Teide National Park

Teide National Park is the main attraction of the island of Tenerife. There is only one hotel Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide (booking.com) in the park where we spent two nights. Our visit was quite interesting, so we recommend to do the same.


The first day we arrived at the park in the afternoon and checked into the hotel. Prices for accommodation, by the way, is quite low, given the location and the lack of alternatives. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool, sauna and gym. Prices in the restaurant are high, but you can eat at the cafe near the cable car, it is a few kilometers away.

The main attraction of the park is the Teide volcano. This is the highest point of the whole Spain (3718 m).


Because of the altitude, there is almost always clear and sunny weather, even if the whole island is covered with clouds.


I had a plan - to spend the night in a mountain shelter Altavista Mountain Refuge and in the morning, at dawn, climb to the top of the volcano. Since I was the only one with such idea among four of us, others stayed in the hotel and I went to the cable car. Consider its timetable and do not miss the last car, usually it's at 16:00 (schedule and prices).

Accordingly, if you're all at the top, you do not need a hotel for the first night. To spend the night in a refuge it is necessary to book in advance. Do it here.

Cablecar brings you from a height of 2356 meters to 3555 meters. This is a significant height difference and some people may have problems with pressure.


Passing the viewpoints, I got to the refuge in 40 minutes. It is located at an altitude of approximately 3300 meters. It's high and a dozen tourists had a strong headache. This fact is very important, consider it! I also had pain, but managed to fall asleep for 10 minutes at the kitchen table and after that felt totally fine.

Refuge is an ordinary hostel for 54 persons with all conveniences. There is a kitchen, so take the food to cook dinner and breakfast. And it is hot inside.










In the evening everybody watching at the shadow of the volcano, which is slowly growing.




At night you can go out to take pictures of the Milky Way.


If you have the experience of spending the night in the hostel, then there will be no problems. For me it was uncomfortable as all the tourists woke up at 4 am and I planned to get up at 5:30. The reason is that you need some time to climb to the top of the volcano. Despite the fact that I started 1 hour later, I managed to come first to the crater as I walked alone and had a flashlight.

Before sunrise it can be very cold, so you need proper dress. In some places, there is a hot steam and it's possible to warm up a little.






After sunrise the shadow appears on the other side of the volcano.


After a while, all went to the cable car and I stayed to shoot timelapses and wait for Nastya and our friends. They had breakfast at the hotel and came to the opening of the cable car at 9:00. After another 45 minutes they climbed up to me.


To rise to the crater you must pre-register here. This is not necessary for those who spend the night in a refuge.

After a rest at the top we went down to the cable car and drove to the hotel, where swam in the pool, sit in the sauna and visited a gym. Later in the afternoon we went for the 2-hour walk around the Garcia rocks, which are right next to the hotel.

Separate article about Garcia rocks.




The next morning we continue our journey around Tenerife. In general a visit to the park is the best impression on the Canary Islands.

Map of the park


Map of the walking trails


Getting there: Almost all tourists come either on a rental car, or as part of an organized tour. There are two buses that go in the morning to the cable car and return in the afternoon: 348 Puerto de La Cruz – Las Cañadas del Teide и 342 Playa de Las Américas - Las Cañadas del Teide (http://www.titsa.com/).