How we climbed Teide volcano

Cable Car Tickets

Purchased tickets online through the volcanoteide.com website for €27 per round-trip ticket. How to buy tickets online, I wrote here.

The reason we couldn’t make it to the volcano was because of the cable car. It kept getting closed due to the weather.

This time, we didn’t make it because we had to go to Santa Cruz to buy a new camera. Remember how we were robbed in Tenerife? It’s easy to change the time on the ticket, it’s all done through your personal account on their website. I did it right from my mobile.

It’s no problem to buy a ticket on-site, but there can be long lines. We left 10 minutes later than our scheduled time.

At the entrance, I showed the QR code on my phone screen and received the admission tickets.

The long-awaited moment! You’ll ascend from an altitude of 2,000m to 3,555m! The cable car operates from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. They only allow ascents until 4:00 PM.

Cable Car Upper Station

I’m attaching a map. From the upper station, you can hike to the crater or to 2 viewpoints.

Near the upper station, there’s an excellent viewing platform overlooking Teide National Park.

How to Get a Permit for the Crater Hike?

Getting a permit is easy, just make sure to take care of it a few months before your trip. Go to the reservasparquesnacionales.es website and select an available date. Fill in your passport details and print out the permit.

Don’t repeat our mistakes! Get several permits for different dates right away. If the cable car is closed, you’ll have a second chance to make it to the summit.

Hiking to the Crater

There’s a separate trail leading to the crater. At the entrance, a ranger sits and checks permits against their database. Don’t forget to bring your passport.

The hike is short. It’ll take around 40 minutes to go there and back. Bring warm clothes. It was around 0°C.

Ice forms on the rocks. Yellow sulfurous steam vents from the ground.

At an altitude close to 4 km, the air is thin. Breathing becomes harder. You feel like an old person. You get tired more quickly. You’re short of breath.

The fencing was covered in icy fringe.

We made it to the top. From below, you can see Montaña Negra, the steep hike around which I wrote about here. On the horizon, you can see the neighboring island of La Palma.

The crater of Teide volcano isn’t very obvious. The rim has likely eroded due to wind.

Did you know that Teide Volcano last erupted quite recently – on November 18, 1909!

These guys likely hiked up from the bottom.

The snow on the rocks can’t decide whether to melt or freeze.

Only from this height can you take in the entire caldera of the volcano and the national park.

Meanwhile, it was already 4 PM. People lined up in a long queue for the descent.

Gatecrashers

As I mentioned, to hike up to the crater, you need a free permit. 2 guys decided to sneak in without one. They went around the entrance and made their way onto the trail illegally, stepping on sharp, dangerous rocks.

But the ranger quickly spotted them and started whistling. The guys gave up. They were so close to their goal, they could have risked running to the top. They were fined. Looking at their faces, it was a hefty fine.

Great Viewpoint: Mirador de Viejo

We hurried to another viewpoint, Mirador de Viejo. No permit is needed here. It’s just 800 meters from the cable car station. As you exit the cabin, go around the station in a circle.

I took a photo with the beautiful Teide. We had wanted to meet for so long.

The trail is rocky. Don’t wear flip-flops. You can see the entire Tenerife from here.

Parking

We descended on the cable car around 5 PM. A little about parking. It’s free. From my observations, the only problem finding a spot is around noon. Earlier or later, it’s doable.

Be careful. There are thieves here! Don’t leave any valuables in the car.

Watching the Sunset

On the way to Los Gigantes, there’s a spot where tour buses bring tourists to watch the sunset. But I recommend a different place.

At the Mirador de Sámara viewpoint, there’s almost no one, and the sunset through the Canary pine trees looks better. Here are the coordinates for the viewpoint.

Conclusions

You must climb to the top of Teide, but don’t forget to book in advance and buy tickets for the cable car. Make multiple reservations. Change the time on the tickets if the weather is bad.

Have you been to the Teide volcano? What were your impressions? Didn’t suffocate?