Volcano Teide — Local services in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Feels more like a scam than a legitimate service. Three times out of three, we never got what we paid for.

The first time, the cable car didn’t operate due to wind. Fair enough — weather can be unpredictable, and we accepted that.

The second time, we bought tickets expecting to ascend and explore the surrounding peaks, which don’t require special permits. But once we got up, we were told we couldn't leave the small enclosed area due to a bit of snow. None of this was communicated beforehand. It felt like a clear case of misinformation — they sell you the ticket, make it sound like you’ll have access to more, and in the end you pay over €40 per person just to stand in a construction zone without being allowed to explore.

The third time, we paid even more for the ticket that includes access to the Teide summit. This ended up wasting nearly an entire day. The bus ride had four pointless stops on the way up, which seemed like a way to stretch the tour and make it feel like “something.” But once we arrived, the peak access was closed due to wind — again. Instead of going up, we were taken for a one-hour walk in an unremarkable area with no views. We’ve been to Teide before with our own car and know there are far more beautiful spots — this one clearly wasn’t selected for its scenery.

What’s worse is that this seems to be a known pattern. Many reviews say the same: they often know the peak access is closed or likely to close, yet they still sell the most expensive package and tell you to “go and check.” You end up spending over 5 hours on a bus, wasting a day of your holiday, and paying €50 per person for nothing of value.

The business model seems to rely on misleading advertising and upselling products they know often won’t be delivered as promised. The only protection for them is buried deep in their terms and conditions — no clear warnings during booking.

Do not buy the summit access + cable car ticket. It is essentially a scam. Instead, apply for the free summit permit and if the cable car is operating, buy that ticket separately. That way, if it’s closed due to weather, you don’t lose both your time and your money.

Read the other reviews — we are far from the only ones. Some people have paid twice and wasted two days, only to be told the peak is closed. No real refund is offered. Instead, you’re given a pointless walk as a “substitute,” so they can justify charging €50 per person for a tour...

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!! We bought 2 tickets to go stargazing, costing €80. On the same day as the observation, we received a message from the company saying that for organizational reasons they had changed the time and location of the observation. The time would be 10:10 pm instead of 11:59 pm as we had purchased. That same afternoon we went to ride the cable car and, after showing this message to a lady at reception who works for that same company, she informed us that the stargazing would be at the observatory, and even pointed out on the map that she had next to her where it was the observatory. We had dinner and even went early to arrive sooner, remembering that there is almost no network on the roads leading to Teide, and there are times when there is no network at all. We arrived at the observatory at 10 pm, where it was closed. We tried calling the company's only number, which is on the website, and at the entrance to the observatory, but it is deactivated +34 922 010 440, we didn't have any kind of support and we were on our luck. Then we went to Teide park, and arrived at 10:22 pm, and as soon as we got there and had access to the network, I received a single call from a cell phone number, which when I tried to call back, a minute after calling me , it was turned off. We sent an email to the company requesting a refund or a new appointment, but the company denied, saying that the guide tried to contact us and waited until 10:22 pm in the park. There is no consideration for the customer or their well-being. Firstly, we never had any cell phone number to call when we got lost and went to the wrong place, secondly, the guide called once and then turned off his cellphone, and thirdly, we arrived at the park at 10:22 pm, It's very strange that the guide waited until 22:22, since when we arrived no one was there. Remembering that we are talking about deserted roads, without any type of light, at night, which we don't know, and with very little network, both for cell phones and GPS, and sometimes there is none at all. A company that is already known for its weak organization, and that only cares about making money, does not care about the customer. A terrible service on the island of Tenerife, which is...

Took the observatory and star gazing tour, thoroughly enjoyable and stress free. Booking and pick up was easy and on time.

Our guide (Christoph) was very knowledgeable, patient and enthusiastic - he encouraged interaction/Q&A with everyone and let people take pics etc.

We had an external tour of the observatory including seeing inside one, but overall it was more verbal than practical, which is to be expected for a functioning facility, so just don’t expect to be interacting with the full scale telescopes or equipment. The small solar telescopes were fun/informative but pretty limited.

At sunset it was quick drive to the base of the cable cars at Tiede for the stargazing. After a short break they set up two telescopes for the group of around 20 and honestly it was fine, people rotated quickly. Just seeing the night sky was great. The guide pointed out different stars, nebula, clusters and current constellations, as well as some history. All in all I found it very good value for money.

I’d recommend taking some food with you, but be prepared for a winding bus ride home, I was fine coming up but personally my stomach didn’t enjoy the roads down in the dark, although the driver was excellent and the guide made it very clear they could stop at any time. I actually hopped off early as it was closer to my car, and the guide even called my phone to check if I had disembarked at the right place.

If you take one thing away from this its that it gets VERY COLD very quickly, much colder than you’d think. Take hats and scarfs if you can, otherwise you will be cold and miserable and won’t enjoy it at all.

Also FYI you will get home...