Teide National Park is a must-see on any Tenerife itinerary, home to otherworldly lunar landscapes and the majestic Volcano Teide. This wild spot was the highlight of our trip — a place where we saw unique volcanic rock formations, lava fields, craters, and the brightest stars we’ve ever seen! Whether you opt for a beautiful hike or to fly through the sky on the Teide Cable Car, we’ve covered everything you need to know about the park, including how to visit, what to bring, and unmissable trail routes.
Teide National Park
Teide National Park truly is unforgettable! It’s located at the center of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands in Spain. Most notably, the park is the home of Mount Teide, which is not only Spain’s highest peak but also an active volcano! Don’t worry, though; it hasn’t erupted for over 100 years, and experts continually monitor its activity.
There are so many wonderful things to see inside the park – it’s enormous! Although you won’t be able to cover it all in one day, there’s still enough time to see the highlights, such as the unique rock formations, lava fields, and viewpoints.
Tip: To get to Teide National Park, you’ll drive along the scenic TF-21 road, which is a real highlight in itself. You can stop at some beautiful viewpoints along the way to look over some of the park’s most famous rock formations, such as the Queen’s Shoe, a mammoth rock resembling a high-heeled shoe.
Suggested Itinerary: Teide National Park
If you’re visiting Teide National Park for the day, we recommend this plan:
- Morning: Cable car ride to the top. Optional: Hike to the summit of Volcano Teide
- Lunch: Parador de Las Cañadas Hotel or picnic at a quiet, scenic spot
- Afternoon: Drive to some of the park’s best viewpoints, like Mirador El Tabonal Negro (10 minutes from the hotel) or walk to Mirador de La Ruleta (5 minutes)
- Sunset: Roques de Garcia Hike. See the hiking trail here
- Evening: El Teide stargazing (reserve your tour in advance)
We recommend to rent a car in Spain through Sunny Cars with free cancellation and insurance included. Book your rental car here.
El Teide Cable Car
With the cable car, it’s possible to get almost to the top of Mount Teide! Ride through the sky, taking in incredible views over the lava fields, craters, and rock formations from above. On a clear day, you can even see some smaller islands like La Gomera.
Book a tour of Mount Teide (including round-trip transfer and cable car)
At the top, disembark at La Rambleta, situated at a staggering 3,555 meters. From here, you have a few options: relax and enjoy the views, take a short walk to nearby viewpoints, or take an unforgettable hike to Pico del Teide, the summit of the volcano (1 hour/permit required).
Cable Car Information
While we didn’t do the El Teide Cable Car (we chose to do a hike instead), we heard the views are out of this world!
- Price: 24 EUR per person (one way). Book your tickets here.
- Opening times: 9 AM to 4 PM (last cable car going up is at 3 PM). Note that the cable car can be closed in bad weather. Check the official website beforehand.
- Journey time: 10 minutes each way.
- Getting there: From Puerto de la Cruz and Costa Adeje, it’s just over an hour by car. You’ll find parking at the cable car, which is free. You can also take bus number 348 from Puerto de la Cruz or bus number 342 from Costa Adeje.
Alternatively, book a tour to Teide from other parts of Tenerife
Summit Hike
The summit hike takes you up the final stretch from the cable car (3,555 meters) to the very top of Mount Teide (3,715 meters). Although it is a challenging incline, reaching Pico del Teide is unbeatable; you’re standing at the highest point in Spain! You’ll also smell sulfur at the top of Volcano Teide!
- Distance: 650 meters/1.5 hours (1 hour uphill climb and 30 minutes to descend)
- Difficulty: Moderate. Because of the high altitude, it takes a while to acclimatise to the thin air.
- Entry: Free! However, you must apply for a permit in advance from the national park website. Spots get booked weeks in advance, so reserve ahead of time. Take your ID and layers as it can get much colder at the summit.
- Guide required? No! It’s totally doable on your own. However, if you book a guide, they’ll usually take care of your permit and teach you about the park.
- Best time: Morning time in the spring or fall is ideal. The afternoon is riskier, as the clouds can roll in and increase the chance of the cable car closing.
Other Trails from La Rambleta
Don’t worry if you don’t want to walk to the summit (we sadly didn’t have the time for this!); you can also do a couple of shorter walks from the El Teide Cable Car – neither of which requires a permit.
- Mirador de la Fortaleza: A flat, easy trail that takes about 20 minutes there and back. This hike will give you spectacular views across the northern Tenerife coastline.
- Mirador Pico Viejo: A slightly longer 30-minute round trip to the sensational Pico Viejo Crater.
Hiking in Teide National Park: Roques de García (Senda 3)
We chose to hike Sendero Roques de García, one of the park’s shorter but most beautiful hikes. Walk through otherworldly landscapes with incredible views of Mount Teide, passing by craters, lava tongues, and colorful rock formations like Roque Cinchado. This was, without a doubt, our favorite hike in Tenerife!
Key Information:
- Start point: Parador de Cañadas del Teide Hotel.
- Difficulty: Easy (follows a well-established gravel path). Learn more about the trail here
- Length: 3.6 KM in length and takes 1.5-2 hours, depending on stops.
- Best Time: Afternoon for golden hour light! Time your hike to return around sunset.
- Features: Expansive views over the Llano de Ucanca Plain. You’ll also see the famous Roque Cinchado (Finger of God) and La Catedral, a huge, jagged rock along the hiking trail.
Trail Instructions
Start your route at the Parador de Cañadas del Teide Hotel. The hotel has a beautiful view of Teide Volcano and a restaurant where you can get food and drinks (closes at 6 PM). There are also public bathrooms here.
From here, follow trail S3. The first 1.5 KM is a straight gravel path, offering incredible views of rock formations. It really feels like walking on a different planet!
At the end of the 1.5 KM, you can either turn back or continue on a loop. Keep following trail S3 – S26 Ucanca (La Catedral), which is an additional 1.3 KM (you can see trail signs during the hike).
The trail descends first before a final steep incline back up before you come back to the start point.
Top Tip: Phone reception is limited in the park. We recommend downloading Google Maps offline beforehand!
Best Time to Hike Roques de Garcia
We did this hike in March, and it was perfect! While many prefer the morning, we completed it in the late afternoon. This meant the end of our hike was magical, with all the golden hour colors and the magic of sunset. It’s a photographer’s dream, especially as only a handful of people are on the trail during this time (despite it being the most popular hike in Teide National Park).
Important note: We slightly mistimed our hike and ended up hiking in the pitch black, which wasn’t the safest experience. Luckily, we had our phone torches; it really was a memory for the books! Because of this, we recommend ensuring you’re back at the parking before dark.
As an additional safety precaution, you should always check the live webcams in Tenerife for the weather. It’s no fun hiking in thick clouds!
Optional Hikes
Teide National Park is so vast, with endless trails to explore. If you’d like to do more hikes on your Tenerife itinerary, there are plenty of other options. Some of the most popular are:
- Montaña Blanca Trail (Senda 7): 16.6 KM return. Takes you from the base of Teide to La Rambleta (where the cable car ends). 4-5 hours. It’s a challenging hike but worth it for panoramic views.
- Samara Loop Trail (Senda 13): 5 KM loop/1.5-2 hours. It’s also one of the quieter hikes in the park. This easy loop takes you through a pine forest and past volcanic craters—a nice mix of greenery and desert-like landscapes.
- Arenas Negras Trail (Senda 2): 8 KM loop/ 2.5 hours. This moderately challenging trail (on the north side of Teide) covers pine forests and volcanic black sand landscapes.
Sustainable travel tip: Please always stick to marked trails; don’t come off the path, as this can cause damage to the unique flora and fauna.
Stargazing in Teide National Park
One of the benefits of ending our hike at sunset was witnessing some of the brightest stars we’ve ever seen! In fact, Teide National Park is home to some of the best stargazing in Europe because of the low light pollution, high altitude, and clear skies. You can see the Milky Way, incredible constellations, and planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. You might even be lucky enough to see a shooting star!
Make an experience out of it by bringing snacks and drinks to enjoy as you watch the sun go down and the bright twinkling stars emerge. There is a canteen at Parador de Cañadas del Teide. However, it closes at 6 PM, and that’s the only place to buy food and drink nearby.
Tip: Make sure to drive carefully on your return journey as it’ll be dark by this time, and the roads are windy and unlit.
El Teide Stargazing Tours
If you don’t have a car on your Tenerife itinerary, don’t worry! There are plenty of stargazing tours to Teide National Park (see all tours here).
While visiting Mount Teide, you can also discover Teide Observatory, one of the world’s most important solar observatories. While it’s not always open to the public, you can visit by joining a guided tour. You’ll learn all about the research done here and how they observe the sun’s effect on the solar system and weather patterns. It’s fascinating to look at the giant telescopes here!
Tours last about 90 minutes and can be booked in advance here
Best Time to Visit Teide National Park
Spring and Fall are the perfect seasons to visit Teide National Park. The temperatures are mild enough for pleasant hiking without the risk of snow. We visited in March, and it was perfect! On weekdays, it is best to take the cable car and hike, as the trails will get very busy on the weekends. It’s more magical when you have the park to yourself.
Note: Temperatures vary significantly in Tenerife, especially in higher areas like the Volcano Teide. For example, when we visited, while it was 23 °C on the coast, it was only 10 °C here! For this reason, bringing layers is essential, especially if you plan to stay in the evening for stargazing when temperatures drop rapidly.
How to Visit Teide National Park
By Car
Having a rental car is the easiest way to visit Teide National Park, allowing you to tour the area and stop off when and where you want. Parking: You’ll find free parking at the cable car and at Parador de Cañadas del Teide.
We recommend to rent a car in Spain through Sunny Cars with free cancellation and insurance included. Book your rental car here.
By Bus
Tenerife’s public bus company, TITSA, has routes from Costa Adeje (line 342) and Puerto de la Cruz (line 348). See all timetables here.
Tickets can be bought directly on the bus or in shops that have the TITSA logo. You can also buy a card that you can charge as you go, making it much easier to visit Teide National Park.
Note: Bus times are infrequent, usually once daily in each direction, typically in the morning, and return in the afternoon. They stop at key locations within the park, including the Teide Cable Car base station and El Portillo Visitor Center. Make sure you plan in advance so you don’t risk missing the bus!
Organized Tour
There are also plenty of organized tours to Teide National Park, especially from the south of the island. These usually include your return transfers, a guide, and any entry tickets you need. This can be a great way to learn more about Volcano Teide, wildlife, and any interesting flora and fauna you see on the way.
Packing List for Teide National Park
- Good shoes (good sneakers or proper hiking boots)
- Sunglasses
- Environmentally-friendly sunscreen (the sun is intense at high altitudes)
- Cap
- Plenty of water (in a reusable bottle, the perfect way to travel plastic-free!)
- Lots of snacks
- Layers (definitely a jacket for the evening)
- Waterproof jacket (the weather can change quickly in Teide)
- A headlamp or torch (especially if you’re staying for sunset/stargazing)
- Your camera
- Optional: Hiking poles (a good option if you’re hiking to the summit)
Hotels in Teide National Park
There’s only one hotel within the park: Parador de Las Cañadas Hotel (book your stay here). Otherwise, you can stay in other areas in Tenerife and drive into the park.
We decided to stay in Puerto de la Cruz in the north (see all hotels), near all the beautiful nature spots. However, if you’re looking for a more relaxed beach trip, you might prefer to look for hotels in Costa Adeje in the south, where there are many great beaches and boat tours.
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