Climbing Mt Teide is always demanding and this holds in particular if you make a tour of 20 kilometers as I did in my 5th climb to the mountain. This time I followed the route which starts at the hotel Parador and continues to Pico Viejo from its south side, and then to the west-side El Teide route.
[Bach – Erbarme dich, mein Gott.]
This was my farewell to the great mountain. I climbed it twice before coming to Tenerife. During my present stay on the island, I climbed it again 2 times. My stay on Tenerife is coming to the end, so I decided to do my last pilgrimage.
I decided for the approach which I have not done in the past: to climb El Teide together with Pico Viejo, and to traverse the mountains. This is my report of the tour.
Equipment
You do not need any special equipment to do this route. Any hiking shoes or boots will be good enough. Here is a short summary:
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From Parador to Pico Viejo
I came from Santa Cruz along the Esperanza road, parked the car at Montaña Blanca parking in order to have it there when I descend the mountain after climbing it from the other side. My intention was to continue by bus to Parador.
I still had more than half an hour to wait, but luckily there was a car just leaving the parking. It was a girl from Bulgaria, I asked to give me a drive, she agreed and saved me half an hour. At Parador I thanked her and started the tour at 10:30 am.
The route has the number 23; it passes Roques de Garcia at the east side, which is closer to Parador. After 20 minutes you are off the usual touristic path which goes around Rocques, and you will be heading toward Pico Viejo.
The path is clearly visible, there are some markings on the rock, it is never steep so you will make progress fast. Compared to the west side route to Pico Viejo, which passes Narices del Teide, this south approach is far easier. The former is far steeper and with soft sand. I described that west route and my climbing Pico Viejo in my another post.
Somewhere in the middle of this part of the route I met a group of people descending from Pico Viejo, no other people after that.
So within three hours exactly I was at the saddle which separates Pico Viejo and Teide. At this point, the crater is just a few hundred meters on the left.
The clouds were coming all the time and they were going higher and higher, and I was worried about the rain. The forecast for the island was not favorable but I was hoping to be above clouds just like during my first climb to Teide mountain 6 years ago. So I did not waste time and I continued toward Teide.
Here are a few photos from the Parador-Pico Viejo part of the tour.
From Pico Viejo to Teide
The beginning of the section from Pico Viejo is simply beautiful: a pleasant path up along an area covered with orange volcanic sand, hard surface enough and not steep at all. You can see it on one of the photos below. The route is marked as number 9.
After that, I was in black lava boulders area. This is not so simple to navigate through, and I would not recommend to pass it at night time. At one point I took a rest, enjoying watching the crater of Pico Viejo below me; it was filled with clouds.
But the view was changing rapidly and a huge cloud front was rolling from the west. I could see such an internal motion in the clouds very clearly, they were nearly at my altitude and approaching fast. It looked a bit scary, this gave me some extra push in the thin air. A few drops of rain but nothing serious, I was just in front of the clouds all the time.
Somewhere in the middle of the boulder area, I met a woman descending from Teleferico lift station. I asked if she was waterproof and she said yes, I knew she would be OK.
I arrived at the area with the lift station far ahead of schedule. My initial plan was to wait till guards go home with the last lift back to the big crater are below. But I had 90 minutes to wait. So instead of waiting, I found a shortcut and avoided going to the checkpoint. Soon after that, I was on the final part towards the summit. This saved me a lot of time and this meant that I should spend less time later descending in the dark.
⇒ Related: Can You Climb Mount Teide Without a Guide?
It was sunny on the summit, clouds were below and they looked magnificent. But the wind: in some moments I was afraid it could blow me away from the path.
I was on the summit at 4:30 pm, so this was in 6 hours from Parador, not bad timing. There was nobody around, and nobody was coming. Perfect for my purpose of being there: to say the last goodbye to the mountain. And I did it.
I think I have never experienced such a strong wind anywhere at all. To stay there, I had to take shelter behind a rock. After just some 10 minutes I left. I could see the storm below the mountain, but no rain around me; it was inside me.
Here are some photos.
Descending by Altavista hut to Montaña Blanca parking
The descent route was well known to me, I passed it 4 times earlier. In the middle of the lava boulders above the Altavista hut, I met one person. He was staying there with the camera and waiting to capture some nice moments of the sunset. He was shivering quite visibly. It was cold, the night was coming. I could understand his passion well. I said goodbye and continued.
Below Altavista I prepared my torch and it was working properly, but I did not need it yet. I met several groups climbing up, obviously to stay the night at the hut. Later, on the lower part below Montaña Blanca I wanted to use the torch, and it did not work. I was in the cloud, so I guess it was the matter of condensation from the air. I shall not have it in my equipment again.
I continued for another 3 kilometers through the night, almost no visibility at all. I was at the Montaña Blanca parking at 19:40. So I did the tour in 9 hours and 10 minutes.
It started raining heavily and it remained so all the way along the Esperanza road toward La Laguna. It turned out that my rented Fiat Panda was not waterproof. But all was fine in the end, I was in Santa Cruz at 21. What a day, one of the best ever! Well, nothing less one can expect from climbing Mt Teide, a natural wonder.
If you plan to go to Tenerife, just to know that you can do your accommodation reservation through Booking.com. I have used their services many times in the past and can fully recommend them. Did you know that they have their Genius Loyalty Program, so you can save a lot if you book through them several times.
Thank you for reading. I shall be happy to have some comments in the box below. You might like to read a few other texts within this site about climbing on Tenerife:
Joel Schuil says
Last year in januari 2023 I tried to reach pico del Teide with my girlfriend, but the weather conditions were harsh. There was allot of snow and it whas really cold, already before the refugee. For my girlfriend it got really hard so I carried her backpack aswell, this whas eventually not possible for me anymore aswell so we had the go down.
Last week I visited Tenerife again with a good friend of mine and we went to Montaña Blanca for a second time on 9 januari 2024, this time the weather conditions were allot better. Even though the weather was allot better, the climb was pretty hard, but eventually after 6 hours we got to the top! We reach pico del Teide at 18:25, just 5 minutes before sunset. The view.. it was stunningly beautiful, when the sun sets we saw the shadow of the piramide reaching for the horizon, it whas the most magical sight I have ever witnessed… after that we took a slow climb down the same way since our car was parked at montañ Blanca. It took us 5 hours in the dark and when we reached our car we were completely exhausted haha even though we are in good shape.
During the hike we also met this other guy that was hiking through all the Canary Islands without a car or anything, it was amazing, he also teach us allot about hiking.
Thanks again for all your advice and information on your forums, it was really helpful and I think even mandatory for me to even want to climb the top!
Kind regards,
Joël Schuil
Jovo says
Wow Joël, I really enjoyed reading your lines, they bring a lot of memory back. So great to know that you managed this time and very happy for you.
You behaved responsibly in your first attempt, with snow and cold, you did not have much choice. The shadow, yes this is something one cannot forget. I have enjoyed watching it a few times and I really would not mind doing it again.
Joel Schuil says
Jovo your story’s are amazing and very inspiring. Excellent choice of music aswel, in January I wil go to Tenerife as well and I can’t wait to hike el Teide.
Kind regards,
Joël Schuil.
Jovo says
Thank you Joël, I hope you will have a great weather. It is a beautiful place so enjoy the moments there. Best luck.
StefanD says
Thankyou for reminding me how wonderful Teide is. It is 25 years since my wife and I walked up Teide. I can still remember the beautiful landscape and views as well as the silence. We hired a car and walked up during the day. It took us 8 hours up (including Montana Blanca) and 4 hours down so buses are definitely not an option. This is much longer than some guide books say. Later in the holiday we were driving back to our hotel one evening across Las Canadas when we found a father and his sons, who had climbed Teide, walking along the road. There was no other traffic. With their limited English and our non existent Austrian we learnt they too were staying in Puerto, and we gave them a lift to their hotel. I am surprised so many people suffer from the cold. Tell people to take warm clothing. Even in summer you are, in effect, going to the Arctic. Some people feel the effects of altitude too, as we did. Stay safe and have a fantastic experience.
Jovo says
Hi Stefan, many thanks for the comment, I am sure people will fund it useful. You are so right about “going to the Arctic” directly from the sea level. It is indeed so incredible how just a few kilometers of the elevation difference changes everything. Best wishes to you too.
Marta says
Thank you for sharing your superb photos and adventures with us. I’ve only seen Mount Teide from Gran Canaria – a magnificent cone over a sea of clouds…. It makes me feel so small when I realize that it sticks out of the ocean and reaches the altitude of over 3700 m. Generally, each island of the archipelago is a different world. I want to visit them all.
Jovo says
Hi Marta, great to hear from you. You realize the beauty of Teide. I saw it in a similar way many year ago from a plane, a magnificent cone above the clouds. So it was a natural desire to climb it, and later I did it 6 times, and every time I thanked the mountain for letting me doing this. The story you read here was supposed to be my last one but in fact I climbed it once again with a friend, following the same route. I wish you all the best and hope to hear about your experience on Mount Teide, the natural wonder.
Shannon says
I really enjoyed your review of your climb of Mt. Teide. Although I have never done any mountain climbing, I have great admiration for those who do so because it takes so much courage and determination. I have a slight fear of heights, so I have to enjoy this wonder through the eyes of others. Fantastic pictures that you have added to your page. 🙂
Jovo says
Thank you Shannon, it is great that you like my post. All the best to you.
Josue Castillo says
Wow good stuff. Ive always enjoyed hiking and and mountain climbing. It is such a great feeling being out there with nature. I however have never actually had any opportunity to do any real “adventures” like yourself. Ive only done small hikes on hiking trails around my area in los angeles:/ Definitely a goal of mine is to be more involved woth traveling and nature as i get older.
Jovo says
Hi Josue, thank you for the comment. I know for sure you have some nice mountains around you, so try it. You might like it.
Vertical Veloxity says
Wowww! Breathtaking. I enjoy your post so much. You are living the life! Must be great visiting so many different nations, cultures, and seeing such beautiful landscapes. And thanks for the music. Love it.
How was the food there? What did you eat while tracking, on and off the mountain?
I would love to do tracks and minor climbs. But I am afraid of getting hurt or caught in bad storm. What do you do to make sure that you are safe?
Jovo says
Hi, thank you for visiting my post. The food is what you take with you in your backpack. I do not eat much when I climb, too much adrenaline in blood I guess. It is necessary to have waterproof clothes and shoes. This is essential. Hypothermia can kill you if you get wet in cold or icy rain. As for safety, many people get killed in bathtubs, nothing is guaranteed anywhere. So good planning and knowing your limits, that is what I would say.
TheDopestMatrix says
I would LOVE to climb that mountain one day, the only big mountain I have climbed was Mt Adams in Washington State. But this looks dope! In hawaii? nice, Ive never actually been close up to a crater before, do you hike a lot of mountains regularly?
thanks for sharing
TheDopestMatrix
Jovo says
Hi, thank you for the comment. Pahto (Mt Adams) is a mountain for every respect, it is in fact a few meters higher than Mt Teide. I do climb whenever I have a chance, most of it is described in the site here.
Riaz Shah says
Wow Jovo,
Mt Teide is absolutely breathtaking, I really need to get out of the house and travel more like you do. I’ve heard so much about Tenerife but never thought of going until I came across your blog.
That’s it, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going on a hiking trip to clear my thought and find myself. Quick question though, would you advise going on a trip alone or with friends?
Jovo says
Hi Riaz, thank you for visiting my site. To your question, it is always good to have somebody with you, that is what smart people do. Though I am not in that category, hence my solo tours.
goro says
Very interesting report, as i’m preparing a trip to Tenerife, would like to go to the summit, but there’s no permits remaining, so it would be big help to know, if there is a chance to find a shortcut.
Please could you write me some informations about it?
Thank you very much a have a lot of succusful climbings!
Jovo says
Well Goro, you can check permits in my page Teide mountain, and yes usually it is not available for one month in advance. If you plan to stay the night in the hut (which is also always fully booked, see the link in my page) then the permit is included.
Alternative: go after 5 pm when guards go home with the last gondola, which should be around 4:30. Yet another alternative, just go, they usually control only the people coming by the cable car and this happens inside the building while the route from the hut side passes some 30 meters above so you may pass, or find some other shortcut, there is always a way. Let me know, I am still on the island till the end of the year.
Katrin says
Climbing has always seemed a bit scary to me, but I guess with the right equipment and joining experienced climbers in the beginning you’re on the safe side. It seems like a wonderful experience to make, reading your report from climbing Mt Teide. Maybe we might meet on a mountainside one day 🙂
Katrin
Jovo says
Hi Katron, thank you. This particular tour has been more a walk up at high altitude, not technical climbing.