Reaching the summit of Teide: the permit

The cable car leaves you at 3,555 m. The final 163 metres to the crater at 3,718 m are trail PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo, and to set foot on it you need a named permit with a quota. Here is what stands today, because the rules changed in January 2026.

Where to book

On the Tenerife ON platform. For years the process ran through reservasparquesnacionales.es, and that site still ranks first in many searches: it now redirects to Tenerife ON. The quota opens on Mondays at 07:00 Canary time, 56 days ahead, and only one booking per person every fifteen days is allowed. Payment is by card and is non-refundable unless the trail closes or the cable car is not operating, with proof.

What the trail is like

It is 660 metres long with 182 m of climb, gradients up to 60 %, and takes about 55 minutes going up. It is not technical, but it is done above 3,500 m, and altitude sickness there is real: it hits fit people and gives no warning. If you feel dizzy or get a bad headache, go down. The time window runs 09:00–17:00 and is tied to the cable car's hours.

The plan B, which is not worse

If you cannot get a permit, La Rambleta is still at 3,555 m and two signposted viewpoints lead off it, towards Pico Viejo and towards the south. The view over the sea of clouds and the neighbouring islands is the same. And if what you are after is altitude and silence, driving up at night to look at the stars competes squarely: the Tenerife summits have some of the best skies in the world, and the IAC's Teide Observatory sits at 2,390 m in Izaña.