1 day
Up to Teide and back in a day
Icod is one of the twelve municipalities with land inside the National Park, and that is not an administrative curiosity: it means the climb starts in town.
- Length
- 1 day
- Stops
- 4
- Furthest point
- 67 min
- Car needed
- Yes
Before leaving
Book what needs booking
To step above La Rambleta onto the cone you need a free, named permit from the National Park, and it works by quota. The cable car is separate and also needs booking. Two different steps, both done before you get in the car.
Permiso del Pico del Teide (sendero PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo) →The guide →
Morning
The climb on the TF-21
67 min · 59.7 km from Icod old town
One hour and seven minutes, nearly sixty kilometres, and the island's sharpest change of landscape. Fill up below: there are no petrol stations up there.
Midday
The cable car to La Rambleta
67 min · 59.7 km from Icod old town · booking required
From 2,356 to 3,555 metres. An adult return is €42 and a child's (3–13) is €21, per the official prices and timetable page. Wrap up more than you think: the weather up there is another weather.
Afternoon
Montaña Blanca, if your legs are up for it
66 min · 58.4 km from Icod old town · booking required
Trail PNT 07 climbs from kilometre 40.7 of the TF-21. It is the classic walk-up and the one where the summit permit is checked. Not a stroll: it is hours, above 2,300 metres.
Heading back
Drive down in daylight
The TF-21 has many bends and very little lighting. With fog in the pine forest — common at dusk — the descent drags. Plan to be back before sunset.
Good to know
The Izaña observatory is visited by appointment only and at set times: it is not a viewpoint you drive up to. And the north's star nights look better from the midlands than from the summit, where it is genuinely cold.
Other days