The most beautiful drive on Tenerife

From sea level up to the volcano and back

Tenerife is an island of extremes: at its centre rises Mount Teide, at 3,715 metres the highest mountain in Spain and one of the tallest volcanoes on Earth, ringed by a moonscape of lava. Around it lie pine forests, vineyards, black lava beaches and green villages. This drive strings together the eight finest places in a single loop of 186 kilometres, from the colonial town of La Orotava up into the national park and back along the north coast.

Unique to Touren.app: you need not start in La Orotava. Tap "Drive this route from your location" and we rotate the loop so it starts at the point nearest your hotel or apartment and brings you back. Everyone drives the same beautiful route, but from their own front door.

The route on the map

A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.

Plan your own route

The 8 places along the route

1. La Orotava

Start · the colonial town

La Orotava sits at about 400 metres in the green Orotava valley, with a pristine historic centre from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Casa de los Balcones shows the famous carved Canarian wooden balconies; at Corpus Christi the townspeople cover whole streets with carpets of flowers. A fine prelude before you head into the national park.

Practical: park on the edge and walk the steep lanes of the old centre.

2. El Teide (Teleférico)

the roof of Spain · Mount Teide

The TF-21 climbs through pine forest into the Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. Mount Teide itself is, at 3,715 metres, the highest point in Spain; a cable car takes you from 2,356 to 3,555 metres. The final metres to the summit may only be walked with a free permit booked in advance, so you cannot drive to the top.

Practical: park at the cable-car base station; it does not run in high wind. Bring warm clothing, it is cold at the top.

3. Roques de García

the moonscape · Roques de García

At the Mirador de La Ruleta, opposite the parador, stand the Roques de García: strangely eroded rock formations on the rim of the old caldera, with the famous Roque Cinchado (the "stone tree") and Mount Teide behind. Below stretches the Llano de Ucanca plain, at some 2,150 metres. The best-known view on the island.

Practical: a drive-to viewpoint with car park; a 3.5 km circular walk leads among the rocks (no permit needed).

4. Masca

the gorge village · Masca

On the western side, in the ancient Teno massif, lies Masca: a tiny village at some 650 metres, high above a deep gorge, for a long time reachable only on foot. The road there, the TF-436, is one of the narrowest and twistiest on the island. The village itself is free to visit; the gorge hike down to the sea needs a permit booked in advance.

Practical: the TF-436 is narrow with many hairpins, take it steady; parking is limited. The gorge hike is permit-only (a limited number per day).

5. Garachico

the lava coast · Garachico

Garachico was once the island's main port, until a lava flow in 1706 largely buried it and reshaped the coastline. What the lava left are El Caletón, natural pools in the black rock, and a beautifully rebuilt little town. From the mirador above town you look down on the whole scene.

Practical: park by the centre and walk to the lava pools; swimming is possible when the sea is calm.

6. Icod de los Vinos

the dragon tree · Icod de los Vinos

In Icod de los Vinos stands the Drago Milenario, the largest and oldest known dragon tree (Dracaena draco), some 20 metres tall and a national monument since 1917. The tree is the symbol of Tenerife; its exact age is guessed at, but it is centuries old at least. Around it lie vineyards on volcanic soil.

Practical: you see the tree for free from the church square; up close via the paid Parque del Drago.

7. Mirador de El Lance

the panorama · Mirador de El Lance

On the way back towards the coast, near Los Realejos, lies the Mirador de El Lance, a roadside viewpoint that looks out over the whole Orotava valley, from La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz up to Mount Teide. By the viewpoint stands the monument to the leap of the Guanche king Bentor. A stop to take in the island at a glance.

Practical: a drive-to viewpoint with parking along the road; no walking needed.

8. Puerto de la Cruz

the finale · Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz closes the loop: the island's oldest resort on the north coast, with the black-sand Playa Jardín and the Lago Martiánez, a seawater lido designed by the artist César Manrique. A fine place for a last walk by the sea before you drive back to La Orotava in a quarter of an hour.

Practical: car parks in the centre; a short, flat drive back to La Orotava to close the loop.

Practical: for the rental car, convertible and motorbike

From which place: the route starts in La Orotava, but you need not start there. Tap "Drive this route from your location" and Touren.app rotates the loop to the point nearest your hotel or apartment, so you set off from your own front door and return to it.

For which vehicle: the mountain roads of Tenerife are a joy in a rental car, convertible or on a motorbike, but allow for a big change in altitude: from sea level to 2,356 metres at the cable car. The TF-436 to Masca is narrow and twisting; long motorhomes should skip that detour.

Best time: Tenerife is mild year-round, but up in the park it is cool and sometimes snowy. Set off early for the park; the cable car closes in high wind. The summit of Mount Teide needs a free permit booked well in advance.

Respect nature: the Teide National Park is World Heritage. Stay on the roads and paths, take your litter with you and park only in the proper places.

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