Trekking in Masca gorge is one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Tenerife. We decided to go to Masca by car and from there go down to the ocean and go back to the top. We decided to go to Masca by car and from there go down to the ocean and go back to the top. The length of the trail in one direction is about 5 km, the levels difference is 600 m. The trail is not difficult - it takes about 2-3 hours one way. The greatest difficulty when coming back can be high temperature. You need to take a lot of water and something for lunch. Staying on the beach and taking a bath is a great prize :-) If you do not want to come back to the top you can come to Masca by taxi from Los Gigantes and go down the ravine to the ocean. There is a marina by the beach and from there you can return to Los Gigantes by boat. Gorge Masca Map - I have marked the hiking trail on the map:
More photos and other interesting places on the island: Tenerife - tourist attractions.
Sunrise in Tenerife. You can see the Teide volcano and down the town of Santiago del Teide. I took the picture from the road to Masca from the viewpoint Mirador De Cherfe around 8:30 in the morning.
Morning in the Masca village. We came from Los Gigantes by rented car quite early - we were already there around 9 am. There is no problem finding a parking space at this time.
A small village in the mountains. There you can see a board at the brown gate - there is an entrance to the trail.
Trekking in the gorge Masca is one of the most interesting trip in Tenerife - amazing landscapes and a great way to spend the day. I recommend to all who love hiking in the mountains.
Church Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepcion
Church of the Immaculate Conception (Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción) from the 18th century.
Entry to the tourist trail is not charged. The trail is marked with yellow plates with numbers - the last one is 52.
The trail is at the bottom of a deep gorge. Rock formations are amazing!
Here you can see the power and greatness of nature ... giant rock walls and boulders ...
The trail leads through the gorge between rocks, bushes and large reeds - you have to be careful not to go somewhere in the side path :-)
You can see the ocean! Sometimes it's worth to get off the main trail and climb a side track a little up - the views are amazing!
We went to the ocean shore. There is a short pier for those who want to take a boat to Los Gigantes on the right.
This is a real reward for a 3-hour walk. Lunch on the beach, swimming and sunbathing!
African blue tit (Cyanistes teneriffae) - small bird in the family Paridae. I took the picture with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II digital camera with the M.Zuiko Digital 12-100mm F4.0 lens.
A few hundred meters of rock walls of the ravine and plants that can grow even in such inaccessible places.
The trail is very scenic. If you like to take pictures it is worth having more time for a walk because the landscapes are amazing!
Return to the top of the ravine
Returning uphill from the coast to Masca (600 m difference in levels) is not difficult. The trail is quite good quality, sometimes you only have to go over larger rocks.
Houses in the mountains, located on small rock shelves, are a common sight in the Canary Islands.
We returned to the top around 5:30 PM - an hour before sunset. The weather was unheard of: the sun was shining, the wind was blowing, there were such tiny raindrops in the air - flying in every direction - up... right... left... down... We drank coffee and ate a tasteless cake ... and drove the mountain road to Los Gigantes.
The Masca gorge can be reached via the mountain road TF-436 from Santiago del Teide or from the north from Buenavista del Nte. The road is narrow and very winding but if you like to drive a car - you can get there without problems.
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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