With its 3,718-meters, the volcano is the highest point of Spain (including mainland) but for me this is not the most impressive part of the volcano, but the fact that it is the best spot for stargazing in Europe.
"If measured from the ocean floor, it is at 7,500 m (24,600 ft) the highest volcano in the world base-to-peak outside of the Hawaiian Islands, and is described by UNESCO and NASA as Earth's third-tallest volcanic structure. Teide's elevation makes Tenerife the tenth highest island in the world. Teide is an active volcano: its most recent eruption occurred in 1909 from the El Chinyero vent on the northwestern Santiago rift." (Source). ​The volcano and its surroundings comprise Teide National Park (has an area of 18,900 hectares) was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 28, 2007 (Source)
We've been to the volcano 2 afternoons in a row, just because the first day we started our way up too late and missed the sunset.
Day 1: Taking the road up from Playa Honda via Vilaflor you'll get soon some outstanding views from above the clouds. ​
If you are patient enough you will have the opportunity to enjoy the milky way which will add a bit of magic to your trip. I am sharing here the pictures I took, but please keep in mind, I have no knowledge on astronomy photography and had no tripod along, so here the best i could achieve (sorry for the quality)
In case you want an organized and guided tour you can always get in touch with the guys from Volcano Teide. They are basically "Teleferico del Pico de Teide, S.A. is a Canary Island company created in 1959 that responded to the challenge of developing a system to access Mount Teide, using cable transport" (Source)
Day 2: Leaving Playa Los Cristinos (TF-1, TF - 38, TF-21) direction Teleferico del Teide. If you actually want to take the Cable car you need to be there before 16:00 if you are not on a sunset tour booked.
The landscape is amazing
I'll continue to let the pictures talk as they are clearly better to express the wonderfulness of the place
I strongly recommend going there with enough time for some hikes. I am really sorry I did not get the chance, BUT it's a good reason to go back! If you want to hike till the Summit make sure you get yourself a permit. Maybe another note from someone who insisted in offering a free advice was to go on a down - hill bike tour, and although we did not get the time and chancee for such a tour, I can imagine why this would be an awesome experience.
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