Hiking Alone in the Canary Islands
Kraig AdamsDec 2024 · Solo
- Days
- 5 days
- Cost
- See his costs
- Lodging
- Tent
Europe · Spain
Across Tenerife
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
- Distance
- 80.5 mi129.5 km
- Days
- 5 days
- Elevation gain
- 16,634 ft5,070 m
- High point
- 7,910 ft2,411 m
- Season
- By AEMET's averages, March to May and…
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / Europe / Across Tenerife
In December 2024 I set out to walk across Tenerife, the biggest of the Canary Islands, alone: from the green, steep Anaga mountains in the northeast, over the spine of the island through the pine forest, up to Las Cañadas below Teide, Spain's highest mountain, and down to the south coast. I walked five days, about 80.5 miles by my GPS. I didn't make the coast. I got sick on the way up to Teide, kept going for two more days, and stopped in the mountain village of Vilaflor. It turned out to be walking pneumonia. It's the trip from my film Hiking Alone in the Canary Islands.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Very hard · about 16 mi (26 km) and 3,327 ft (1,014 m) of climbing a day over 5 days, up to 7,910 ft (2,411 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation43–7,874 ft80.5 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX2.2 MB · free
Each day and variant (5 files)
- Day 1: Cruz del Carmen, Taborno, the coast, Taganana and Almaciga (11.5 mi / 18.5 km) 319 KB
- Day 2: Almaciga back the same way to Cruz del Carmen, then down to La Laguna (17.5 mi / 28.2 km) 487 KB
- Day 3: La Laguna, past Tenerife North airport, La Esperanza and the GR 131 to my camp near Portillo el Topo (21.5 mi / 34.6 km) 600 KB
- Day 4: Aguamansa, El Portillo and Las Canadas to the Parador (22.7 mi / 36.5 km) 614 KB
- Day 5: the Parador, the Degollada de Ucanca and Vilaflor (7.3 mi / 11.7 km) 206 KB
The film
Watch it first
Hiking Alone in the Canary Islands
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Cruz del Carmen, about 3,120 ft (950 m), in the Anaga mountains above La Laguna
- Finish
- Vilaflor, about 4,590 ft (1,400 m), where I stopped. The GR 131 goes on to the south coast at Arona
- Usual difficulty
- Long days with big climbs; well-marked trails and forest tracks, some steep and rough in Anaga
- Best time
- By AEMET's averages, March to May and October to early November. December to February brings rain and cloud in Anaga and frost, snow and wind up high; summer is hot in the south and the season of highest fire risk.
- Permits
- None for the trails I walked. A booked permit for a camping zone (no fee shown); a paid one (€15) for Teide's summit trail
- Getting there
- My way in, 2024. I arrived at about 8 a.m. and went straight to a cafe for coffee and wifi, bought an eSIM, and took about €300 out of the airport ATM. Then I took a bus that I think was $9, a 45-minute ride to Santa Cruz. I had a carry-on duffel with extra clothes I wasn't going to hike with, so I went to a hotel in Santa Cruz, the Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey, and booked one night there for a week later, at the end of the trip; as long as I had a reservation, they didn't mind storing the bag for me. They called me a taxi, about $35, to a camping store in La Laguna, Tenerife Outdoor, for stove fuel and some food, and then I went up to the trailhead at Cruz del Carmen.
- Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Call 112, anywhere in Spain.
Phone signal
- With an eSIM I bought on arrival, I booked my La Laguna hotel from the edge of the city on Day 2, and the rest of the trip from there.
- Expect gaps in Anaga's deep valleys and in the forest.
Insurance
- A GHIC or EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance.
- Get travel insurance that suits your trip, and call 112 for mountain rescue.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Cruz del Carmen to Almáciga. Taganana and Almáciga have the 946 bus to Santa Cruz (road works at Almáciga may change it from mid-October 2026). Back at the start, Cruz del Carmen has buses to La Laguna. If the cloud is down and the trail is wet, the steep descent to the coast is slippery: stay on the ridge or take the bus.
- Day 2, Almáciga to La Laguna. Do this day the other way round, or skip the return: from Almáciga the 946 bus goes to Santa Cruz, and from Cruz del Carmen buses 076 and 275 go down to La Laguna.
- Day 3, La Laguna to a camp above Aguamansa. Start at La Esperanza by bus or taxi and save 5.7 miles of roads. Sleep at a camping zone, with a permit, instead of pushing to the end: Las Raíces and Las Calderetas are near the GR 131 a few miles past La Esperanza, and La Caldera, above Aguamansa, is 2.7 miles past my camp on the next morning's trail. From the forest, the quickest way down to a bus is to Aguamansa.
- Day 4, Above Aguamansa to the Parador. Split it. Sleep at the La Caldera camping zone (permit) and start the big climb fresh, or end the day at El Portillo and take the 348 bus, which leaves the Parador at 4 p.m. and passes El Portillo on its way down to Aguamansa, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. Check its time: it's the only one.
- Day 5, The Parador to Vilaflor. From the Parador, the 342 bus goes down to Vilaflor and Los Cristianos at 4 p.m. From Vilaflor, bus 482 goes down to Los Cristianos.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 5 days, tent.
Hiking Alone in the Canary Islands
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Typical: 5 days (the hike's facts).
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Across Tenerife?
I walked about 80 miles in five days, with a zero day in Anaga waiting for the weather. Days 2, 3 and 4 were 17.5, 21.5 and 22.7 miles, each with 4,500 to 5,000 ft of climbing. Day 3 was "not an easy day... really tough," and back to back with Day 4 I was exhausted. Split into shorter days, the same ground takes seven or eight, plus a day for Teide. See A plan for your crossing.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Across Tenerife cost?
In 2026 a return ticket is 42 euros for visitors (23.50 one way). From October 25 to December 31 the last ride up is at 4 p.m. It closes in strong wind, and the ticket doesn't include the summit permit.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Across Tenerife?
By AEMET's averages, March to May and October to early November. December to February brings rain and cloud in Anaga and frost, snow and wind up high; summer is hot in the south and the season of highest fire risk.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Across Tenerife?
Yes, for the last 0.66 km to the summit (trail 10, Telesforo Bravo). Book it on Tenerife ON; since January 19, 2026, slots between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. cost 15 euros for visitors. A night at the Refugio de Altavista, reopened in July 2026, includes an early-morning summit permit.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you walk across Tenerife?
Yes. The GR 131 (Anaga-Chasna) crosses Tenerife for 85.55 km from El Rosario and La Esperanza, through the Corona Forestal and Las Cañadas below Teide, to Arona in the south, with no booking needed. I walked from Cruz del Carmen in Anaga to Vilaflor in five days, about 80.5 miles by my GPS, and stopped there sick, one stage short of the coast.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you wild camp on Tenerife?
No. Camping in Tenerife's protected natural spaces and public forests needs an authorization, which means booking one of the Cabildo's camping zones on Tenerife ON (no fee shown in 2026, 7 nights at most per person), and camping isn't allowed in Teide National Park. The Cabildo lists a 400 euro fine for camping in a restricted zone.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is there water on the GR 131 on Tenerife?
Not reliably between La Esperanza and El Portillo: the taps at picnic areas and camping zones are often marked not drinkable. Fill up in La Esperanza and Aguamansa and carry 2 to 3 liters.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.