Climbing volcano el Teide

A night on top of Tenerife

Did you know El Teide is the 4th biggest volcano of the world? And did you know it is still active too? I know, the El Teide is pretty cool. 

Luckily the last time the volcano exploded is 113 years ago, so no stress. And now a days we will be well and save on the main land if the volcano shows any kind of activity. None the less, El Teide is a beautiful place of nature that you can pretty easily visit. And if you plan just a little bit, you can sleep on top and watch the sunrise over all the Canaries in the morning! 

How to get there

Even though there are plenty of tour companies going up El Teide, it is very easy to just go by yourself. It is a beautiful drive by car and busses go up every day. The foot of the Volcano is open for everyone. With a car or by bus you drive up to about 2000 meters above seal level where El Teide National park starts. From there, two ways can bring you up to the foot of the volcano. By foot of by cable car. The cable car brings you up in 8 minutes. 

At the end of the cable car you the views and landscape are amazing, but this is still not the top of the volcano. To go up to the actual crater you need a free permission, that you can only get online. This gives you acces to the last bit of the trail up the volcano. 

Sleeping on El Teide to watch the sunrise.

There is another way to acces the crater of El Teide and it doesn't require a permit. And it is pretty cool! Just before the last part of the trail, the part where you need a permit for, you find Altaviste Refuge. In this hostel, you can spend the night, to then start the last part of the hike very early in the morning before sunrise. If you stayed at Altaviste Refuge and leave for the hike before 9 am, you don't need a permit. 

The last bit of the trail brings you to the actual crater of the volcano and watching the sunrise from there is just absolutely epic!