TOP 10 best viewpoints in Teide National Park with MAP

Unusual, additionally very diverse landscape and – what is encouraging – definitely cooler (than typically touristic – southern Tenerife) climate of Teide National Park encourages walking, trekking not only along the designated routes, but also along the trail of viewpoints, on which it is worth stopping, traversing by car this volcanic area. Lets go through our Top 10 best viewpoints that you can admire in Tenerife Teide National Park.

Więcej o Teneryfie z perspektywy naszej rodzinnej podróży przeczytacie we wpisach, które znajdują się (i które stale dodajemy) w zakładce Podróże.

With some hiking in Teide National Park behind us, we decided to take a lazy look at Teide, as we covered the length and breadth of the park by car.

The first point worth visiting is the Mirador de Samara. The harsh landscape is softened by the trees that appear every now and then. Their clusters form a rare pine forest, among which it is pleasant to walk. From the parking lot you can set off on some quite pleasant trails.

The next stopping point is Mirador de las Narices del Teide. This place is definitely a must-see on the way to Roques de García or further up the cable car station to Teide. The place cannot be confused with any other. First – the parking lot is almost always filled with cars or coaches with tourists. Second – the roadway at the level of the viewpoint turns orange, and the change in the surface forces you to reduce speed. You simply have to stop here.

An information board mentions (in Spanish and English) the most important facts about the eruption of Pico de Viejo. Obviously, the giant cone of the volcano adjacent to Teide stretches before your eyes.

On the opposite side of the road, numerous trails take off, winding around the edge of the park. In the distance you can usually see La Gomera, neighboring Tenerife, another island of the Canary archipelago, partially hidden only behind clouds.

The sandy surface (something like cinders) makes the little ones find their way around the volcanic environment perfectly, building structures out of it, like sandcastles.

It is worth remembering that a comfortable drive by car to an altitude of more than 2,000 meters makes you cover kilometers, climbing quickly, and the temperature drops imperceptibly. For example, when in Costa Adeje the thermometer shows 30°C, at an altitude of 2000 meters it will already be about 10 bars less.

The next stop is a place from where 2 peaks are already visible – Pico Viejo and Teide.

The information on the board, in the form of curiosities, presents two types of lava (which, by the way, can be seen in the background on the slopes of the volcano) that came out of the interior of Pico Viejo – the first, when solidified, had a spiky and sharp surface, while the second, definitely smoother, resembled twisted rope.

Queen’s Shoe (Zapato de La Reina) is another place worth taking a moment and getting out of the car. After a few minutes of walking, you are standing in front of a monumental rock formation – the result of several hundred years of erosion. The whole thing actually resembles a lady’s heeled shoe. To follow the path of comparison further, its owner would have to be more than 100 meters high!

A detailed description of the formation of this rock formation is described on the board.

At Mirador Azulejos II caldera – the lowland Las Canadas you have at your fingertips. In addition, there are several plaques describing the visible rock formations and a short (but still) wheelchair path allowing you to see the area.

Glancing down the road toward Roqes de Garcia – you will see Teide in a familiar postcard image.

Driving on, you must stop at La Ruleta Vista Point. It is from this point that the most popular hiking paths in Teide National Park begin.

A few meters past the intersection where you must turn, wanting to get under the Teide cable car station, Tabonal Negro awaits on the right.

With the help of an information board, discover the flora and fauna found in Teide National Park.

The second panel is an intriguing lesson – a lesson in Earth history. Comparing the duration of the universe’s existence to 24 hours allows us to see the scale of nearby volcanic eruptions in relation to the existence of life on Earth (hundredths of a second) and the development of the universe.

Here the volcanic red-orange, sometimes literally black landscape gives way to a yellow or gray hue of fine gravel. It’s what makes Minas de San Jose feel like the moon or a sand desert.

We ended our hike at the Best Viewpoints Tenerife Teide National Park at Portillo Alto.

By chance, we ended up at a small rally of antique cars. Here, a nearby restaurant awaits the thirsty and hungry.