Mount Teide Summit Hike and Cable Car
The cable car from the base station gives an eight-minute ride to 3,555m and a landscape that looks nothing like Spain. Teenagers can make the ascent feel more significant by hiking part of the Montana Blanca trail and taking the cable car down. Younger kids do fine on the cable car round trip, with plenty to look at on the viewing platforms. The summit zone above the terminus requires a free permit that must be booked well in advance. What stays with both ages is the strangeness of the place: lava in every colour from black to orange, the entire Canary Island chain visible on clear days, and the cloud layer sitting thousands of metres below your feet.
- Hours
- Cable car 09:00-16:00; the national park road is accessible year-round
- Price
- Cable car around €25-30; summit permit free (book in advance)
- Duration
- Full day (hiking up) or 2-3 hours (cable car)
- Booking required
- Yes
Tips
- Buy cable car tickets online: walk-up queues are long and the online ticket gives a time slot, which is worth having when the morning window for clear views is finite
- Warm layers are non-negotiable at 3,555m even in summer: pack a fleece or jacket for everyone regardless of the temperature at the coast
- For teenagers who want to hike part of the way, the Montana Blanca trail from TF-21 covers the lower lava fields on the ascent while younger kids take the cable car from the base station: the cable car ride down reunites everyone at the bottom