base in a faceless resort. This is far from ideal and a base in the ‘wrong’ place can make it difficult to get to and from walking routes. Out of season, walkers would have no problem turning up unannounced on the doorsteps of hotels and pensións and securing accommodation. It is also possible to take short self-catering lets with ease. Simply obtain an up-to-date accommodation list from a tourist information office as soon as you reach the island. Opportunities to camp are very limited; camping is not allowed in the national park, where there is only an expensive hotel. Wild camping is technically illegal, but it does take place.
Health and safety
There are no nasty diseases on the Canary Islands, or, at least, nothing you couldn’t contract at home. Water on Tenerife is either drawn from rainfall, or generated by the laurisilva cloud forests. It soaks into the ground, is filtered through thick beds of volcanic ash and emerges pure and clean, perfectly safe to drink. Desalinated seawater is also produced, which is perfectly safe to drink, though some people dislike the taste. Bottled water is available if you prefer, but buy it cheaply from supermarkets rather than at considerable expense from bars. There are no snakes, no stinging insects worse than honey-bees, and there are always warning signs near hives. Don’t annoy dogs and they won’t annoy you. Dogs that are likely to bite are nearly always tethered, so keep away.
Remember that the highest mountain on Tenerife, El Teide, rises to 3718m (12,198ft). This is higher than anything in mainland Spain, and high enough to cause altitude sickness. Visitors are warned of this when they use the teleférico for the ascent, and some people do react badly. The ‘cure’ is to descend immediately, which can be a problem when the teleférico is busy. Walkers who take the time to complete walks at ever-higher altitudes should have no problem building themselves up for a strenuous climb up El Teide.
In case of a medical emergency, dial 112 for an ambulance. In case of a non-emergency, Tenerife has hospitals, health centres (Centro de Salud) and chemists (Farmacia). If treatment is required, EU citizens should present their European Health Insurance Card, which may help to offset some costs.
Food and drink
Water abstraction and supply is a complicated process on Tenerife
Every town and most of the villages throughout the Canary Islands have bars. Most bars also double as cafés or restaurants, often serving tapas, which are often in glass cabinets, so you can point to the ones you want to eat. There are also shops, selling local and imported foodstuffs. Always make the effort to sample local fare, which is often interesting and very tasty. The availability of refreshments is mentioned on every walking trail, but bear in mind that opening hours are variable. Some shops take a very long lunch break, and not all businesses are open every day of the week. Some shops are closed all weekend, or at least half of Saturday and all of Sunday.
Language
Castilian Spanish is spoken throughout the Canary Islands, though in most resorts and large hotels there are English and German speakers. Those who travel to remote rural parts will need at least a few basic phrases of Spanish. Anyone with any proficiency in Spanish will quickly realise that the Canarios have their own accent and colloquialisms. For instance, the letter ‘s’ often vanishes from the middle or end of words, to be replaced by a gentle ‘h’, or even a completely soundless gap. ‘Los Cristianos’, for example, becomes ‘Loh Cri-tiano’. A bus is referred to as an autobus in Spain, but as a guagua throughout the Canary Islands. Some natives may seize the opportunity to practise their English with you, while others may be puzzled by your command of Spanish. No matter how bad you think you sound, you will not be the worst they’ve heard!
Money
The Euro is the currency of the Canary Islands. Large denomination Euro notes are difficult to use for small purchases, so avoid the €500 and €200 notes altogether, and avoid the €100 notes if you can. The rest are fine: €50, €20, €10 and €5. Coins come in €2 and €1. Small denomination coins come in values of 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c. Banks and ATMs are mentioned where they occur, if cash is needed. Many accommodation providers accept major credit and debit cards, as will large supermarkets, but small bars, shops and cafés deal only in cash.
Communications
All the towns and some of the villages have post offices (Correos) and public telephones. Opening times for large post offices are usually 0830–1430 Monday to Friday, 0930–1300 Saturday, closed on Sunday. Small post offices have more limited opening times. Mobile phone coverage is usually good in towns and villages, but can be completely absent elsewhere, depending on the nature of the terrain. High mountains and deep barrancos block signals. Wi-fi internet access is usually offered by hotels but, if relying on it, please check when making a booking.
WALKING ON TENERIFE
El Teide stands high above the clouds, experiencing different weather from the rest of the island
This is the largest of the Canary Islands, in the middle of the archipelago. The southern part of the island is arid and often environmentally degraded, having been intensively cultivated and then abandoned as water supplies ran out. Walking opportunities are limited, and most visitors travel through the southern parts at speed on busy roads, not inclined to stop. The northern part of the island, by contrast, is moist, fresh and green, often terraced and intensively cultivated, with good walking routes available. The extreme ends of Tenerife, Anaga in the north-east and Teno in the north-west, are the oldest parts of the island, riven by deep barrancos, with cliffs and arid slopes rising to summits covered in laurisilva forest.
The most popular resorts, along with the bulk of accommodation on Tenerife, are based around Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas in the south, and Puerto de la Cruz in the north. There are good walking opportunities within easy travelling distance of these resorts. Anaga has an impressive network of signposted and waymarked trails, and Teno is almost as good in that respect.
The central part of Tenerife is completely dominated by a huge, rugged and steep-sided volcanic peak – El Teide. This is in turn surrounded by a semi-circle of jagged peaks, the remains of a vast volcanic caldera. The whole central area of Tenerife is protected as a national park and boasts a wealth of interesting and sometimes very rugged trails. The altitude is generally well above 2000m (6560ft), and the region often basks in the sun under a blue sky when other parts of the island are covered in cloud, or experiencing rain. However, when bad weather hits these mountains, it is often very bad, and extensive snow cover can make it difficult to follow some routes in winter.
It takes time to explore Tenerife, and some people return year after year to discover more and more of the island. This guidebook contains a good six weeks of walking, and to make the most of opportunities visitors should be prepared to choose different bases to explore different areas; otherwise too much time could be spent travelling to far-flung parts. Good fast roads encircle the island and climb remarkably high, but other roads are narrow and convoluted and can only be travelled slowly.
The 45 days of walking on Tenerife described in this guidebook are made up of 40 one-day walks, either signposted as PR (pequeño recorrido) routes or number-coded senderos in the national park, plus another five days signposted as a GR (gran recorrido) route that can be linked together as a long-distance walk. Few of these routes stand in isolation, and most of them link with one, two or more adjacent routes, so there are options to modify and adapt them, and some routes feature variants and extensions. There are almost 630km (390 miles) of trails described on Tenerife in this book, and this represents only part of the signposted and waymarked trail network.
Getting there
