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WALKING ON TENERIFE

El Teide stands high above the clouds, experiencing different weather from the rest of the island

This is the largest of the Canary Islands, in the middle of the archipelago. The southern part of the island is arid and often environmentally degraded, having been intensively cultivated and then abandoned as water supplies ran out. Walking opportunities are limited, and most visitors travel through the southern parts at speed on busy roads, not inclined to stop. The northern part of the island, by contrast, is moist, fresh and green, often terraced and intensively cultivated, with good walking routes available. The extreme ends of Tenerife, Anaga in the north-east and Teno in the north-west, are the oldest parts of the island, riven by deep barrancos, with cliffs and arid slopes rising to summits covered in laurisilva forest.

The most popular resorts, along with the bulk of accommodation on Tenerife, are based around Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas in the south, and Puerto de la Cruz in the north. There are good walking opportunities within easy travelling distance of these resorts. Anaga has an impressive network of signposted and waymarked trails, and Teno is almost as good in that respect.

The central part of Tenerife is completely dominated by a huge, rugged and steep-sided volcanic peak – El Teide. This is in turn surrounded by a semi-circle of jagged peaks, the remains of a vast volcanic caldera. The whole central area of Tenerife is protected as a national park and boasts a wealth of interesting and sometimes very rugged trails. The altitude is generally well above 2000m (6560ft), and the region often basks in the sun under a blue sky when other parts of the island are covered in cloud, or experiencing rain. However, when bad weather hits these mountains, it is often very bad, and extensive snow cover can make it difficult to follow some routes in winter.

It takes time to explore Tenerife, and some people return year after year to discover more and more of the island. This guidebook contains a good six weeks of walking, and to make the most of opportunities visitors should be prepared to choose different bases to explore different areas; otherwise too much time could be spent travelling to far-flung parts. Good fast roads encircle the island and climb remarkably high, but other roads are narrow and convoluted and can only be travelled slowly.

The 45 days of walking on Tenerife described in this guidebook are made up of 40 one-day walks, either signposted as PR (pequeño recorrido) routes or number-coded senderos in the national park, plus another five days signposted as a GR (gran recorrido) route that can be linked together as a long-distance walk. Few of these routes stand in isolation, and most of them link with one, two or more adjacent routes, so there are options to modify and adapt them, and some routes feature variants and extensions. There are almost 630km (390 miles) of trails described on Tenerife in this book, and this represents only part of the signposted and waymarked trail network.

Getting there

By Air

Most visitors fly direct to Tenerife Sur airport, from the UK or Europe, using a variety of airlines. Local flights from the adjacent Canary Islands land at Tenerife Norte, and are operated by Binter Canarias, tel. 902-391392, www.bintercanarias.com, or Canaryfly, tel. 902-808065, www.canaryfly.es.

Frequent, fast and cheap TITSA buses link Tenerife Sur with the bustling nearby resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas, and some services also run to the capital city of Santa Cruz. From Tenerife Norte, regular buses run to Santa Cruz and the northern resort of Puerto de la Cruz. Taxis are also available at the airports.

By Ferry

Two ferry companies operate between Tenerife and neighbouring islands. Lineas Fred Olsen, tel. 902-100107, www.fredolsen.es, is quick and expensive. Naviera Armas, tel. 902-456500, www.naviera-armas.com, is slower and cheaper. Ferries berth at Los Cristianos, from the westernmost islands of La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, and at Santa Cruz, from Gran Canaria.

Getting around

By Bus

TITSA buses operate all over Tenerife from sea level to almost 2400m (7875ft) at the foot of El Teide

Tenerife has an excellent network of bus services operated by Transportes Interurbanos de Tenerife SA (TITSA), tel. 922-531300, www.titsa.com. Obtain an up-to-date timetable for the whole island as soon as possible, from bus stations or information kiosks. There are two timetables, one listing all services and another listing only those regularly used by tourists. Details can also be checked on the website. Tickets are for single or day return journeys and fares are paid on boarding the bus. For the best deal, obtain a pre-paid bono ticket and use the on-board machine. The bono will be debited less than what you would pay for a ticket on board. Buses are referred to as guaguas, although bus stops, or paradas, may be marked as ‘bus’.

By Taxi

Long taxi rides are expensive, but short journeys are worth considering. Taxi ranks are located in all the towns and some of the villages. Fares are fixed by the municipalities and can be inspected on demand, though negotiation might be possible.

Car Hire

Some people will automatically pick up a hire car in Tenerife, and this is easily arranged in advance or on arrival. In some instances, a car is useful to reach a walk in a remote location, and using a car might sometimes offer more flexibility than using bus services. However, some of the best walks on Tenerife are linear, and if you park a car at one end it can be very difficult to return to it.

Planning your Transport

To make the most of walking opportunities, and limit long and awkward travelling, it is best to choose a number of accommodation bases with good bus connections. Linear routes described in this book generally start at the higher end and finish at the lower end, but there are exceptions. Where buses serve both ends, timetable details need to be checked, and you need to pace yourself to fit in with the schedules. In the few places where bus services are extremely limited, or completely absent, the only options are to arrange drop-offs and pick-ups, either by taxi or by arrangement with a car-driving friend. Pick-ups require careful planning and timing so as not to inconvenience or alarm those who are waiting for you.

What to take

If planning to use one or two bases to explore, then a simple day pack is all you need, containing items you would normally take for a day walk. Waterproofs can be lightweight and might not even be used. Footwear is a personal preference, but wear what you would normally wear for steep, rocky, stony slopes, remembering that hot feet are more likely to be a problem than wet feet. Lightweight light-coloured clothing is best in bright sunshine, along with a sun hat and frequent applications of sunscreen.

If snow and ice covers the highest mountains, warmer and more protective clothing will be needed, possibly even ice axe and crampons. If planning to backpack around the island, bear in mind that wild camping is technically illegal, though surprisingly popular. Lightweight kit should be carried, as a heavy pack is a cruel burden on steep slopes in hot weather. Water can be difficult to find, so try to anticipate your needs and carry enough to last until you reach a village, bar or houses where you can obtain a refill.

Waymarking and access

Tenerife only recently adopted a system for signposting and waymarking routes using standard European codes. The island has a network of short PR (pequeño recorrido) routes, which are marked with yellow and white paint flashes, and numbered to keep them separate. Signposts will read ‘PR TF…’, with a number following the letters. These codes are quoted in the route descriptions so that walkers will always be able to check that they are going the right way. There are also GR (gran recorrido) routes, which are intended as long-distance walks, but can also serve as simple one-day linear walks. Some short links are marked as SL (sendero local), literally ‘local walk’.

Red and white flashes mark the GR 131, and yellow and white flashes mark the shorter PR routes

Apart from signposts, routes are marked by occasional paint marks, parallel yellow and white stripes for the PR routes, with red and white stripes for the GR routes and green and white stripes for the SL routes. These confirm that walkers are still on course, and usually appear at junctions. Left and right turns are indicated with right-angled flashes, but if the paint marks form an ‘X’, this indicates that a wrong turn has been made.

The national park, Parque Nacional del Teide, has for many years used its own method to mark a splendid network of routes, generally using metal plaques fixed to rocks. These plaques bear the word sendero followed by a number that can be checked against map-boards and route maps produced by the national park authority.

Maps

The Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), www.cnig.es, publishes maps of the Canary Islands at scales of 1:50,000 and 1:25,000. These are part of the Mapa Topográfico Nacional (MTN) series. To avoid disappointment, please check the style and quality of these maps before making a purchase, since they generally do not show the sort of details that walkers require.

On Tenerife, good maps suitable for exploring are rather limited. There is the excellent 1:25,000 ‘Teide Parque Nacional’ map, stretching well beyond the national park in the middle of the island. For complete coverage of Tenerife on one sheet, the next best map is the 1:50,000 Kompass map of Tenerife, and this is available in Britain with an Automobile Association cover, as the AA Island Series 11 – Tenerife. The evolving trail network does not yet feature on maps, though routes are usually outlined on map-boards around the island, from which details can be copied and transferred to other maps.

Mapboards, signposts and waymarks have appeared where old paths have been restored

Maps can be ordered in advance from British suppliers such as Stanfords (12–14 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9BR, tel. 0207 836 1321, www.stanfords.co.uk), The Map Shop (15 High Street, Upton-upon-Severn, WR8 0HJ, tel. 01684 593146, www.themapshop.co.uk) or Cordee (www.cordee.co.uk).

The sketch maps in this guidebook are at a scale of 1:50,000. Routes marked on them can be transferred to other maps if required.

Food and drink

Tenerife is self-sufficient in terms of fruit, vegetables and fish. While some restaurants are cosmopolitan, others offer good local fare. Specialities include goat cheese. Wrinkly potatoes (papas arrugadas) cooked in salt are surprisingly refreshing in hot weather, served with hot mojo roja sauce and gentler mojo verde. The most popular fish dishes are based on vieja. If any dishes such as soups or stews need thickening, reach for the roasted flour gofio, which also serves as a breakfast cereal. Local wines are also available. Never pass an opportunity to indulge in local fare!

Tourist information offices

 Tenerife Sur Airport, tel. 922-392037

 Tenerife Norte Airport, tel. 922-635192

 Intercambiador (Bus Station) Santa Cruz, tel. 922-533353

 Santa Cruz (Cabildo), tel. 922-239592

 La Laguna, tel. 922-632718

 Candelaria, tel. 922-032230

 Garachico, tel. 922-133461

 Los Cristianos, tel. 922-757137

 Buenavista del Norte, tel. 922-127192

 Icod de los Vinos, tel. 922-812123

 La Orotava, tel. 922-323041

 Puerto de la Cruz, tel. 922-388777

 Puerto de la Cruz, tel. 922-386000

Emergencies

The pan-European emergency telephone number 112 is used to call for assistance throughout the Canary Islands, linking with the police, fire or ambulance service, for a response on land or at sea. The Guardia Civil telephone number is 062, and it is likely they would be involved in a response involving mountain rescue, as they generally patrol rural areas.

Using this guide

The walks are spread around the island, and where they lie side-by-side, links between routes are possible. Routes are described on the Anaga peninsula in the north-east, followed by those on the Teno peninsula in the north-west. Routes are then described between Guía, Arona and Vilaflor, handy for the resorts of Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos in the south. To the north, routes in the Valle de la Orotava are handy for Puerto de la Cruz. The highest and wildest routes are in the Parque Nacional de Teide, where routes onto El Teide are described separately. Finally, the GR 131 trail is described as a five-day long-distance walk from Arona to La Esperanza. This route can of course be followed as a series of linear day-walks broken at intervals.

Workmen restoring an old zigzag path on part of the long-distance GR 131 (Walk 45)

On arrival on Tenerife, visit a tourist information office as soon as possible and ask for an accommodation list, and any information about walking opportunities that they stock. Remember to pick up leaflets about any visitor attractions that seem interesting, as they usually give full contact details, opening times and admission charges. Visit a bus station or bus information kiosk for an up-to-date bus timetable. After that, you should have all the information you need to enjoy the walks to the maximum!