El Pijaral (Enchanted Forest): the permit, step by step

To walk in El Pijaral you need a permit from the Cabildo, even on your own. You apply on Tenerife ON, on the page for the La Ensillada – Cabezo de Tejo loop, after creating an account. You can book no more than 14 days ahead, and new places are released every Monday at 07:00 Canary time. Each booking covers up to five adults. Tour companies cannot use it.

What El Pijaral is

It is an Integral Nature Reserve of 300.7 hectares in the Anaga massif, within the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Steep ground and little human activity have kept one of Tenerife's finest laurel forests intact, which is why it was declared an integral reserve. “Enchanted Forest” is the name that circulates online; the official pages do not use it. In German it is searched for as “El Pijaral Genehmigung”, which is this same permit. To the Cabildo, the trail is the La Ensillada – Cabezo de Tejo – La Ensillada loop, code PRA 72.

How to get the permit, step by step

• 1. Create a Tenerife ON account. Registration is free and you cannot apply without it. The website or the app both work.
• 2. Open the trail page. Search Itineraries by its name; its code is PRA 72.
• 3. Say how many of you there are. The form lets you pick one to five adults and up to three under-16s. If time slots appear, choose one.
• 4. Press “Check availability”. The calendar marks days with places, days without and blocked days; dates beyond the 14-day limit are greyed out.
• 5. Pick the day and fill in your details.
• 6. Download the permit. There may be no signal in the area, so keep it saved on your phone or printed, together with your ID card or passport.

When places are released

The rule has two parts. First: you cannot book more than 14 days ahead. Second: every Monday at 07:00 Canary time, places for the following week are released. Under that rule, places for your date come out on the Monday of the week before. Note that Monday and log on at seven sharp. If your travel dates are still moving, this is the first thing to pin down.

Quota, price and group size

Here it is worth being straight about what is not published. The official page gives no daily quota in number of people, and publishes no fee for this trail. The calendar carries a generic note that a slot “may have a cost”. Before confirming, check whether the form shows any amount.

What happens if you go without a permit

• You cannot go in. Booking is compulsory for every individual, not only for groups.
• You may be asked for it. Environmental officers or other authorities can demand the permit and your ID.
• It is punishable. Breaking the conditions can be an offence under environmental law. The page sets no amounts.
• If you book and cannot go, cancel. Not using a booking without cancelling it means three months without being able to apply again.
• The permit covers what it says. That day, that trail, those people. It can be revoked if the trail closes for fire risk, bad weather, rockfall or works.

The rules inside the reserve

On foot only, and in daylight only. No bikes and no riding animals. Dogs on a lead and under control. Stay on the track and no cutting across country. No music through speakers. And the usual for a strictly protected area: take nothing, leave nothing, do not feed the wildlife, no camping and no fires.

The trail and the Cabezo del Tejo viewpoint

It is a 6.44 km loop that starts and finishes at La Ensillada, on the El Bailadero road (TF-123) at km 4.9. The Cabildo estimates about 2 h 30 and rates it moderate, with 574 m of total climb and the same in descent, between 758 and 896 m of altitude. It is waymarked with posts bearing the reserve's name and is not accessible for people with reduced mobility. The high point of the walk is the Cabezo del Tejo viewpoint: from there you can see part of Taganana and Anaga's north coast.

Parking at La Ensillada

The page only says there are parking spaces in the area, without a number. By bus, the stop is La Ensillada (code 1487) on TITSA line 947, which leaves Santa Cruz bus station and climbs via San Andrés and El Bailadero towards Chamorga. It has few departures a day: check the timetable before you book your slot.

If you cannot get a place

El Pijaral's own page suggests two alternatives with no permit: the Bosque de los Enigmas (PRAN 2), which starts at Cruz del Carmen, and the Pista de Las Hiedras. Neither needs a permit or an early Monday start.

Permit

compulsory for everyone, on Tenerife ON

Maximum notice

14 days

Places released

Mondays, 07:00 Canary time

Per booking

up to 5 adults (+ up to 3 children on the form)

Organised tours

not allowed

Daily quota and fee

not published on the official page

Route

loop, 6.44 km, 2 h 30, moderate

Start

La Ensillada, TF-123 km 4.9

Bus

TITSA 947, La Ensillada stop (1487)

Cabildo helpline

+34 901 501 901 / +34 922 235 500

From Finca Julia

El Pijaral is in Anaga, at the opposite end of the island, so it is a full day from Icod. Since the permit is valid for one specific day only, apply once you have fixed your Anaga day and fit everything else around it. To plan that day, with Cruz del Carmen and the Taganana coast, see the Anaga guide; for every trail on the island that needs a booking, see the other one.

Anaga in a day from the north

The Tenerife trails that need a permit

Frequently asked questions

Can you walk the Enchanted Forest without a permit?

No. The permit is compulsory for everyone and entering without one can be punished. Without a permit, the Cabildo's suggested alternatives are the Bosque de los Enigmas and the Pista de Las Hiedras.

Is the El Pijaral permit free?

Registering on Tenerife ON is. For the permit itself, the official page publishes no fee; check the form before you confirm.

How far ahead do you have to book?

No more than 14 days. Places are released on Mondays at 07:00 Canary time.

Where does the El Pijaral trail start?

At La Ensillada, km 4.9 of the El Bailadero road (TF-123). There are a few parking spaces and the 947 bus stops there.