Le Teide by Montana Blanca

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On the slopes of Spain's highest peak, the Pico de Teide, access to which is restricted.
You should book and ask for authorization to access the summit (3715m) with National Park wardens in advance.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,245 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,249 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,553 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,304 m
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Pico del Teide

Description of the walk

Start: Start at 2355 m, from the small parking lot at the Tabonal Negro viewpoint.

(S/E) Head North-East on the carretera del Teide (TF-21), then follow the parallel path to the right, forking left to join it.

(1) Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the wide track.

(2) At the junction, bear left and continue North-West.

(3) Take left and follow the track as it twists and turns.

(4) Leave the track and take a path on the right towards the refuge.

(5) Refuge Altavista: closed due to Covid at the date of the walk. Continue uphill and follow the direction of the cable car.

(6) Turn left to reach the cable car arrival station. This is where the National Park wardens will ask for authorization to access the summit (3715m), which should be booked well in advance.

(7) Take the cable car for the descent.

(8) With your back to the lower station, turn right (East-North-East) to join the road.

(9) Turn left to follow the road to the start parking lot (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,353 m - Tabonal Negro - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.83 - alt. 2,350 m - Route
  3. 2 : km 1.65 - alt. 2,414 m - Branch
  4. 3 : km 3.35 - alt. 2,531 m - Bifurcation
  5. 4 : km 5.34 - alt. 2,718 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 7.12 - alt. 3,267 m - Refuge Altavista
  7. 6 : km 8.22 - alt. 3,538 m - Junction at foot of - Pic de Teide (Pico del Teide)
  8. 7 : km 8.75 - alt. 3,538 m - Upper station - Téléphérique du Teide
  9. 8 : km 10.88 - alt. 2,351 m - Lower station - Téléphérique du Teide
  10. 9 : km 11.43 - alt. 2,304 m - Route
  11. S/E : km 12.97 - alt. 2,353 m - Tabonal Negro - Car park

Notes

Start: Start at 2355 m, from the small parking lot at the Tabonal Negro viewpoint.

Parking: Easy access parking.

Waymarkers: Well-marked trails throughout.

Terrain: This steep hike does not present any great technical difficulty. Some sections are slippery and snow-covered on this February day.

Gears: Wear good shoes for the rocky paths.

Facilities: Altavista refuge at 3270 m, apparently very well equipped but closed that day.

Note: The crater at 3717 m was closed that day. It's worth remembering to book, well in advance, this last section, apparently accessible without too much difficulty, on the reservasparquesnacionales.es website.
Only 50 permits, per two-hour period, are issued in order to avoid too many people gathering at the top.

Cable car descent: count €21/person for the day.

Reviews and comments

5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
HACKENHEIMER
HACKENHEIMER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path is easy to follow and well signposted. Beautiful scenery away from the crowds at Roque de Garcia. We recommend

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FabianC
FabianC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path is fairly wide and straightforward at the start, before becoming winding and difficult. The altitude and lack of O2 make the climb increasingly difficult. Despite rain at the seaside, we set off from the small car park well above the clouds in the sunshine.
It's a hike that has to be earned, with a magnificent view. The arrival is a bit surprising, with so many people arriving by cable car, but it's well worth it.
Point (-): if you take the cable car back down, you have to return to the car park along the road for a few kilometres.

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clauderic74
clauderic74

Thanks a lot! Our track dates back almost 3 years and we're doing it again on Tuesday 😉

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Soishiro
Soishiro

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent volcanic, desert and rocky landscape on this must-do hike for enthusiasts.
More than 1,400m of ascent to reach the summit (don't forget to book your easy passage a month and a half in advance, essential for access to the summit, reserved for 200 lucky people a day).
We set off in the early hours of the morning, and the first third of the hike was easy, on wide paths, before we started to climb. We really enjoyed the last 1/4 of the ascent, with its panoramic views over the whole island and its nearest neighbours (La Gomera and Gran Canaria).
We only came across a handful of brave souls on the way up, but when we reached the cable car terminus, the atmosphere changed: people in trainers and running shoes... as friendly as they were hard-working to get to this altitude.
But we made it through the checkpoint to get away from the crowd and finish the climb to the summit marker, bathed in sulphur fumes, with a breathtaking view... quite a reward!

Note: The final ascent to the summit is not included in the suggested route, so it's up to you to make your own!

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Clo38
Clo38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent mountain race, if you do it in its entirety, i.e. climb to the summit (with permission) and descend on foot!
And then the figures change: 1,419 m of ascent and 18.7 km of walking! But frankly, it's superb and wild (more than sharing a cabin with the tons of people who climb up there).

You may be lucky enough to park a little before the proposed car park (arriving from La Orotava), on the right, directly at the start of the Montana Blanca trail. There are around ten spaces. It saves a few hundred metres, which is a great advantage, especially on the way back!

We left the car park at 5.30am. It's incredible to set off at night and watch the sunrise! It was magical! Galvanised by this timeless moment, we made the ascent without too much difficulty. Taking our time, it took us around 4.5 hours to get to the top station of the cable car. We had the 9am-11am time slot to get to the top, so we were on time. Luckily, the cable car wasn't open yet because of the wind, so we made it to the top on our own! Tired, but happy! The crater is small and not impressive in itself, but what a view! MAGNIFICENT from all sides!
We took the same route back down as on the way up. We had a picnic outside the refuge, which is now closed. The end was long, very long, but our two teenagers, aged 16 and 19, were so proud to have completed the whole hike! It was a truly unique and incredible experience.

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Zeulogue
Zeulogue

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Exceptional walk started on 18/06/23 at 4am.
The first part is easy
From point 4, a steep climb to point 6.
We arrived at point 6 2 hours 40 minutes after the start of the hike (incredible sunrise).
We then continued to the summit. The last 100m of deniv are steep and complicated with the accumulated fatigue and altitude.
The summit was reached in 3h30.
Descent by phone and return by car
Total of 6 hours, having waited 30 minutes for the telephone to open.
Although we started the hike at 4am, we met a lot of people.
The difficulty lies in the deniv (no dangerous cliffs or anything else ...)
Magnificent, a magical moment out of time at sunrise!
Don't be afraid of the deniv, the adrenalin takes over and at night, you don't realise it.
Headlamp compulsory
Wrap up warmly, it may be 30deg on the beaches, but the temperature at the top of Teide is not far from 0deg (gloves, hat ... are not a luxury)

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Furdan84
Furdan84

Hello,
I'm off to Tenerife this week. I'm thinking of reversing the TEIDE hike to lighten the load: I'll take the cable car up and come back down via Montana Blanca: distance 11km, altitude difference -1245m.
What do you think?
Are the trails more difficult on the way up or on the way down?
Thanks

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Spooki
Spooki

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was a really nice hike with a big difference in altitude, and I had a scarf and gloves with me because as soon as you stop you get cold very quickly.
The path is well signposted, you can't get lost, the refuge was closed when we went through.
We weren't able to get permission in time, so we stopped at the cable car and as we got up there quite quickly, we set off again on foot along the path.
Including the breaks, it took us around 7 hours to get there and back.

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Laird40
Laird40

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike. The difficulty increases as the route climbs. Easy for 5km. Then we attack the slope after the main sign that you need a permit for the Teide.
Quite a steep slope up to the refuge at 3260m.
A similar slope after that, but then the altitude takes over. Don't neglect it because (for me at least) I found it hard to finish. I'd advise you to cover up well because gloves are almost compulsory up there too.
Climb to the cable car arrival station at 3600m.
I didn't find any guards preventing access to Teide.
Nice hikeo.... but tough hike.
Tip: get to the Montana Blanca car park before 8am, otherwise there's no room!

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fredchristine14
fredchristine14

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

nice hike shame about the cable car, we found another solution ...

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