Sendero de Montaña Blanca — Attraction in La Orotava

Did the hike for the sunrise to the peak alone in winter starting from here. I arrived at 5:30am and the parking was fully occupied so I parked at the viewpoint called “Mirador el tabonal negro”. It was completely dark and a bit chilly so make sure to bring appropriate clothing and gear. After walking for a few minutes I was sweating and could see friendly people walking down the path in complete darkness which was impressive. It’s really important to avoid removing your jacket even though you start feeling hot as the further you walk up the stronger and colder the wind gets so you will need this heat for later. In just 50 minutes of hiking I reached the intersection point where you decide the path to go to the summit of montaña blanca or keep going up to mount teide. It is important to note THERE WAS A PARK RANGER with his truck checking permits this early in the morning!! He was really friendly and I showed him my permit from TenerifeOn along with ID, however he saw I was wearing trainers instead of hiking boots (had no space in bag pack, I travel light from UK) so he told me he couldn’t allow me to hike further up as he worries for my safety. These rules are stated in a post within the trail.

From 7 to 7:58 I watched the sunset from Montaña blanca with a French couple that arrived at a similar time with me. I promised my mother I would reach the summit so I tried to find a way to avoid the ranger when I walked back to the hiking trail but unfortunately it isn’t possible. Luckily I believe he ended his shift and was swapping with another ranger so I managed to sneak past into the teide trail successfully. From this point forward the trail becomes more challenging so ensure you are fit enough to do this hike, I exercise regularly and had to take a few breaks. Also watch your step, you can easily fall over or bend your knee with all the rocks you are going to have to step over. Temperature increases drastically once the sun comes up.

At 10:30 I managed to reach the cable car, this place is filled with tourists that took the easy method to go up. Here you need another permit to continue going upwards to the summit, this permit is harder to achieve and is something you need to book months in advance!! Here’s a trick but please don’t share it and use it wisely: go to the website ‘reservasparqueanacionales’ and book any day where it’s available, put all your details correctly and you will receive an email. Now ‘forward’ this email to yourself but replace the date/hour with the respective details of the day you will be hiking at. By doing this I managed to get a ‘valid’ permit which allowed me to reach the peak at 11:30. Please note this last point from the cable car to the summit is even windier and even more challenging. Here I saw the French couple again and greeted each other so if you’re reading this it was a pleasure to meet you!

I enjoyed the views, the hike and the challenge. Something that is a MUST are snacks and drinks!! I was exhausted at the top drenched in cold sweat so I came down using the cable car for €24 taking around 10 minutes to reach the bottom. Enjoy your hike...

Why not climb Spains highest point. Long hike with a steady incline. Make sure to bring water, snacks and a packed lunch. To guarantee access to the summit book your free permit online choosing the specific day and 2 hour time slot and make sure to bring it with you along with your passport. They do actually have a gate and will ask for both. From what I recall they provide roughly 1.25 hrs from the gate to ascend and decent. So plan accordingly... On average the mountain in whole takes 7.5-8 hours. Ascent takes roughly 4.5-5 hours (1/2 hour from the gate to peak), decent 3 hours... For the more ambitious I'd suggest hiking from Mirador de Chio via Pico Viejo... I really wish I had knows this before we took this route (I like the hardest less traveled routes) since Google map doesn't show that there is also a trekking route that passes Pico Viejo that I believe is more stunning visually than Teide. There is also parking here, but of course you'll need to start very early and bring your headlamp just in case. I suppose you could also stay in the accommodation for the night over the top in the Refugio Altavista (adds roughly 40 min to your trip) if the roundtrip is too much in one day but I think would be nice to do because then You see the other side and can take your time. Unfortunately, I don't think the lift is an option since it drops you far from your car unless you hitch hike back. All and all taking Montaña Blanca is also good bring all types of clothes. It was freezing in the early morning and was warm mid day. Literally two days after we hiked Teide it was covered in snow and I am not sure whether you can climb when it's like that. Very Unpredictable weather so even if it's 20 degrees wherever you start bring your...

Fabulous route up Mount Teide. A fairly tough walk but worth it if you are a keen walker. Over 1000M ascent with the summit over 3500M. It took us about 8 hours. In UK terms about the same as Ben Nevis (except for the altitude which makes it a bit harder). It's a well constructed path for the most part, so not technically too difficult, but it was pretty chilly near the top with freezing wind and icy patches so make sure you have the right kit (NB over 100 people had to be rescued from the top cablecar station in 1 week during Nov 2024!). A few practical issues. Not that easy to park even arriving early (ie 6am in our case) so do your research for options. Also - IMPORTANT - you now need TWO permits to complete the walk. They are free but you need to apply for the summit pass in particular well in advance as numbers are pretty limited, and NB you now also need to get a pass for some of the senderos / walking routes themselves (including 7). Finally it's obviously a bit galling that people can get 95% of the way up the mountain by cable car, but console yourself that you've had a great day out, with fab views, got yourself fitter, and...