The Teide National Park in Tenerife offers ample opportunity for hiking. The steep slopes of Mount Teide reach 3,718 metres above sea level within a mere thirteen kilometres from the coastline.
The easy way to experience the mountain is to take the cable car up to an area known as “La Rambleta”, at a height of 3,555 metres. The cable car runs daily from 9am to 5pm, unless closed due to bad weather or strong winds.
The more adventurous can ascend on foot, with the walk lasting between 4 and 6 hours.
The Teno Rural Park covers 8,063 hectares and takes in the districts of Buenavista del Norte, Los Silos, Santiago del Teide and El Tanque. It was declared a Nature Park in June 1987 and was designated a Rural Park in 1994, as well as classed as a Bird Sanctuary in 1979. The park consists of spectacular
gorges, steep cliffs and varying landscapes as well as important areas of ancient forest land that only exist in the Atlantic islands, and is home to a wide variety of endemic species.
Within the park is a tiny hamlet Masca. Rustic stone houses, cling to the side of the mountain 600m above sea level and the myriad of paths leading to and from the village make this a good spot for hiking
The hamlet has several local bars and restaurants, handicraft shops and historical buildings such as the oldest building in the village, the “Casa de Los Avinculados”.
The hamlet boasts spectacular scenery and a nearby ravine, the Masca Gorge, around five kilometres long.
In the north east of the island,the Anaga Rural Park is a large protected area of immense ecological value. The rugged mountain range of over 3.5 million years old features a wealth of rocky crags and outcrops, natural breakwaters, jagged peaks, raised beaches and spectacular cliffs. There are also
plenty of archaeological remains scattered around the park and a new footpath designed to improve accessibility to the area, the “Footpath of the Senses”.