Neither the Picos de Europa nor the Pyrenees. If you want to get to the highest mountain in Spain, you need to convince John and fly out of the continent. El Teide: you can get to the roof of Spain on Tenerife.
El Teide
The stratovolcano on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands is officially the highest mountain in Spain, at 3,718 metres above sea level. El Teide volcano was declared a national park in 1954 and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.
There are many hiking trails around the volcano, but only one leads to the summit. The Montana Blanca parking lot itself is at 2300 m above sea level. But don’t climb it.
Sendero de Montaña Blanca
We park and consider how to get dressed. We have never been at this height before. “Repetition is the mother of wisdom” I finally choose the technique of choice: “What others do, I do”. I soak my beak in beer to regain my resolve for the climb. The ascent will be less of a problem than the descent.
We finish the second can of Dorado, strap on the trekking poles and head out. That should be enough. The hiking trail to the top of El Teide starts at the Montaña Blanca parking lot and goes to the top of the mountain. The trail is about 7.5 kilometres long in total and has an elevation gain of about 1,200 meters. However, we will not reach the top. Who should have known that the last climb requires a unique (and free) permit, which is processed weeks and months in advance in Spain.
It’s baking down below, freezing up above.
The trail through the volcanic landscape requires mainly good boots and a dry t-shirt to change into, ideally with two extra cans of beer and a sticky note in your rucksack. Some claim that water is better, but they have yet to convince me so far. And the sticky stuff? After all, that’s what they call us. Pasta men. Although I prefer mouldy cheese and jamón.
National traditions aside, don’t expect any civilization, no cafeteria or snacks all the way up. Only one mountain hut on Altavista. God knows if it’s open. And that the climb is endless. Even 50 suncream may not be enough if the sun is shining. El Teide volcano, on the other hand, repays you with incredible shots and a Martian-esque landscape. The climb is technically easy but long, challenging and steep. But safe. Because you’ll still meet people who are willing to help you.
About helping
My friend Johny and I help each other. We also complement each other. We’re eager for experiences but lazy. He needs to improve on things and orientation in the terrain, he raises problems, and I try to solve them with poor results. It usually turns out like Pat and Mat. Like two grandfathers not wanting to admit to each other that their best years are yet to come.
We complement each other in other ways too. He’s here for the food, and I’m here for the wine. And so it’s no exception that we have an hour’s breakfast in the morning with the obligatory sweet ending. For dinner, I have to leave my half-kilo of lasagna to Jank. On the other hand, I do appreciate it when he lets me finish the last sip of the Veltliner. We are thrifty. Everything always gets spent.
Land of lava
No trees, no flowers. The landscape around is raw. It has an entirely different character than the Infierno Gorge. Masca or the rainforests of Anaga. It doesn’t resemble the all-inclusive beach complexes on the coast at all.
I have come to understand that the Canary Islands are also diverse. Every island I’ve visited in the Canaries: Grand Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife all have unique, distinctive charm.
We pass by huge lava rocks. They reach up to 4 meters. They are stunning not only in shape but also in name. They are called the Eggs of Teide.
Why eggs? I don’t know.
Serpentine after serpentine, and we’re enjoying the trekking poles. They should have given me a deserving customer card by now. Due to air travel restrictions, my first steps are usually to Decathlon for pipes. That they don’t sell pipes there? Try buying their blue trekking poles for €5.50 and take them up the hill where it blows a bit. You’ll understand. 🙂
After three hours of climbing, we are up. The average of 2.2 km/hr says it all. We join the trail around the top of the crater, but my aunt is adamant. Not a step without a permit. She smiles but won’t let us up.
We run around the cable car for a while and head down. The sun is shining, but it’s a beautiful 3 degrees above zero. We cursed our old sore knees a thousand times on the way down. Why are we still playing macaques when we’ve been coffee drinkers for a long time. And why don’t we take the cable car?
El Teide to the roof of Spain
Teleférico Teide
We won’t take you, because you can only buy tickets up there if you’re really sick. As in other exposed areas, you must think about tickets a few days before.
You must set aside a full day for trail and then relax and regenerate your knees. Initially, we thought we would do the nearby La Catedral, but in the end, we cowardly gave up. Tomorrow is also the day.
Supposedly some fools walk, on El Teide, the roof of Spain, up from the sea. We will not be one of them. We get in the car, and the remaining 2,000+ vertical are lowered by car. On the way, we pass many cyclists.
For completeness, I will mention a few of the most exciting trails in Teide National Park around the volcano. We only put Pista Las Lajas around La Catedral and Roque Garcia. The rest is up to you.
The most interesting hiking trails in Teide National Park:
- The trail to the top of Sendero de Montaña Blanca is probably the most famous and popular trek on this volcanic plateau.
- Sendero de Siete Cañadas: This trail starts at the El Portillo parking lot and continues to the Hotel Parador. The trail is about 16 kilometres long and provides spectacular views of El Teide volcano and the surrounding countryside.
- Sendero de la Fortaleza: This trail runs along the south side of El Teide volcano and offers spectacular views of the Vilaflor area and Teide. The trail is about 8 kilometres long and has an elevation gain of about 500 metres.
- Pista Las Lajas – Roques de García: This trail passes by the Garachico rocks and offers spectacular views of El Teide volcano and the Vilaflor area. The trail is about 12 kilometres long and has an elevation gain of about 450 metres.
- Ruta del Agua: This trail runs along the western side of El Teide volcano and offers spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and mountain streams. The trail is about 9 kilometres long and has an elevation gain of about 350 metres.
