Tenerife is an island completely formed by volcanic eruptions, with El Teide as it’s biggest crater. From many places on the island, you will see this majestic volcano towering above the island. Climbing the peak of El Teide is an experience that we at Nine Coliving find one of the most amazing experiences on the island. In this article we will try to give you as much information as we can, to prepare you for this trip and help you pick a way that is best for you.

El Teide from the rooftop at Nine Coliving

Some things you need to know before you hike El Teide:

El Teide is the biggest mountain in Spain, with a high of 3718 metres above sea level.
The hike takes about 5,5 hours up on average (if you decide to hike the whole way up)
There is a cable car going up during the day that brings you to 2.356 m, which is 200 m below the very top.
The cable car does not run on very windy days. Keep this in mind if you are planning to take it down the next day and be prepared to hike down if you need to.
If you want to hike up during the day, you need a permit for the last part. The permit is required from 9am until 6pm.
There is a refuge around the same height as the end of the cable car. When you stay here you automatically get a permit to hike up to the top.

Going up El Teide by cable car

If hiking up the whole volcano seems a bit the extreme, going up the first part by cable car might be the best option for you. There is a cable car that connects the base of Teide (2.356 m) to la Rambleta (3.555 m) which only takes 8 minutes. After this point, hike path number 10 (called Telesforo Bravo) to arrive, finally, to the peak (3.718 m). This last part takes around 1.5 hour. After reaching the peak you can make your way down by using the cable car again.

→ Cable car schedule: The Cable Car goes from 9.00 to 17.00 daily, with ascents every 40 minutes, the last ascent being at 16:00 p.m. and the last descent at 17:00 p.m. You can buy the tickets there when you arrive, or you can book them online here. It is good to know that the Cable Car does not go on days with very strong winds. On the website you can check this. If you have a ticket for a day that the cable car is not running, you can ask for a refund or change dates.

→ Cable car prices:

Go and return tickets: adult 27€ (for residents, 13,50€) and children (3 to 13 years old) is 13,50€ (for residents 9,50€)

Only one way to go: Adults 13,50 € (For residents 9,50€). Children (3 to 13 years) 13,50€ (For residents 9,50€)

You need a permit to hike to the peak from the place where the cable car ends (from la Rambleta to the peak). It is important to ask for it as soon as possible, as the waiting time could go from a few days to several months. These permits are used to limit the amount of people visiting the peak of Teide and take care of our volcano.

The permit is personal, and you will need to show it along with your ID card or passport.

You can get your permit directly here.

Hike the whole Teide peak

To hike up the whole Teide peak we have three options for you:

>> Option 1. Stay overnight at the Refuge: You start hiking from the base of Teide at 2356 meters, via Montaña Blanca (Trail no. 7). This starts beside TF-21 highway, at Km. 40.7 (28°15'34"N 16 36'12"W). After hiking for around 3-4 hours, you will reach the Altavista Refuge (3,260 m), where you spend the night to continue the trail before the sunrise for approximately 1.5 hour and enjoy the sunrise from the crater (3,718m).

In total, the climb to the top of Teide, through Montaña Blanca, is estimated in around 5.5 hours (only the ascent). If you divide this route by spending the night in the Altavista refuge, the duration of the journey to this point will be approximately 3.5 hours (on average).

After enjoying the amazing sunrise, you need to go down and one of the options would be to take the cable car starting at 9am. The cable car only takes 8 minutes to go back from the Refuge to the Teide base in Montaña Blanca. This option is very common for adventures. Another option would be to hike the whole peak down. This take around 4 hours on average.

>> Option 2. Hike without stopping at the refuge: Another option would be to go up and down within the same day. In this case, we would recommend you to start as early as possible. To hike up, we recommend you to estimate 6 hours to go up. If you want to make the last cable car down, make sure you are there before 5 pm, when the last cable car goes down.

You need a permit to hike to the peak from the place where the cable car ends (from la Rambleta to the peak). It is important to ask for it as soon as possible, as the waiting time to get it could go from a few days to several months. The main reason for doing this is to limit the amount of people visiting the peak of Teide and take care of our volcano.

>> Option 3. Hike the peak of El Teide by night: If you want to hike to the peak but you cannot get the permit on time, there is an option to hike the whole peak at night and get to the peak before 9am.

Depending on the time of the year, you want to calculate around 6 hours to get to the peak right before sunrise. So for example: in September you would start hiking around 1.30 am to arrive at the peak just before sunrise at 7.30 am. This hike is not easy, as it is a long hike going up around 1200 meters at once. The altitude can be difficult for some people and we strongly advise not to keep climbing if you suffer from altitude sickness. If you know this might be the case for you, stopping the night at the refuge might be a better option.

Another thing to keep in mind during the night, is the drop of temperature. Temperatures at night vary from around 10 degrees in summer to -5 in winter but can feel much colder depending on the wind.

If you go during a full moon, the night will be bright enough to see a little bit of the landscape around you. During a new moon you won’t see anything and a good head-lamp is absolutely necessary.

To acclimate your body to the altitude, we recommend you to stop for about 10 minutes every 30 minutes of hike. You can also choose to drive to the base of the hike a few hours before the hike so that your body adapts to the change of altitude before start walking.

If you want to go up at night it is very important to be well equipped. Enough layers of warm clothes, water and food and a head-lamp are key.

Staying at Refugio de Altavista (Altavista Refuge)

Some things to keep in mind are:

It only has capacity for 54 people, so we recommend that you book well in advance.
The refuge closes the doors at 10pm so you have to make sure you get in before.
The price is €21,- including bed linen and use of the kitchen and toilets (without showers).
Limited maximum stay 1 night.
At 17:00 p.m. the kitchen and bedrooms are opened. If you arrive earlier you can wait in the entrance hall.
There are toilets but no showers. For hygiene, as a recommendation, you can bring wet wipes and deodorant.
The kitchen is fully equipped with cooking utensils, glasses, cups, plates, cutlery and a microwave. There are also several tables and chairs to eat.
The water is not drinkable. There are vending machines where you can buy water and some hot drinks.
Take food for dinner and for breakfast.
The next day you have to leave the room at 7:00 am at the latest. To see the sunrise you will leave earlier depending on the time of the year.
No need to bring a sleeping bag or mat. All beds have sheets and blankets.

Book your stay at the refuge here

Where to park before the hike

If you drive up by car, you can park at the start of the hike, La Rambleta. If you are planning to hike down as well, you will end here back at your car. If you are planning to take the cable car back down, you will end quite far from your car if it's parked at La Rambleta (around a 30 min walk). So it is up to you whether you park your car at the start or at the end of the hike. Just remember that you will need to make your way back to the car.

How to get to El Teide if you don’t have a car

There is only one bus to go there from La Orotava. The schedule for this line is just one to go up and one to go down. We recommend you to check the bus schedule through the bus website, by searching Line 348 if you start from the north of the island (starting in Puerto de la Cruz, and stopping in La Orotava). Normally it goes around 9:30 and is back around 16:00

teide-night-hike-nine-coliving (1 of 1).jpg

The temperature at El Teide

The weather at the peak of Teide changes dramatically as the altitude increases. As you go up, the wind can be stronger and colder.

At dawn, the precautions to be taken are already extreme, since it is high in the mountains during night time and the remaining path is the highest, and the hardest.

In the crater the wind is cold, so we strongly recommend you to bring your coat, fleeces and gloves. These things are a must in your backpack!

If you want to see the forecast and the next days in detail, you can do it here

What to bring with you when climbing El Teide:

ID card or Passport
Cable Car tickets
Regufe booking confirmation
Permit to access to the peak (If you sleep in the refuge, then you do not need it)
Electronics (camera, charger, mobile…)
Clothes (mountain shoes, two comfortable t-shirts, one mountain pan, mountain jacket, fleece sweatshirt, neck warmer, thermal pants, gloves, hat for the night. (depending on when you hike)
Accessories (Cap - important to protect your head from the sun. It is several hours on the trail and there is no shade anywhere), Sunglasses, Headlamp
Sunscreen, wet wipes, toothbrush, deodorant
Medicines to combat altitude sickness
Enough food (Chocolate with almonds - perfect to recharge your batteries on the way), enough water and a thermos with tea, coffee or hot chocolate (especially if you hike at night)

We hope you are as exited about going up El Teide as we are! We would love to hear your experience, so feel free leave a comment. Enjoy!

Climbing el Teide in Tenerife - Spains highest peak