vilaflor. They sometimes overcharge, but the food is good, solid 4.

How to get to Teide by bus?

How to get from Costa Adeje, Las Americas, Los Cristianos to Teide by bus

From the south, bus 342 runs, taking 2 hours 15 minutes. Costa Adeje (Estación) – Los Cristianos – Arona – La Escalona – Vilaflor – Parador de Turismo – Las Cañadas del Teide – El Portillo Alto – Centro de Visitantes – Portillo Bajo

The bus departs in the morning at 9:25 from the Costa Adeje Estación bus station.Costa Adeje Station Return at 3:40 pm on the same bus from the cable car station.

The ticket costs around €9. Check the schedule and route on the titisa website.

How to get to Teide from Puerto de la Cruz by bus?

Bus 348 runs from Puerto de la Cruz to the Teide cable car (Teleférico del Teide 7685 stop). Puerto de la Cruz (Estación) – El Botánico – La Orotava (Estación) – Aguamansa – El Portillo – Las Cañadas del Teide (Parador de Turismo).

Departure from Puerto de la Cruz bus station (Estación) in the morning at 9:30. Returns from the cable car station at 4:05 pm. The fare is around €7, check the schedule and stops here.

Where can I book a Teide excursion?

I think taking the bus is not the best option, you won’t see much. It’s better to pay a little extra and join an excursion. They’ll pick you up from your hotel and tour you around the Teide National Park. You’ll see the Las Cañadas crater and Teide itself, and learn a lot from the guide along the way.

Book an excursion with hotel transfer, guide, and cable car tickets included. A private sightseeing tour of the island costs around €180 for 3 people.

If you want to challenge yourself, you can take a guided day hike to Teide. You’ll hike up to the crater (permit included) and descend by cable car. Hotel transfer is also included.

I also recommend enjoying the sunset in the Teide National Park with a glass of champagne, and then stargaze through a telescope with an expert guide. Excursion page.