Hiking in volcanic mountains in Tenerife is a great idea. We like to walk in the mountains so we decided to go on a trekking volcanoes in the Teide National Park. We decided that we would go to the second highest mountain of Tenerife and the Canary Islands: Pico Viejo volcano with a height of 3135 m n.p.m. Three years ago we rode the cable car on Teide. I remember how after a dozen steps at an altitude of 3555 m it started to be stuffy and dizziness appeared ... After a while everything was normal, but it was necessary to walk slowly and breathe deeply. I wondered how it would be this time - we will be a little lower but the route is over 16 km long and the elevation is over 1150 m. We will go - we will see :-) Our route: from Boca de Tauce, follow trails 28 and 9 to Pico Viejo and down the trail no. 23 and 3 to the car park at Roques de García. If you go on a trip around the volcanoes: you have to take with a minimum of 2-3 liters of water per person and warm windproof clothes - the evening was windy and cold.
More photos and other interesting places on the island: Tenerife - tourist attractions.
We go through the TF-38 from Los Gigantes to the volcano. This is one of the three roads leading to Teide National Park. For me it's the best way - a new surface, wide and not too many corners. There are parking lots on interesting scenic locations on the road.
A pine forest, Canary Island pine
Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) on the volcano's slope - amazing view - trees growing straight from the lava and in the background unusual rock formations. Canary Island pines can be really huge - grow up to 45 m high (sometimes even up to 60 m), diameter of trunk: 1.5 m (sometimes even 2.5 m). These huge pines grow near the TF-21 road from Vilaflor to Teide.
You can reach the height of about 2000 m n.p.m. by car to start the hiking trail into the mountains.
Volcanoes, rocks, lava, slag, trees, bushes ... are very interesting view. You can see how life was born and how plants changed this original rocky landscape. You can see Teide on the left and Pico Viejo on the right.
The highest mountain of Spain - Teide volcano 3718 m is impressive!
Pico Viejo volcano on Tenerife
We go there today... Pico Viejo 3135 m - our first mountain higher than 3000 m!
There are many interesting, easy, medium and difficult hiking trails in the Canary Islands. Sometimes hard to find information on the internet. So here's a link to a page where you can download a map of the trails to see their description: difficulty, length, time needed to jump, gradient difference, route profile ... I recommend website: http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/parquesnacionalesdecanarias/en/Teide/InfraestructuraServicios/RutasItinerarios.html
We took the 28th route from Boca de Tauce to the volcano. We walked almost flat for the first hour. The temperature in the car park was 14 degrees Celsius, it is about 10 less than on the coast.
Nature in the Canary Islands may seem poor. Just enter the rocks to notice its diversity and beauty.
Trail of volcanic slag. It was one of the heaviest episodes in the mountains - uphill on the volcanic slag slope... feet were falling into the ground... I had the impression that I was standing in a place and only my legs were spinning - just like in a cartoon ...
We reached the height of 3,000 m after four hours of climbing the slag and lava. It was cold wind and it was not hot but it was breathing hard ... such a strange feeling - there is air, you breathe deeply and you feel that there is no air ...
Peak of volcano Pico Viejo 3 135 m. We managed to get in! - over 3000 m was stuffy and we walked really slowly. You can see the entire crater with a diameter of about 720 meters and admire the view from the top of the photo spherical.
Hiking trail on Teide and cosmic landscapes. The scenery was like on Mars.
It was late afternoon ... time to go down. We still have about 6.5 km to the car park at Roques de García.
The sun is getting lower - beautiful light for shooting! The sunset will be around 18:20. Parking is still far away. Temperature in the hour decreased by more than 10 degrees. It was cold - about 9 degrees Celsius and a strong wind blows.
It is a cool evening on the volcano. Fortunately we have warm clothes in our backpack - it was worth carrying them :-) and the views ... what to write here ... you have to see it!
Sunset on the volcano - it is worth staying longer in the mountains to admire such views ... later unfortunately you have to walk almost in the dark... but this is not the first time - it was time to get used to - such a photographic madness :-)
National Park Teide - view from TF-21 road from Granadilla to Teide.
You can get by car on the Teide volcano from the coast of Tenerife by roads: TF-38, TF-21 or TF-24.
National Park Teide is one of the most interesting places in Tenerife. There are almost 40 hiking trails with very different levels of difficulty. It is a good idea to get off the ocean for a walk on the volcanoes or to do a day trekking.
The Pico del Teide volcano (3718 m) in Tenerife is Spain's highest peak. Photo just before sunset from the trail at the lookout point: La Orotava sight seeing spot.
Evening view - return from the volcano
View of the coast and ocean from the parking lot at Restaurante las Estrellas. On the left you can see the breakwater of Playa San Juan. We go back to Los Gigantes.
Find an apartment
We stayed here:
Hotel Blue Sea Lagos De Cesar, Tenerife
Calle José González González
38683 Santiago, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Canary Islands, Tenerife, Spain
The main advantage of this hotel was the location close to interesting places in Tenerife: Los Gigantes, Masca Gorge and good access to Teide Volcano.
The hotel is very clean, there were no insects :-) and the biggest advantage of the room we received was its size - it was a 3 bedroom studio: living room with balcony, bathroom with bathtub, twin bedroom and big wardrobe and an extra room with single bed.
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