Teide
3,715 m
Spain
Also known as Тейде, Pico de Teide, +3Also known as
Тейде · Pico de Teide · Τέιδε · Echeyde · ტეიდე
- Elevation
- 3,715 m
- Prominence
- 3,715 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 8 Jul 2026
Refugio de Altavista (3,260 m) reopened on 20 July 2026 after a refurbishment and closure since November 2019; 49 places, one night maximum, online booking.
diariodeavisos.elespanol.comAdvisoryReported 1 Apr 2026
Late April 2026: a Camptocamp user reported equipment checks at the Montaña Blanca car park, even at night, with parties turned away despite permits if any item (boots, poles, hiking crampons) was missing. Exact date within April not given.
camptocamp.orgRegulationReported 19 Jan 2026
Eco-tax in force since 19 January 2026 on trails PNT 10 (Telesforo Bravo) and PNT 7 (Montaña Blanca–La Rambleta): bookings only via TenerifeON, fees for non-residents in set time windows, mandatory minimum equipment.
teneriffa-news.com
Routes
2Sources differ: T2 (Camptocamp)
The classic walk up Spain's highest mountain: about 1,370 m from the Montaña Blanca car park on the Las Cañadas road, on a broad track then a steep path between black lava flows past the Refugio de Altavista (3,260 m) to La Rambleta and the short Telesforo Bravo path to the crater rim. A booked permit is required, with fees for non-residents since January 2026.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 9.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,382 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,715 m
- Time Up
- 5h 50m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 01m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Montaña Blanca car park on the TF-21 (about 2,350 m). Walk up the broad, winding track towards Montaña Blanca, a pumice-covered hill, to where it ends near its top (about 2,750 m). The path then climbs in steep zigzags between two huge black lava flows to the Refugio de Altavista (3,260 m). Stay on the path: the ground either side is loose and collecting rocks is forbidden. Above the refuge the paved, stone-lined path winds through the lava to La Rambleta (about 3,555 m), the terrace of the cable-car top station. Trail PNT 7 (Montaña Blanca–La Rambleta) is about 8.3 km. From La Rambleta, trail PNT 10 (Telesforo Bravo) climbs the final cone, about 160 m, to the crater rim at 3,715 m, where fumaroles vent sulphurous gas. Rangers check permits and ID at the start of the path when the cable car is running. Allow 4–6 hours up in total; descend the same way (3–4 hours), take the cable car down (separate ticket), or traverse west to Pico Viejo and down trail 23 to the Las Cañadas road. Many walkers sleep at the Refugio de Altavista, which reopened on 20 July 2026 after a five-year closure and full refurbishment, and climb to the summit for sunrise. Altitude is noticeable for anyone coming up from sea level in a day, and winter brings snow, ice and strong winds on the upper cone.
Start
Montaña Blanca car park2,349 m
- TITSA runs one return bus a day to Teide National Park from Puerto de la Cruz and from Playa de las Américas; it passes the Montaña Blanca trailhead and the cable-car base station.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montaña Blanca car park → Teide | 9.6 | 1,382 | 20 | 5h 50m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Montaña Blanca car park2,349 m
- Shoulder: Montaña Blanca2,747 m
End of the track; path continues up between lava flows
- Hut: Refugio de Altavista3,265 m
- Lift: La Rambleta3,545 m
Cable-car top station; start of the permit-controlled Telesforo Bravo trail
- Summit: Teide3,715 m
Key Passages
- Steep zigzags between lava flows above Montaña Blanca
- Refugio de Altavista
- La Rambleta permit checkpoint
- Telesforo Bravo path to the crater rim
Equipment
0/11 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
Spain's highest mountain (3,715 m), an active stratovolcano rising from the Las Cañadas caldera on Tenerife. A long, non-technical walk or a cable car plus a short steep path leads to the steaming crater rim; access to the top trails is by booked permit, with fees for non-residents since January 2026.
Teide is the highest point of Spain and of any island in the Atlantic. Measured from the ocean floor it rises about 7,500 m, which UNESCO and NASA rank as the third-tallest volcanic structure on Earth. The cone sits inside the vast Las Cañadas caldera, at the heart of Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 and one of the most visited national parks in Europe. The volcano is classed as active; fumaroles vent sulphurous gas at the crater rim, and the most recent eruption on Tenerife was in 1909.
There is nothing technical about the normal routes. From the Montaña Blanca car park a broad track and then a steep path through the lava climb about 1,370 m to the cable-car top station at La Rambleta and the short Telesforo Bravo path to the summit. Many visitors take the cable car to 3,555 m and walk only the last 160 m. The challenge is altitude gained quickly from sea level, strong wind and cold on the upper cone, intense sun and, in winter, snow and ice.
Access is now tightly managed. Since August 2025 trails PNT 7 (Montaña Blanca–La Rambleta) and PNT 10 (Telesforo Bravo) require a booking on the Cabildo's TenerifeON platform, and from 19 January 2026 non-residents pay an eco-tax in set time windows. The Refugio de Altavista, closed from 2019, reopened on 20 July 2026, allowing a night on the mountain and a sunrise ascent.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for a 1,370 m ascent and 3–4 hour descent on loose volcanic ground is the main requirement on the Montaña Blanca route; there are no technical difficulties in good conditions. Altitude sickness is the most common problem, especially for those who drive up from the coast in the morning or ride the cable car: go slowly, drink, and descend if headaches or nausea worsen. In winter and spring the upper cone can be icy and very windy.
Plan the permit first. Book PNT 10 (and PNT 7 if walking from Montaña Blanca) on the TenerifeON website; new availability is released every Monday at 07:00 for a 28-day window, bookings are non-refundable, and you must carry the official minimum kit, or access may be refused. Typical options: walk up from Montaña Blanca and take the cable car down; ride the cable car up for a summit permit slot; or sleep at the Refugio de Altavista (one night maximum, book on the refuge website) and climb at dawn. Check the official sites for the current rules on access outside the paid time windows.
The TITSA bus to the national park runs once a day from the north and south coasts, so most visitors drive. Start early in summer to avoid heat on the lower track.
History
Teide was sacred to the Guanches, the island's pre-Hispanic inhabitants. The first recorded ascent is usually dated to 1582. Lord Macartney's party was turned back by a snowstorm near Montaña Blanca in 1792, and Alexander von Humboldt climbed it with Aimé Bonpland and local guides in June 1799. The astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth set up an observation camp at Altavista in 1856, and the first permanent refuge building there dates from 1892. The cable car carries visitors from 2,356 m to 3,555 m. The Refugio de Altavista was closed in November 2019 and reopened on 20 July 2026 after a EUR 1.9 million refurbishment by the Cabildo de Tenerife.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow and ice possible on the upper cone; cable car closes in high wind
- Feb
- Winter conditions likely above 3,000 m
- Mar
- Possible snow; crampons reportedly checked at the trailhead in spring
- Apr
- Spring; late snow possible on the cone
- May
- Usually snow-free, mild; Teide bugloss in flower in late spring
- Jun
- Good conditions; strong sun
- Jul
- Hot on the lower track; permits in high demand; Altavista reopened 20 July 2026
- Aug
- Hot; start early
- Sep
- Stable and quieter
- Oct
- Good conditions; cooler
- Nov
- First snow possible
- Dec
- Winter conditions possible; strong winds
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Teide National Park trail PNT 10 (Telesforo Bravo) access bookingRequired
Compulsory booking via TenerifeON for the path from La Rambleta to the summit. From 19 January 2026, 09:00–17:00: free for Tenerife residents and children under 14, EUR 6 for other Canary Islands residents, EUR 15 for other visitors. Non-refundable; ID and minimum equipment checked.
tenerifeon.es - Teide National Park trail PNT 7 (Montaña Blanca–La Rambleta) access bookingRequired
Compulsory booking via TenerifeON. From 19 January 2026, 09:00–15:00: free for Tenerife residents, EUR 3 weekdays / EUR 5 weekends for other Canary Islands residents, EUR 6 weekdays / EUR 10 weekends for other visitors.
tenerifeon.es
- Hut Booking
- Refugio de Altavista (49 places, reopened 20 July 2026): online booking via the refuge's official website run by the Cabildo de Tenerife.
- Fees
- Trail eco-tax for non-residents on PNT 10 (up to EUR 15) and PNT 7 (EUR 6–10) since 19 January 2026
- Refugio de Altavista (2026): EUR 29 per night for Tenerife residents, EUR 56.80 for federated mountaineers, EUR 71 for other visitors
- Teide cable car ticket (price not checked)
- Rules
- Bookings are non-refundable except for weather closures, exceptional circumstances or cable-car stoppages; access can be refused without the mandatory minimum equipment
- New booking slots are released every Monday at 07:00, up to 28 days ahead
- Refugio de Altavista: maximum one night per person
- Teide National Park: stay on marked paths; removing rocks or plants is forbidden
- Getting There
La Orotava (north) or Vilaflor (south); Puerto de la Cruz and Los Cristianos for most visitors
Tenerife South (TFS) or Tenerife North (TFN)
- Car: TF-21 from La Orotava or Vilaflor, or TF-24 from La Laguna, to the Montaña Blanca car park or the cable-car base station
- TITSA bus: one return service a day to the national park from Puerto de la Cruz and from Playa de las Américas
Hazards
- Altitude
- Weather
- Exposure
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,260 m
Refugio de AltavistaRefugeStaffedBooking required
49 beds · Reopened 20 July 2026; operating season not stated