The peak of Mount Teide is serenely snow-capped in winter and a brooding presence the rest of the year. The starting point, Montaña Blanca, is a mountain made of pumice stone, and along the way you’ll pass huge rocks weighing at least two tons that were expelled by the eruptions as if by a big cannon, and known by the islanders as the ‘balls of Teide’.
Some tracks reach a 60%-slope gradient, and you need to be fit to make it to the top. It’s a long, steep, tough climb with much of the walking on broken lava, but the views as you get high above Las Canadas and fascination of the terrain - this is volcano geek heaven – more than make up for the effort. As you climb, vegetation disappears though some heroic species can still be found, such as the violet of Teide, a delicate but remarkably hardy bush.
Tip: With a cable car climbing to within 150m of the peak, you can plan to get back down an easier way - or, if you think bad weather may be likely, you can nip up quickly and then go back down on foot. Walkers can also stay overnight in the Altavista refuge, rising early to complete the ascent as the sun rises.
Explore this fascinating Atlantic Ocean island at the Tenerife Walking Festival, running from 29th March to 2nd April 2016.
