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| March 1998. I am trying to recollect the facts of a walk on Tenerife - May 1992. Our visit lasted only one week, too short. I will try to complete the picture. While putting the pieces into place more and more details will become clear. |  |
| This part of Europe outside Europe has a lot to offer to the hiker. It's origins are volcanic, it's nature has an exotic taste, the contrasts in the landscape are tremendous. The usual picture of the Canary Islands as a cheap sunshine resort is to my opinion incorrect. Mass tourism adds an attractive aspect to traveling this side of the world: it's cheap and easy travelling. | |
The walker has to take some inconveniences for granted. Only one mountain lodge is present on the island, I think, te one on the side of El Teide (pronounce Tay-ée-de), the volcano in the hart of the island. The villages have good and cheap lodging possibilities but in the open one has to camp. As far as I know marked trails barely exist. The climb of El Teide is fragmentarily waymarked with paint and a few signs. The spanish topographical maps are accurate but not up-to-date. You will need the skill of map reading. On the other side, the plains around the volcano and the volcano itself are open, and it's easy to find your way here. A third consideration is the lack of water on the island. Carry a good lot of bottles and plan your next water point ahead. We managed to find water every day.
These problems should not discourage you. By some walking guides and different maps and you will have a good time on the island. Also, travel organisations plan individual hiking tours if you want and they will carry your luggage from one village to another and pick you up from the roadside in the evening and drop you to the starting point of another trail the next morning.
The volcano, 3.700 meters, dominates the island. Next to El Teide is a second, older volcano, the Pico Viejo. This one is 3.100 meters high. It's a very nice walk from the first to the second peak. Far away lie the coastal plains, and beond them is the ocean. Above, the clouds of the trade winds add to the enormous dimensions. It's difficult to tell where the ocean ends and the sky starts, which makes oriëntation confusing and bring about a feeling of being on a very high altitude. Eric Luyten writes on News that in 1998 permits were necessary for a visit to the edge of the crater, "you have to collect the permit personally (don't forget a photocopy of your identity card!) in Santa Cruz". We didn't have to bother, though, in 1992.
Around El Teide a large plain extends, originating in an explosion of an older volcano. This 'caldera' lies at 2000 meters above sealevel and is confined by a sharp mountain ridge, the remains of the unfortunate volcano. Fragrant white and yellow broom grow on a red volcanic soil .The northern slopes of El Teide, forming the north side of the island, are moist and green (trade winds). The south side of Tenerife is rather barren and dry. Mass tourism concentrates on this side of the island. Large areas are forested.
We used a German guide, which we lost. Take your choice among the numerous available guides. They complement each other well. In combination with some maps it's easy to stroll around on the open parts of the island.
The Spanish Servicio Geográfico del Ejército publish maps on a scale of 1 to 50.000 (metric). Eight of them cover the island. You cannot do without them. The volcano is inconveniently divided over four of the maps. Buy some touristic map or road map as well.
The public transport is well organised. Many busses frequent the roads and villages of the island. The timetables are published in a booklet.
Currency and language are Spanish. The character of the people isn't exactly Spanish, although I can't tell what it is then.
Some stretches are marked. Don't trust the marking too much. The guides will give you enough clues. The paths are marked on the maps, but since paths come and go and the map data are old you'll need improvisation as well as good map reading skills. A compass is useful indeed.
The scarce growth on the caldera and volcano make it relatively easy to find your own way. The slopes ofcourse are very difficult due to the volcanic material. The slopes that mount to the caldera and the mountains that border the ocean are rough and forested, not suited for rambling around.
I do not know the regulations. We camped a lot and had a good time, apart from the incident with the air gun.
Water is a problem. Carry plenty of it with you, at least two litres a day a person. Plan your next water tanking stations ahead. We never walked a day without any place to drink. On the other hand, an evening without a fresh stream in front of the tent is like having dry bread to eat. Water is available in the Parador (the luxurous hotel at the foot of the volcano), in the cable lift station below El Teide's summit, in the mountain hut below the summit, and in the little aquaduct that circles the caldera.
Food is expensive in above mentioned tourist stations. In the mountain hut no food is sold or made. We survived on bocadillos and biscuits.
In march, when we made our walk, the climate was rather soft and dry, pleasant.
The plain is coloured yellow and white from the broom. Bees are busy foraging. People caress hundreds of beehives here. When the bee-keepers empty them, the animals get heated and will sting you. Don't come too near to any of the beehives, or they will attack you.
Good pictures of the observatorium are available on the Bradford University Robotic Telescope web site (thanks to Nick Hill for his suggestion). The images are large! altogether some 1.5 MB on one page. Another interesting page is Peter's Tenerife Information Site with more pictures and links. A second short report of the climb to the crater can be found on Tenerife and Pico de Teide (3715m). Finally, have a look at this French site on Tenerife.
The first impression of Tenerife is that of an egg. The airplane slowly turns around El Teide. The volcano is floating like a yolk on the mist. Only a small shell of coast remains visible.
Do not visit the tourist office in Santa Cruz, the main city of the island. They will tell you that walking is impossible and they do not know of any marked paths ("years ago"). Paul Matthews kindly informs me that there is now a helpful tourist office at the airport. The city itself is not interesting.
Our first steps start in La Laguna, a village not far from Santa Cruz in the north of the island. Small roads in between continental looking fields bring us to the village of La Esperanza (shops). Here starts the ridge that very gently climbs to the foot of the volcano.
We follow some indistinct paths that get lost in the forests. We camp on a tree enclosed little field. Some boys fire their air gun at the tent and feel delighted when the bullet passes the outer cloth as well as the inner cloth of the brand new tent. We are not amused, but they leave.
A road, frequented by tourists, follows the ridge. It is difficult to avoid it. So we hitch hike a few kilometres and are dropped at stone 30.
Another few kilomtres away is the Observatorio Meteorológico. Here, the ridge widens and merges into the caldera. Walking here is fantastic. There are no obstacles, the area is sparingly covered by broom and some rocks. The soil is made up of cat litter. It's like a huge tennis court or a gigantic hydroculture project. so you can go wherever you want to. Heading towards the volcano, that dominates the landscape is obvious.
Some time later we pass the white domes of the Observatorio Astronómico del Teide. Another few kilometres further away we put up the tent in between the gentle waves of cat litter.
We pass through a flat area and keep our eyes fixed on the volcano in the distance. Bee-keepers are busy collecting their honey. The little insects sting easily.
Near the slopes of the volcano is a visitors’ centre (the village of El Portillo: water) and some restaurants. A marked path starts from this place all the way to the summit. The first stretches of the path are rather indistinct. Never mind, it's an easy walk in the velvety terrain and you can't miss the volcano.
Looking for the marked trail we don't take notice of the sign "Precaucion Colmenar" (watch for the bees). Fifty yards more and we are very close to a couple of beehives. The first warrior bees start attacking the intruders - us - immediately. Surrounded by scores agrresive bees we jog past the beehives. Afterwards, we were lucky to be so well clothed. We counted a handful of stings.
The trail winds through a reddish landscape. Sharp rocks top the sandy hills. A track winds up the white Montaña Blanca, the start of the climb to the summit. Here, we put up our tent.
Peeping through the tent the structure of the caldera is clearly visible. The large round plane is closed in by a sharp ridge of mountains.
The path up the mountain is easy to find and well maintained. First, follow the track up the Montaña Blanca and when it ends the paths starts and works itself through different layers of volcanic material. Pale stones alternate with dark rocks, soft forms with sharp edges.
The mountain hut lies on an altitude of 3.200 meters. It is closed when we arrive. A small building staying apart from the hut serves as a bothy. Water is in a well. Later this evening the warden arives, when my altitude sickness (bussiness as usual) is almost passed. Although the hut is cheap, a comfortable place to stay and offering very nice views over the plain, food is a problem. The warden doesn't cook, nor does he sell any food apart form Milky Ways and the like.
Continuing to climb along the path we arrive at the cable car station. Form this point onwards a big crowd joins us the final hundred meter or so the the edge of the volcano. Don't expect much of a crater. It is a small hole, in fact, and the crowd pushes towards the edge.
Many people visit El Teide, most of them taking the cable car. However, a second volcano exists and almost nobody visits this Pico Viejo. With an altitude of only 3.000 meters it is 700 meters below the summit of El Teide and probably nobody even notices it. So, this is the real thing. In my opinion crossing from El Teide to the Pico Viejo is the best walk of Tenerife, but not the easiest one.
A sign at the cable car station points towards the start of a path. This path is bad and virtually invisible. Closely follow the cairns and clamber obediently up and down the sharp black boulders. It seems there is no end to this ordeal. But after a few ours you will suddenly find yourselve in a beautiful and comfortable sea of sand. The black material remains behind as a petrified wave. We are now on the saddle between the two summits and a short comfortable walk leads us to the ridge of the Pico Viejo. This time, a huge and deep crater awaits us. Solidified material and stones in different shapes and colours can be found on the crater ridge. Far away and deep down the ocean extends.
Finaly, we descend to the caldera, a rather strenuous 1.000 meters without any path. We camp on the rim of a small undeep crater, maybe the left-overs of a large lava bubble. Those among you wearing contact lenses be warned. Few places on earth are as dusty as this one. The dust of Tenerife gave our green tent a reddish glow for years to come.
On the margin of the caldera a busy tourist road is visible. Somewhere in the middle of the plain lies the Parador. Eventually, all tourist will bring this hotel a visit. It is easy to cross the plain to the Parador. The different forms of solidified lava make it an interesting detour.
Parallel to the road flows a small canal in a concrete tray. We take a wash here. It compensates for the crowds and cars. Once past the Parador, climbing over the ridge of the caldera at the end of the day, we are alone again. It's a beautiful place, looking towards the volcano and enjoying the majestic flower spires of the Taginastes that grow abundantly here. This plant only flowers after many years, and it then dies soon.
On the other side of the ridge the lancscape takes a dramatic turn. Trees grow here and clouds push on into the valleys. This night we stay near a little building belonging to the irrigation system of the island and we sleep in the open.
The Paisaje Lunar - lunar landscape - is a touristic attraction. We don't succeed in finding it. Maybe our skills in map-reading and oriëntationa are not that good after all. Maybe the limestone rocks are confined to a very small area, a parking lot? We continue through forests, along small irrigation canals, over sandy mountain slopes. Finally, we reach a track and many hot and humid kilometres later the village of Vilaflor. We stay in a hotel.
Somehow we manage to find our way using this german guide, written in unbearable long sentences of tangled instructions.
Now, many years later, I remember long trails through forests and rather exotic stretches. But I don't get it combined to a coherent description. We did find what we were looking for, though, the crevice "Barranco del Infierno". Looking through the crevice, we could see the coast, the modern seaside resorts. Later, descending an old path, we reached Adeje.
The end.
We had some time left and took a bus along the green northern coast. We visited the north-eastern corner of the island and slept at the beach under the open sky. I remember the large, slow bats, almost invisible against a black sky. A week is too short.
