50 Comments

  1. Hi Great site. Me and my familily have had a house in Caleta de Interian for 6 years, and we totally love Isla Baja. Since my husband and kids are more into surfing than mountain-walking, I am often left to mye self in the mountains around us. I never tire of the beautiful sights and routes here, but it is not always easy to find god maps and route-descriptions. 🙂 Dorthe

  2. Thanks Dorthe,

    We were in La Caleta de Interian for the San Juan celebrations this year. Lovely event, I can see why you love it there – much of it is still a secret to visitors. I completely agree about finding good maps and route descriptions. We were sent the wrong way on many occasions by out of date directions and maps that made no sense…which is why we decided to design our own.

  3. Hi there,

    Together with my wife Mila I run a small hotel pension in Guia de Isora. Most of our guests are hikers who come out here to enjoy one of the 24 marked hiking routes in the vicinity.
    We are looking for websites to collaborate with regarding accommodation specifically for the more active holidaymaker.
    Drop us a line if you see any prospects.

    Best regards,

    Martin Knol

  4. We want to walk from sea level, Los Cristianos, to the top of Teide. We are familiar with the walk from Vilaflor to Parador and then on to Teide but would be interested to know if anyone has some tips about the walking options up to Vilaflor from Los Cristianos. Is it a case of following the road most of the time or are there any marked footpaths? We did the route to Parador on bicycles last year and want to try something different.

  5. Hi John,

    Sorry, but I’m not familiar with any marked routes from Los Cristianos to Vilaflor. There’s a route from Ifonche to Vilaflor and also a trail from Adeje town to Ifonche. So if you could get to Adeje town, which isn’t that far from Los Cristianos, then you might be able to do it that way. I couldn’t say how good the path was from Adeje to Ifonche so it would be worth checking that out with the Medio Ambiente people in Adeje Ayuntamiento. But I know someone who did the Ifonche to Vilaflor in July so that section should be okay.

  6. Hi
    can you give me some information about the weather in january for climbin mount teide.

    also i would like to have some sun after, where is it best to be based.
    janice

  7. In theory you can climb Mount Teide any time of the year. But it does depend on weather conditions. In January the biggest issue may be snow. If there’s been heavy snow on the mountain, it can be off limits and the Altavista refuge can be closed. Sometimes even the roads leading to Las Cañadas can closed because of snow and ice which is what happened during January last year.

    The winter months can be unpredictable up high – it can be glorious but then again… However, it will definitely be cold on the mountain at that time of year with temperatures probably being around -2C on the summit during the day and around 5-10C in the crater.

    I’ve never climbed the mountain at that time of year, but I’ve often walked in Las Cañadas and have climbed Montaña Guajara and it’s been beautiful conditions – sunshine and a bit of snow.

    January is usually sunny on all coasts, but generally speaking, the south west (Los Gigantes, Puerto Santiago, Playa de la Arena, Alcalá etc) enjoys the most sunshine any time of the year.

  8. Hi

    Can you mail me one of your island walks, so I can see whether I could use them. If they are useful I wil lcertainly buy a selection.

    greetings

    Staf Dillen

  9. Inspired by your guides we set off to walk the La Caldera route last week. Unfortunately I left the guide behind but the walk was well sign posted so that didn’t matter, but we inadvertantly walked the route anti clockwise and thought the descent might be easier that way rather than the clockwise direction where the first part is quite rought terrain. Would be interested to know the difference in the two approaches.

  10. It’s an interesting question.

    It’s probably more a matter of personal preference than anything else as both directions involve a quite steep ascent and descent at some point – maybe a bit steeper going the clockwise way. A lot of people like to do the anti-clockwise route (I’ve noticed over the years that quite a few Germans do it this direction so presumably there are German guides that detail that way).

    We often choose directions based on which direction offers what we think are the best stop-you-in-your-tracks views and I think the clockwise route shades it for the Los Órganos route.

  11. I can imagine the views probably are better clockwise, we’ll walk it that way next time. Your guides are great and we recommend them to the guests who rent our apartment in Los Gigantes who have an interest in hiking.

  12. Dear Jack and Andy,

    We will be coming to Tenerife in January with our 18 month old baby. Are any of the hikes in your book suitable for a stroller/pushchair? Our stroller is a very sturdy, three-wheel jogging stroller which has seen cobbled streets of rural Mexico, Canadian backroads, German forest paths and several old European cities. I’m wonder if the “number 2” hikes would work?
    Thanks in advance for your help!

  13. Hi Cathy,

    I’ve had a good think about this and am struggling to think of many of the walks that would suit. The problem is that a lot of routes follow goat trails, very uneven former merchants’ trails (they might sound okay but they can be a killer to even walk on), cross lava fields or are incredibly steep (a feature of a lot of walking on the western Canary Islands). There are a couple that might be okay but it woudn’t be worth buying the walks just for 1 or 2 possibilities. Let me know where you’re staying and I’ll point you in the direction of any walks in that area that might suit.

    Jack

  14. Hi Jack,

    Thanks for getting back to me. We figured as much. The terrain looks pretty rugged. Anyway, we are renting a house in Icod de los Vinos. We will also bring our baby backpack to give us a few more hiking options (although we prefer stroller “hikes” because then our babe can have a good long nap when we needs one.) Can you recommend any hikes in the North that are one/two hourish on reasonable terrain?

    Thanks!

    Cathy

    P.S. What a great site you have. I’ve been enjoying reading about all the great walks!

  15. Thanks for the comment about the site – although time spent on our other writing commitments and on our other sites (The Real Tenerife and Buzz Trips) means that we don’t get to put all the info on that we’d like to 🙂

    You’ll get plenty of exercise just negotiating the streets in Icod – they’re so steep that one fiesta involves the locals screaming down them on trays. It’s a nice town with good independent shopping.

    You’re not too far from some good coastal walks which might be okay for the buggy. There’s an interesting coastal path that runs between the golf course and the sea at Buenavista del Norte. At the beach before the golf course there’s a car park and a Robinson Crusoe restaurant (you’ll know what I mean when you see it) and a good path leads in both directions.

    Another good one is La Rambla at Los Realejos (about 20 mins drive from Icod). You can park at the San Pedro Mirador and paths lead from there. One direction will take you through the banana plantations and the other through a palm grove and along the coast towards Puerto. The paths aren’t really signposted but are worth exploring.

    J

  16. I am visiting Tenerife from 12th-19th October and would like to go on a guided walk for the day, if there are any available. As I am on my own I would prefer to go with a group or a few people at least. I do a lot of walking in Scotland and reasonably fit. if you could get back to me. Thank you Jacque

  17. Hi Gary
    Are you still doing the guided walks which we enjoyed so much last time we came with Jane and Mike Sheehan Jan 2010. Ourselves (Den and Sue) are contemplating a holiday in Jan 2014 with two other friends, but would want your expertise and guiding.
    Look forward to hearing from you.
    Den Pain and Sue Pritchard

  18. We are coming to Tenerife in Nov/Dec and want towalk about the island camping where we can. Is this possible?

  19. Sorry for the late reply Sue but we’ve been in France for most of September and internet access has been dodgy. I think you’ve mixed us up with Gary Rosson (cyberhiker) 🙂

  20. Hi Jacque,

    We don’t do guided walks but there are a few companies on Tenerife that do. However, it depends on where you’re staying. Nearly all the British companies are in the south but there are some excellent local (Canatio) guides in the north. If you let me know which area I can let you know which are closest to where you are staying.

  21. We are planning a walking holiday for 10 nights at end of Feb 2014. 4 adults, we have previously walked Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma etc probably will do 2 locations with 4 nights in each – small hotels or self catering with reasonable degree of comfort.
    Can you suggest two good bases.

    Thanks

  22. Also is there a long distance linear route with luggage transfers using 3/4 different locations?

  23. Take a look at La Orotava and Garachico as bases. Both are historic towns with a handful of small hotels in colonial buildings. La Orotava is a good base for walking in the upper La Orotava Valley and Teide National Park. It’s also not too far away from the Anaga Mountains. Garachico is a good location for walking in Teno National Park or even the Valle de Santiago. These areas include the best walking on Tenerife.

    Hope this helps.

    J

  24. I’m not aware of any company that does walking with luggage transfers on Tenerife. We work with a specialist UK travel company and this year have worked with them to put together a route like this on Gran Canaria and updated one on La Gomera but it’s a bit more difficult on Tenerife due to the difference in topography and availability of suitable accommodation. The GR 131 runs from La Esperanza to Arona (just under 30 kilometres) but the issue is accommodation at the ‘right’ spots. We’ve looked at alternative routes and there are some possibilities. But without luggage transfer they’re nonstarters.

    Jack

  25. Hi guys,

    Just had a very interesting look around your website. Ive been on many “about tenerife” type sites and i’ve learned there are many many many walks and trails in all types of environments that the others don’t mention. Fantastic.

    I am wondering if you can help me with a route that may be out of the normal. We are looking to run a marathon from coast to peak of Mount Teide. The route were looking at goes through barrio los menores up to barrio taucho before joining a fire road which then joins the main tf-21.

    We were a little concerned about the road not having a pavement at the top and thus the dangers. Are there any routes you could suggest that would be 40-50km from coast to top of mount teide (we will be getting our permits)? More practical ones, easier ones, more scenic ones. Im aware there was a race that went up there, but the route was never given out in detail.

    Many thanks

  26. Cheers. The route that instantly comes to mind is from Playa El Socorro in Los Realejos to Mount Teide. It’s 29km and, apart from a couple of short sections on roads is all on paths.

  27. Thanks Jack. I don’t suppose that is one of the routes in your book is it? If it is that will make it easy. If not, i’m not sure how possible this is, would you be able to map the route (strava/mapmyrun,gpx). I’d pay for your time of course

    Nick

  28. Hi Jack. Firstly, thanks for the guided walks which we have already done quite a lot of and they were all fantastic ! We have done the Cruz del Carmen to Chinamada walk and would love to do another walk similar to this. Is there any reason you have not written another walk within the Anaga ? I have been looking at the Cruz del Carmen to El Batan walk, would you recommend this and is it easy to follow without your marvelous directions ! 🙂 Thanks, Angie.

  29. Hi Angie,

    Apologies for the delay in approving and answering your comment (and thanks for the kind words, we really appreciate feedback like this). As it happens we’ve been out and about all week researching new walks and checking directions on current routes. We’ve had plans to add more Anaga walks for some time as it is our favourite place on Tenerife for walking and there are so many good routes there. It’s only been time constraints that has prevented us from doing so (we have a lot of writing projects on the go at any one time). I’d recommend any routes in the Anagas, it’s such a beautiful place. On established routes markings are generally pretty good, the signage has certainly improved over the last couple of years, but they can go missing at times. Mostly that isn’t a problem if the route is one linking villages/hamlets.

    Hope this helps a bit… until the new walks are added 🙂

    Jack

  30. Hi Jack, Thanks for the reply. We will be heading off to Tenerife at the beginning of November so fingers crossed for good weather in the Anaga. We cannot wait to see those mountains again ! Ps. we will also be doing some of the coastal walks around Puerto de la Cruz so thanks again for the Maps 🙂 Angie.

  31. Hi Jack and Andrea,

    I have just purchased a walk via paypal but wondered what happens next as I didn’t have to enter my address or email address for you to send the walk to me?

    Kind regards

    Bec

  32. Hi Bec,

    Paypal automatically notifies us of your email address. You should have the routes by now. I hope you enjoy them and your trip to Tenerife.

    Regards,

    Jack

  33. Hi,

    Do you know of anyone that conducts regular guided walks on Tenerife? We will be there from 17th to 23rd of Feb and as my mother in law is a keen walker/hiker, I would like to arrange a couple of walking trips for her if there are any other groups that she can join in with if possible. We have a four year old and so we cannot go hiking with her unfortunately 🙁

    We are staying in Los Gigantes if that helps, although we may hire a car for a few days and so could arrange transfer to Adeje etc.

    Many thanks,
    Martin

  34. Hi Martin,

    Shame you won’t be able to go walking, but I’m sure you’ll have a great time anyway 🙂 The best ones we know are a couple of very good Canarian companies based in the north where we live, so I’m afraid they might not much use to you as you’ll be in Los Gigantes. Patea Tus Montes do some walks not far from there though so it might be worth checking them out. Last week I bumped into one of their guides in Teide National Park with a group of Irish walkers, they’re good, ethical people.

  35. Hi we are travelling to tenerife in april and wanted to go to anaga to explore and see the best parts of the scenery. but i cant find any information on how to get started when we get there. or even how to go about starting a trek.

  36. Hi Dave,

    Our Stepping Back in Time routes include information on getting to the walks by car and bus as well as full route details for three walks in Anaga.

  37. Hi Jack
    My husband and I bought several of your maps for our trip to Tenerife earlier this summer. We wanted to get to see Tenerife beyond the coastline and found your maps brilliant, enabling us to see places we wouldn’t have found without them. We are looking forward to going back to Tenerife and being off the beaten track again. Thanks Jack, Kas & Paul

  38. Hi

    I’m considering taking a walking holiday on tenerife around christmas, probably level 3-4 walks. Will it be very rainy and windy in the mountains at that time of year?

    Best regards Peter Sørensen
    Denmark.

  39. Hi Peter, generally speaking the weather in December is pretty good with plenty of sunshine. In the mountains you’ll find it considerably colder than at the coast so it’s best to wear layers and include some light waterproofs but there shouldn’t be a problem with either windy or rainy weather. The heaviest rainfall and strong winds tend to arrive at the change of the seasons in November and February/March. Having said that, there are obviously no guarantees and it would be sensible to keep an eye on the AEMET (Spanish Met office) website for alerts before you tackle any of the higher mountain routes.

  40. Hi,
    Going to be in Gran Canaria in December for 4 days and looking to do 3 arduous day hikes.
    First of all, is there a rural hotel in Gran Canaria that I can stay in and do these?
    If not, where is the best way to get information about day hikes: maps, where to start etc.?

    Thanks a lot

  41. Hi Gil,

    There are some very good rural hotels on Gran Canaria. I would look at either Tunte or Tejeda as a base, both have a choice of hotels (the parador is above Tejeda) as well as walking routes. Tejeda would probably be my first choice as a base. We’ve walked on Gran Canaria and have some information about routes (in general terms as we were putting together a walking holiday for Inntravel in the UK) and hotels on our main travel site Buzz Trips – here’s a link to the Gran Canaria articles.

  42. One of my favorite walks is the Organos
    trail starting from Las Calderas.
    I was in that area in November 2014 and a landslide had then taken away part of the path. As far as I know the path was not repaired when I asked about it in March 2015
    What News do you have now ????
    I plan a walk in the same area in November !!!

  43. Hi John,

    Sorry for the delay in responding, we’re in the UK at the moment (a bit of work and a wedding in Scotland) enjoying the lovely weather. The landslide on the Organos route took out one of our favourite walks. We introduced an alternative route in the area as a result. But the authorities have been slow to repair the route. During the summer months we walk in other parts of Europe and tend to leave walking in the Canary Islands till things cool down (about now).

    When we get back we’ll check the situation regarding that route and post an update.

    Jack

  44. Hi Andy & Jack,

    May I know if there are some hiking groups organized by you for hiking to the Mount Teide’s summit?
    I think I will travel in Tenerife from 8-12 May, 2016.

    Cheers,

    Faye

  45. Hi Faye,

    Sorry, but we only write self-guided routes and don’t actually organise walking groups. There are quite a few people and companies based in different parts of the island who can arrange a hike to Teide’s summit. You’re probably best arranging the walk with an organisation based near to where you’ll be staying. May should be an excellent time for walking to the summit.

    Regards,

    Jack

  46. We will be walking in the Oratavo Valley, the Teno and Anaga starting on Jan 16th.
    Could you update me on path closures OR where I can get reliable information in Puerto de la Cruz.
    Thanks,
    Tom Brooks

  47. Hi there – I did try E-mailing about a month ago -but I don’t think anyone picked it up. I just need a bit of advice, I’m looking at a break away at the beginning of May for about a week. I’d like to do a bit of walking – maybe 3 or 4 routes. The problem is, I have never driven abroad, and will be travelling alone and am worried about driving abroad, which scuppers car hire really. I noted that in one of your articles about Tenerife you mentioned there were other Islands that had hotels where there were paths pretty much accessible from the hotel, I wondered which Islands/Hotels these might be.
    Warm regards
    Dawn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.