Sendero Teide - Pico Viejo - Mirador de las Narices del Teide (S-9) — round trip

Hike: Start at the parking lot of the Mirador de las Narices del Teide on the TF-38 highway. Hike PNT 09 largely runs through the solidified lava flows created during the last eruption of the Teide crater. As described in the "Safety Information" section, you should allow extra time due to the altitude. Two permits are required; see the "Further Information and Links" section. The ascent takes place over the south side of Pico Viejo, where a series of craters, almost one after the other, can be seen. Passing the Montana de Chio, the hike then continues over pumice and to Degollada de Chahorra over dark lava rock. This is the most difficult part of the route, but no problem for an experienced hiker. There are beautiful views of the Las Narices del Teide eruption vents, which date back to 1798 and thus represent the last eruption in the national park. The hike leads past the spectacular Pico Viejo crater, which has a diameter of 800 m. The trail continues along a fairly well-marked path through the black lava rock. At the Mirador de Pico Viejo, turn onto La Rambleta, where you'll meet tourists who have taken the cable car up. After a permit check and a brief briefing, you continue on to Pico del Teide. In good weather, you'll have fantastic views of La Gomera and Gran Canaria. Then you return to the parking lot via the same route. With a few exceptions, the trail allows for good progress on the descent. Safety instructions: The trail itself is not a challenge for experienced hikers. Just keep in mind what's common in alpine terrain: - Sudden changes in the weather - Properly assess your own fitness, as it's hard to help anyone up there (I only met about 20 people in total until shortly before the summit) - In my experience, allow 50-100% more time for sections above 3,000 meters. Equipment: Hiking boots, backpack, rain poncho, first aid kit, thermal blanket, whistle; Also, follow the instructions at TenerifeON (see link in the "Further Information and Links" section). For example, they require you to wear long pants year-round (I think they would accept ski underwear). There were no checkpoints where I was, but people have reported that there are checkpoints elsewhere. Further Information and Links: You need two permits (free at the time of the tour) for the hike. In particular, you should obtain the permit for the summit several months in advance: https://www.tenerifeon.es/de/wege/wanderweg/pnt-09-teide-pico-viejo-mirador-de-las-narices-del-teide Getting there: Take the bus to "687C+MM Paradores Cañadas del Teide, España" (titsa.com) and walk from there to the starting point of the tour, or drive to the "Mirador de las Narices del Teide" and park there (there were plenty of free parking spaces).

My way to Teide… and why I turned around at 3100 m https://youtu.be/uFisOBJAKPE

I've had this hike on my list for a while. I set off early at the Mirador Narcises and am initially alone on the trail. A permit is required for the hiking trail towards Teide. And so it says on the sign. However, I am not checked today. I've hiked to the crater of Narcises several times before. Shortly before the crater, the volcanic ash begins. If you take longer steps, you always slide back a little on the climb. The weather is ideal and the view is good. La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Gran Canaria, all the islands are clearly visible. From Narcises, i.e. from 2700 m above sea level, my heart rate increases considerably and I take more breaks. The path is sometimes not clearly visible and the climb in the lava sand is really strenuous. From 3000 m above sea level, only a very steady walk helps. Then I am actually standing on the crater rim of the old Teide. A few hikers come from the Teide cable car mountain station; the route here is all downhill, but the return journey is more difficult for them, even though the path towards Teide looks well-maintained. I walk to the other side of the crater, onto a small plateau, before heading back down. Now I meet some climbers, and they're also panting. Back at Narcises, a couple asks me how far it is. It's not far now to the old Teide, but it's still a bit strenuous. They decide to turn back. The path stretches on, and I feel my knees hurt. Back at the car, three liters of water are gone, and I'm pretty exhausted, but glad I was at the top.

That was it, the last hike of the year. I was very happy that our son really wanted to go up there with us. Going to Pico Viejo on December 31st is already a tradition. But the weather has to play along. We set off at 0°C, but the sunshine kept us warm all the way to the summit. I am always fascinated by the views from up there. My son M. was also thrilled. With a wonderful experience, 1521 km and just over 25,000 meters of altitude, I am now ending the year and wish all of you out there a happy new year in 2025.

...or, things don't always turn out the way you think... The original plan for the end of our Teide holiday was to climb Mount Teide during the night from Thursday to Friday. Well prepared and in good spirits, having gotten a little sleep, we drove up to the starting point, the parking lot below Montaña Blanca, in the middle of the night, to stand alone in the storm at the usually overcrowded parking lot. It was cold, and the wind whistled through the low-hanging clouds that filled the gigantic Teide crater. Still undaunted, we put on what we had with us (not enough) and braced ourselves against the gusts of wind. 500 meters in, we encountered the local rangers, who dutifully asked for our permits. We had them with us. But when you meet experts, you exchange information about the conditions, which were described to us bluntly as -14 degrees Celsius and a storm at the summit. Even the cable car service had been canceled for the next morning, and we had to prepare ourselves to stand alone, freezing on the summit in the freezing rain, unable to see anything. Unless we realized the idea was unreasonable. We turned back, seeking the shelter of our rental car and considering what to do. The fact that the cable car to the base of Teide's summit was supposed to be closed fueled the idea of checking the situation the next morning, taking advantage of any abating storms and sunshine, and climbing during the day. While the Teide summit can only be reached with a permit (which hasn't been available for years without a fee), if the cable car isn't running, no one is up there checking things. So we drove back to our accommodation, slept restlessly for the few hours until sunrise, and then prepared to check the situation again at the same spot. But it didn't come to that... we noticed a deliberately smashed window on the car. We filed a police report and exchanged the rental car at the airport down by the sea. Hours passed before we got the new vehicle and reached the Teide plateau again. Too late for a climb, despite the improving weather. In short, we decided to visit the "old" summit of Pico Viejo. Still, it was a good 3,100 m high and somewhat more compact than the impressive appearance of Teide itself. Barren land and sunshine surrounded us. The air became clearer by the minute, the visibility improved. The sun warmed us, and soon there were no clouds to be seen. Multi-colored lava flows on the ground shimmering from yellow to brown. Succulents in sometimes large "nests" on the slopes, caves, craters, the impressive narices (nostrils) of Teide, and forest in pastel shades at lower elevations. Beautiful to look at under the blue sky. Teide was always in view. So we used the hours to climb the crater rim of the "Old Peak," which measures a kilometer in diameter, is impressively deep, and offers interesting insights into the volcanic activity. The last eruption was a little over 200 years ago. Its tranquility is deceptive up here in the silence, where only the wind whistles around the ears. The volcanoes are active. Fumaroles on Teide steam and release thin clouds. Down here, too, things can get going again. We quickly took a look over to the Guajara, admired the impressive Roques de Garcia below, and quickly hiked back, arriving back at the parking lot just as night fell. Conclusion: The hike to the Viejo doesn't compensate for a visit to Teide, but it is a good substitute, far less strenuous and can be done in daylight without a permit.