How to easily find your hiking tours on the Seven Islands – today: Hiking in the Teno Mountains
By now I have presented many hiking tours on Tenerife and many of them in the Teno Mountains on the Seven Islands. It is no coincidence that my personal focus is on the Teno Mountains. I live in Los Gigantes and this small town lies directly on the cliffs of Acantilados de Los Gigantes. So I have the Teno Mountains right on my doorstep. So I undertook and still undertake many hiking tours in the Teno Mountains.
As a result, one hike led to the next. And now there is a good reason to bring some order into the many tours in the Teno Mountains. I have not only divided the hiking tours on Tenerife into different categories (regions), but will also introduce the individual categories in a little more detail in the following blog posts. For you, this means that in the next few articles you will get all the important hiking tours summarised in one category (region).
This should give you a good overview of walking tours in the individual regions. If I have new and up-to-date information, I will add it. There are also many small and large tours that I have not yet published. I will also refer to these tours and tracks in the categories and will upload the tracks. I have already tidied up the download area on Tenerife. There you will find all tracks in new folders, which are assigned to the corresponding categories and region. Today’s “Overview” article starts with the Teno Mountains.
Teno Mountains – a paradise for hikers
The Teno Mountains in the northwest of Tenerife belong – like the Anaga Mountains – to the oldest parts of the island. Here the highest mountain is the Great Gala with a height of 1345 metres. The Teno Mountains were formed 17 million years ago as an independent island. It is criss-crossed by a large number of deep gorges (barrancos) of volcanic origin, which drop steeply to the coast. The most famous gorge on the island is the Barranco de Masca. Formerly visited by many hundreds of tourists daily, it was closed for a long time and reopened in 2021.
Summary information about the article and a large selection of GPS hiking tracks are availableRegister now for my newsletter and get exclusive access to my collected GPS tracks as well as all short information about my articles.
The gorges of the Teno Mountains drop steeply into the sea in the west at about 600 metres (Acantilados de Los Gigantes). For hikers, the many gorges or ridge walks are therefore particularly interesting. But there are also many attractive hikes on the north side of the Teno Mountains, some of which lead through the cloud forest covered with ferns. In addition, there are numerous tunnel or canal hikes. The Teno Mountains extend from the towns in the north (Buenavista del Norte, Los Silos) to Santiago del Teide and Los Gigantes in the southwest. Within the mountains are many small villages whose inhabitants mainly practise traditional Canarian agriculture. Here, too, there is a lot to discover on the hikes in terms of culture, agriculture, flora and fauna.
Teno Mountains and the different hikes
In the following, I have attempted to classify the different hikes in the Teno Mountains. You will find ridge walks, gorge walks, tunnel walks, canal walks, waterfall walks, village and countryside walks, small walks and the special area of Erjos. If a walk meets more than one criterion, I have sometimes included it twice.
Ridge walks in the Teno Mountains
Fortaleza de Masca – a striking ridge in the Teno Mountains
High-altitude hike above Los Carrizales (Abache trail)
Ridge walk with ascent of the Baracán
Hike to the Cuevas Negras on the northern slopes of the Teno Mountains
Risco Climb – Rock walk in the northwest of Tenerife
Challenging circular hike via Teno Alto and the Risco Climb
El Bujero – rock gate with fantastic views
Guergues Steig – Fascinating high-altitude hike above the Masca Gorge
Attention: closed since March 2018 by the owner of the goat farm Casas de Arazas.
Gorge hikes in the Teno Mountains
Descent in the impassable Barranco Juan López
Impressive circular hike over Los Carrizales
Great circular hike over the White Channel and the Barranco Natero
Barranco Natero Adventurous gorge hike – it doesn’t always have to be Masca
Attention: this Barranco is closed at the entrance “Guergues Steig) since March 2018 by the owner of the goat farm Casas de Arazas. Alternatively, you can still cross the White Channel to reach the Barranco Natero.
Hike through the Masca Gorge – Circular Hike Part 2
Adventurous hikes in the northern Teno Mountains – circular to special Barranco Itobál and a walk to a rock gate
Barranco de los Cochinos – an adventurous hike through a wild gorge
Attention: the Barranco of Masca was closed since 26.2.2018 and in March 2021 it is reopened.
Hikes through the Teno Mountains – Circular Hike Part 1
This hike, which is in itself a large circular hike with the Masca hike, cannot be done at the moment because unfortunately there are no boats from Masca to Los Gigantes. Nevertheless, part 1 of the hike to the village or to the beach of Masca is possible. From there you can either walk back to Santiago del Teide or take the bus. Due to the construction of the motorway, the access route to the Gala Saddle is currently not possible on the former route, but you have to bypass the construction site at the construction fence on the right.
Adventurous water walk through a tunnel
Hike to the Cuevas Negras on the northern slopes of the Teno Mountains
Pure adventure – dark tunnels and breath-taking steep cliffs
Tunnel hikes in the Teno Mountains
Adventurous water walk through a tunnel
Great circular walk through the White Channel and the Barranco Natero
Pure adventure – dark tunnels and breath-taking steep cliffs
Canal hikes
Great circular hike over the White Channel and the Barranco Natero
Pure adventure – dark tunnels and breathtaking cliffs
Waterfall hikes
Cascada Lomo Morín – round hike to a waterfall in the Teno Mountains – unfortunately, there has been no water at this beautiful spot since spring 2022
Villages and landscape
Circular hike in the northern Teno Mountains around Ruigómez
Great circular hike through Tamaimo and tranquil Canarian villages
Small circular hikes
Hiking around the white volcanic rock Risco Blanco
Hiking in the southern Teno Mountains
Around Erjos
Adventurous water walk through a tunnel
Hiking to the Cuevas Negras on the northern slopes of the Teno Mountains
The forest area around Erjos occupies a large place in my personal hikes. Because in the extensive cloud forests it is wonderfully cool in the hot summer months on Tenerife. In addition, there are always interesting hidden paths and impressive views to discover. The area is also particularly suitable with a dog, as dogs have their shade there and a wooded surface to run on. So it happens that in the area around Erjos – apart from the two tours mentioned above – I have collected a lot of hiking tours and tracks that I have not “yet” presented all on Seven Islands. But from today on you will find these tours in the special folder Erjos. Have fun browsing.
And finally
I hope that this overview will help you a little bit to orientate yourself in the Teno Mountains. Soon I will publish more overviews of the other categories (regions) on Tenerife here on Seven Islands. When that is finished, I will also describe individual tours again. But a blog like this takes time. And besides work, it is not so easy to “squeeze” too much of it for the blog. That’s why I’m all the more pleased about your feedback and the fact that hiking enthusiasts can find their personal hiking tours here. Have fun with your hikes,
Dagmar from SiebenInseln