Teide National Park

Considering that I love the ocean, flowers and trees, I was a little iffy about visiting the very barren looking Teide National Park, which seemed quite the opposite of the things that I feel naturally drawn to. I neednʼt have worried, though.

Mount Teide and the national park surrounding it wowed me straight away. If you are thinking of spending all your vacation time on Tenerife by the beach or hiking in the woods, donʼt. This national park is not to be missed.

Mount Teide is Spainʼs highest peak at 3,715 metres, located on Tenerife in the Canary Islands and remains an active volcano to this day. The island of Tenerife, indeed the whole of the Canary Islands, emerged from the Atlantic due to underwater eruptions caused by a geological hotspot, millions of years ago. Cone-shaped Teide is the third-largest volcanic structure on earth after Hawaiian Mauna Ioa und Mauna Kea, rising 7,500 meters from the ocean floor. Right next to it lies the slightly smaller Pico Viejo.

Mount Teide seen from Corona Forestal

Based on some photos I had seen before my visit, I had expected the national park to be quite desolate. What those photos had not prepared me for is the mind-blowing fact that despite the harsh surroundings, there is quite an abundance of life in this area. If you look closely, rather than just focusing on the overall distant-planet-vibes, you can spot all sorts of wildlife. The mineral-rich volcanic rock actually supports life, rather than thwarting it.

Imagine my delight on finding that by mere chance I had timed my visit to Mount Teide perfectly to see Teide bugloss (Echium wildpretii) in bloom. This plant is endemic to the Canary Islands, mainly found in Teide National Park and, apparently, quite famous.
Our guide informed us that it flowers for a very short time only, approximately one month, but that the actual timing in late spring or early summer is variable based on the weather. I had somehow expected to see little more than a geologistʼs rocky dream, but was surrounded by the vibrant pink of the bugloss, as well as several other flowers and flowering shrubs and much more green than I had thought possible.

The rock itself varies greatly over the vast area of the national park. This is due to various eruptions over time and how this volcanic field has developed. Contrary to what I had expected, the area is not just sharp, pointy edges – a lot of the rock has been worn smooth over the millenia. There have also been constant deposits of fine sands from the Sahara, swept here by the winds.

Teide National Park is an exceptional example of a relatively old, slow moving, geologically complex and mature volcanic system. It is of global importance in providing diverse evidence of the geological processes that underpin the evolution of oceanic islands, and these values complement those of existing volcanic properties on the World Heritage List, such as the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It offers a diverse and accessible assemblage of volcanic features and landscapes in a relatively limited area.
From: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1258/

Apart from the actual volcano, the main attraction is the crater called Caldera de las Cañadas, which is huge with a diameter of approximately 17 kilometers and can be seen from space. At the edge of the caldera, there remain a few larger structures, some of which can be climbed. In total, the mountaneous area around the cañadas covers approximately 130 square kilometers.

Despite the above-mentioned flora and fauna, Teide National Park does sometimes evoke thoughts of Mordor…

Mount Teide looking a little like Mordor

At the boundary of the park, there were a lot of trees that somehow looked like young children draw trees – near perfect cones, or seen from the front, triangles. We assumed those to be new growth, only a few years old. Our guide, however, informed us that they were the tops of large, old trees that were buried in volcanic debris and kept growing. I suspect this to be a tall tale, but if you have any knowledge on this, please let me know.

In any case, the discrepancy between the vibrant green and the surrounding dark layer of rock and ash has its own unique kind of beauty.

The woods bordering Teide National Park form their own national park, by the way – the Parque Natural de la Corona Forestal.

Within Teide National Park, there are 155 km of trails with good signage, a visitor centre and a hotel. The park is even accessible by public transport for those who do not arrive by car or guided tour.

Teide peak behind clouds

All this only goes to prove that travelling opens the mind and is an education in itself. Yes, I probably should have done more research on this site before visiting, but I had decided to visit Tenerife at very short notice and so did not. What a lucky coincidence that I was surprised so positively!

I do believe, as well, that even if you visit and do not succumb to the rough charms of this area as I did, that it will nevertheless impress you. This is a landscape striking in a way I have not encountered before.
(To be honest, though, I have to admit that I still prefer the lush greens of the woods…)

Road towards Mount Teide through Corona Forestal

Related Posts:

• The Giant’s Causeway and the Causeway Coast
• Plitvice Lakes
• The Blue Mountains