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Teide National Park

No visit to Tenerife would be complete without visiting the spectacular Teide National Park. The park consists of the huge 17km diameter Las Caņadas Caldera, the result of the collapse of a huge volcano 170,000 years ago, and is crowned by the towering 3718m (12,198 feet) Mount Teide - Spain's highest peak. When measured from the sea floor, Mount Teide is actually 7500m tall, making it the third largest volcano in the world. The term "Las Caņadas" (caņada normally means a pastoral track) refers to the deposits of eroded sand and gravel that have been utilised over the centuries as roads across the Island.
Much of the 18,990 kmē park is situated above 2000m and has a weird, almost lunar, volcanic landscape interrupted by monolithic volcanic dykes such as Cinchado (said to be the World's most photographed rock). Teide itself is still active with fumaroles exuding sulphurous gases from its peak - the last eruption inside the park was in 1798 from the Narices del Teide vent.

Flora and Fauna
The isolation and extreme climate of the park mean that there are nearly 50 species of endemic plant as well as numerous endemic invertebrates and three species of endemic reptile. Particularly emblematic of the park and island are the red flowers of the Tajinaste and the Southern Tenerife Lizard with its distinctive blue sides.

Access to the Summit of Teide
A cable car operates between between the floor of the Caldera and a station located at 3550 metres. To climb the remaining 186 meters to the summit, a permit has to be obtained from the National park office in Santa Cruz. This is necessary to limit the number of people accessing the peak at any one time - it also prevents inadequately-dressed tourists from being exposed to the high winds and freezing temperatures! To obtain the permit, go to the following office with a photocopy of your passport.

Oficina del Parque Nacional del Teide
5 Calle Emilio Calzadilla, (4th floor)
38002 Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
Tel: (+34) 922 290129
Fax: (+34) 922 244788
Email: teide@oapn.es

Parador
Within the park itself is a Parador (a state-run Hotel), offering the chance to really get away from it all. It is one of the better Paradors and offers good food and a great base for a hillwalking holiday on the island. A word of warning though! - in winter, it is not unknown for bad weather to make the Parador inaccessible. Spring is probably the best time to stay - the landscape is in bloom and the days clear and warm.

Visitors
On average the park receives more than 3 million visitors per year and is the most visited national park in Spain. The area was declared a national park in 1954 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
 Teide National Park