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Tenerife & El TeideIsle of contrasts
With expanses of black sand, green pine forests, red rock formations, charcoal-grey lava fields and white clouds which sometimes billow like a skirt around the waist of El Teide, Spain’s highest peak, Tenerife is an island of many different colours. It is also an island of stark contrasts, its topography as dramatic as the volcanic activity that shaped it so many millennia ago, and walking here is immensely rewarding. To explore Tenerife’s little-known north-west corner on foot is to discover a side to the island that few visitors experience. Here, inspirational views stretch in clear weather far across the sea and up to El Teide, whose towering peak surveys the varied landscapes. Our holiday reveals the fertile coastal plain (dotted with banana plantations) and the alternating expanses of pine forest and black volcanic sand that lie behind it, while our thrilling – and highly recommended – extension takes you into the desert-like lava fields of the Teide National Park above the cloud line. We provide a hire car so that you can access the best walking – or combine walking with sightseeing and scenic drives. Nights: 7 (or 10 with extension)
Starting point: Hotel Rural Victoria, La Orotava. Stylishly converted from a 300-year-old nobleman's house built in traditional Canarian style, this is a friendly and comfortable hotel in the heart of elegant La Orotava's old quarter. There is plenty of space in which to relax, including an interior courtyard and a rooftop sun terrace offering views over the town, sea and mountains. Your stay is on a bed and breakfast basis, leaving you free to dine at the hotel's own restaurant, which serves excellent Canarian cuisine, or elsewhere in the town.
Days 1 & 2: with the freedom a hire car brings, there are various options as to how to spend your time in La Orotava. Visit the capital, Santa Cruz; relax on the Playa de las Teresitas, reputedly Tenerife's most beautiful beach; or drive to the wild Anaga Massif in the far east of the island, which is characterised by cliffs and deeply cut gorges. Alternatively, we provide route notes for three walks. The first (12.5km, 4hrs) starts with a taxi ride (pay locally) into the wooded central zone of the island and skirts the edge of a pine forest before descending to La Orotava through hamlets and market gardens, with sweeping coastal views. The second (12km, 4.5hrs) explores the magnificent pine forest surrounding the tall basalt pillars known as Los Órganos because they resemble the pipes of a church organ. There are fabulous views in clear weather of the Orotava Valley, El Teide and the neighbouring island of La Palma. It is also possible, provided there is no snow on El Teide, to enjoy the walks we suggest for the To the Teide Extension, some of which require a permit which you can obtain from Santa Cruz. We particularly recommend the Roques de García route (7km, 2hrs) through the lunar landscapes of the Cañadas at the foot of Mount Teide, passing curious rock formations, including the 'Finger of God', as it crosses scrubland, lava flows and azure-coloured rocks. Accommodation: Hotel Rural Victoria, as above. Day 3: today you move between hotels. As the drive is not long, you could do one of the walks near La Orotava if you haven't already done so, or one of the walks near your next base, Garachico.
Accommodation: Quinta Roja (4*), Garachico. Run by the charming Paloma, who is a keen walker, this stylish, high-quality hotel makes an excellent place at which to spend your last four nights. Set on the main square of this pretty coastal village, it has been lovingly converted from a 16th-century former nobleman’s house and is an elegant blend of old and new, with a small sauna and jacuzzi as well as a rooftop terrace, interior courtyard, reading room and small wine bar. Breakfast only is included, leaving you free to take your pick of Garachico’s restaurants for dinner each night. We include the light and airy superior rooms, but you can choose to upgrade to a junior suite. Days 4, 5 & 6: we suggest four walks that can be easily accessed from Garachico using your hire car. The first circuit (11km, 4hrs) is a great introduction to the Teno Mountains, revealing a variety of scenery as it rises to the Tabaiba Pass for far-reaching views over the Atlantic. It continues along a rocky ridge before dropping gently onto the Teno Plateau and traversing a lush, terraced valley. The second (10km, 4hrs), also circular, crosses remote and rugged terrain to descend into a beautiful, steep-sided ravine. You then rise along an old mule track through a forest before a final leg across open countryside and light woodland. The third (9.5km, 5hrs) is an interesting and varied circuit weaving around the Santiago Gorge along paths and tracks, passing through two beautiful villages and affording spectacular views over the western side of Tenerife and, on a clear day, out to the neighbouring island of La Gomera. The fourth option (6km, 3hrs) is one of the most spectacular walks on the island. It leads up to and along the mountain ridge that separates the two most impressive gorges on the west side of the island, with startling views far down into them both. From the furthest point of the walk you can look across to the mighty sea cliffs near Los Gigantes before retracing your steps back to your car. Accommodation: Quinta Roja, as above.
To the Teide Extension (not available 14 Dec-13 Feb)Day 7: today you drive into the centre of the island, and the volcanic, desert-like scenery of the Teide National Park. It is a striking landscape, made all the more special by the silence, the views and the astonishing colours, of which tones of yellow, red, brown and ochre dominate. Although it is very dry, the Park is home to a wide variety of plants, 50 of which are endemic to the Canary Islands, including the Teide violet. High above, Egyptian vultures, sparrow hawks and red kites patrol the blue skies, watching for reptiles such as the tizon lizard. You will probably have time for an unforgettable walk past the various weird and wonderful rock formations of the Roques de García. Many of these striking natural monuments resemble fingers pointing into the sky, and another looks like a cathedral, with several tower-like formations. (7km, 2hrs) Accommodation: Parador (3*), Cañadas del Teide. The great feature of the Parador is its location in the cauldron-shaped crater beneath El Teide, with uninterrupted vistas of the peak. The facilities include an indoor pool, sauna and gymnasium, a good restaurant, and even an observatory for star-gazing. Day 8: for your first day at the Parador, we suggest an easy circular route that leads across the volcanic landscape once more and incorporates a ride on the cable car (pay locally) to just below El Teide's summit (you can only access the summit itself if you have obtained a permit from Santa Cruz). From here, it is well worth walking to the Mirador de la Fortaleza for views not only of the ironically named Montaña Blanca ('White Mountain', which is actually coated in black lava) but also, in clear weather, the entire north side of the island, all the way to the north-eastern tip. A second viewpoint overlooks the southern part of the island as well as giving a wonderful overview of El Teide's cauldron-shaped crater. (13.5km, 4.5hrs plus detours to viewpoints) Accommodation: Parador, as above. Day 9: your final walk explores a veritable lunar landscape, revealing more of the extraordinary petrified lava formations so typical of the Teide National Park, and affording yet more memorable views as it leads to the peak of Monte Guajara (2,718 metres) before returning along the same route. (14km, 6hrs) Accommodation: Parador, as above.
Further information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. Similar holidays: La Gomera - Hidden Gem of the Canaries (grade 2-3), Scented Slopes & Mountain Lakes (grades 2 & 3) Prices & travel
#Add £95pp if staying in Garachico on 31 Dec (New Year's Eve dinner included) Room upgrade: Garachico, junior suite £10pp/n
Extra night prices 2008/2009 (extra nights can be booked at any hotel):
Prices include an extra day's car hire > Any queries? Let us call you back > Booking form (if you want to book the extension, remember to state this in step 1)  |
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Discover Tenerife's awe-inspiring volcanic landscape 
