Tenerife - easy hikes for children

We decided to go to Tenerife with my 6-year-old son in February (8.2.-15.2.2019) during spring holiday. Because my husband could not go for health reasons, my sister went with us. Therefore we have decided to travel around the island by bus because we don´t have driving licence. If you like hiking and you want to spend an active holiday, Tenerife is definitely a great choice for your vacation.

Obsah hide

1 Tenerife - easy hikes for children

2 Itinerary:

3 Visited places

4 Accomodation in Prague

10.1 Puerto de la Cruz & Loroparque

11 Teide

11.1 Anaga – from Taganana to Afur

11.2 Anaga – Las Escaleras – Punta del Hidalgo

11.3 Santiago del Teide – Puerto Santiago – Los Gigantes

11.4 Masca – Turrón – Las Portelas

Date – 8.2. – 15.2.2019

Itinerary:

Day – Flight from Prague
Day – Puerto de la Cruz & Loroparque
Day – Teide
Day – Anaga – from Taganana to Afur
Day – Las Escaleras – Punta del Hidalgo
Day – Santiago del Teide – Puerto Santiago – Los Gigantes
Day – Masca – Las Portelas

Visited places

https://mapy.cz/s/lehuzutuba

Accomodation in Prague

We flew from Prague and because of the time of departure and arrival back to Prague we slept in hostel Modrá right next to the airport. In the 3 beds room there was even a bathroom and toilet in the room and not a shared one as in double rooms. No luxury but ok just for one night. It is great that it is so close to the airport, from the stop K letišti only 7 minutes to Terminal 2.

Hostel Modrá (K letišti 916/8, Praha) – https://www.booking.com/hotel/cz/ubytovny-letiste.cs.html?label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaDqIAQGYAQW4ARfIARXYAQHoAQH4AQuIAgGoAgO4Avr_8vAFwAIB&sid=8a4ba646305561c15b9f2b37a2338aab&all_sr_blocks=47146301_200159084_0_0_0&checkin=2020-02-20&checkout=2020-02-21&dest_id=-553173&dest_type=city&group_adults=2&group_children=0&hapos=1&highlighted_blocks=47146301_200159084_0_0_0&hpos=1&no_rooms=1&sr_order=popularity&sr_pri_blocks=47146301_200159084_0_0_0__5000&srepoch=1578942487&srpvid=e7ba868b3cf80036&ucfs=1&from=searchresults;highlight_room=#hotelTmpl

Flight

Because this time we decided to travel via travel agency, I didn´t have to deal with flight tickets. Our flight was at 12:00, so we were glad that we didn’t have to get up early.

Flight duration – 5 hours 15 minutes

Hotel

This time we decided to chose a stay with travel agency Canaria Travel, so that we do not have to deal with the hotel, air tickets and airport transfer separately. I chose 4 star hotel Puerto de la Cruz in Puerto de la Cruz. It was a great starting point for bus travel. The hotel from the outside looks pretty shabby but inside it corresponds to a 4 star hotel.

Well, I have to say that we were the youngest, most of guests were retired people. In our sportswear we looked a bit strange comparing to others. The service was good, the first night we were slightly cold, so we asked each for a blanket and it wasn´t problem at all.

The food in the hotel restaurant was great, a large selection of meat so it was not even possible to taste everything (always 3 fish to choose, always fresh grilled fish or chicken / pork, beef or goat meat), paella, various side dishes (rice, pasta, local potatoes papas arrugadas with mojo picón sauce and mojo verde) and of course enough fruit, vegetables and cakes. There was also a large selection of everything for breakfast. We did not manage to make breakfast twice because the bus went early, so we asked the boss of the kitchen if we could just take breakfast with us and there was no problem, even another time another colleague offered that there is no problem to let us into the restaurant some 15-20 minutes before the opening time (breakfast was from 7:30).

There was also an animation program in the hotel but we did not use it during the day, only one evening we went to an acrobatic show and once to a magic show. We liked it very much, me, my son and my sister even had oportunity to assist on the stage with magic trick. I found myself on stage because of my sister who immediately started pointing at me when a magician was picking from the spectators someone who had money with him. He wanted us to take out a note and I pulled out a 100 EUR note. At that moment, I thought for a moment if that was a good idea because I realized that the magic trick would certainly be the disappearance of the banknote. Another gentleman from the audience decided to sacrifice only his 20 EUR note. The magician asked us to sign the banknote with a marker, then rolled up both of our banknotes in a roll, then I had to put it in an envelope and he asked me to light it with a match. When the envelope with my hundred euros were completely burned and I saw only ash on the tray, I prayed that the magician could really do magic. Then he forced me and a colleague to eat two bananas saying that at the end of the peel will certainly be our money … Nothing … money was not there … then he brought a whole bunch of bananas. I got scared because I was just after a big dinner … Luckily, he remembered that the money would certainly be in orange. He cut carefully the orange and in the middle was a roll with my 100 EUR and colleague´s 20 EUR… When I unrolled the roll, I saw that it is really my hundred note with my handwritten signature. Uff, the magic trick turned out well…. I decided to change this signed, crumpled, orange marked note in the first supermarket as soon as possible, and fortunately they took it from me without any problem.

Water – we got information from the tour guide that the hotel has only utility water, so it was necessary to buy water but it is very cheap and they sell it in large 5-10 liter packages. The grocery store was only a few meters from the (https://mapy.cz/s/kobavujofu ).

Planning trips

We had a detailed plan prepared before the holiday because when traveling by bus and with a 6-year-old child it needs some preparation to not find out, for example, that we missed the last bus because with a small child and being 3 people in total I would not like to try hitchhiking. When planning trips, I had to take into account my son’s age and adjust the length and difficulty of the trails. (Well, to be honest, actually it is a poor excuse, the difficulty of the routes needs to be adjusted also for me, big hills in the mountains are not for me considering my poor condition).

I knew that my son was able to walk 11 km without problem at the age of four but it was flat on a very simple terrain and I had no idea how he would handle a harder ground and more days in a row. I have to say that he managed it perfectly without any problem. So the hikes described below can be done by everyone when even a 6-year-old child managed it without any problem.

I chose intentionally easy hikes rather with flat land, going downhill or with only a small ascent. I just recommend to do these hikes only in nice weather, in the rain the views would not be good and the stony paths could be slippery, so certain sections may not be safe.

The weather was absolutely perfect, even in Puerto de la Cruz, where it is often cloudy, the whole week was sunny and cloudless, as well as in Anaga, Masca, Santiago del Teide and Los Gigantes it was sunny and about 22-23°C. Even on Teide, there was sunny weather without any clouds. Only on the day of departure the weather got worse and it started to rain.

It seems there aren’t many closed routes but it’s better to check it on the web before the trip – http://www.tenerife.es/portalcabtfe/es/temas/medio-ambiente-de-tenerife/accede-a-la-red-de-senderos-de-tenerife/senderos/46/682

Buses

If you have the opportunity to rent a car, I definitely recommend it because as we were 3 people we spent more in 5 days than we would spend for a car rental. Since my husband was originally supposed to go instead of my sister, I had booked a car for 5 days at the Cicar car rental which had excellent reviews and doesn´t need a credit card for reservation (https://www.cicar.com/). A small car cost only 90 EUR for 5 days in this period, I do not know how much would cost gazoline but it is also cheap there, so for more people, the car is definitely worth it. Fortunately, the reservation was canceled without any problems. But the disadvantage of the car is that within not all hikes you can´t make a circuit and you have to return the same route or go to your car by taxi or bus…

Buses work very well in Tenerife but it is still better to plan trips in advance, after all it does not go so often to Teide or Anaga. Especially during the weekend it is necessary to carefully choose a trip because buses don´t go to certain places often.

All bus stops are request stops, so you need to wave at the stop. We saw a tourist at the bus stop who did not wave, just approached the sidewalk and waved late when he saw that the bus was not slowing down and the bus was no longer stopping and was driving away … When you want to get off, it is needed to press button Stop so that the driver stops on the bus stop where you want to get off. There are electronic panels on the buses that show the next stop (próxima parada) and the current stop (parada actual), so it’s easy to see the upcoming stop where you want to get off.

Comparing with Mallorca and Madeira, where we also traveled by bus, Tenerife had the best and reliable transport.

Card Ten más – Título monedero:

If you travel more often, I strongly recommend buying a card Ten más – Título monedero:

https://titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/billetes-y-tarifas/billetes-y-titulos-de-pago

information in English https://www.titsa.com/index.php/en/your-buses/fares-and-discounts

It is a discount card where the fare is cheaper, one card can be used by several people at the same time, including a child, and the card can be charged by any amount from 5 EUR (maximum amount per charge is EUR 100). You can’t just use it for a bus going to Teide.

This card can be purchased for 2 EUR at any bus station or authorized outlets (e.g. small grocery stores or petrol stations, etc.) where the card can also be recharged – a map with the retailer network is available here:

https://www.titsa.com/index.php/atencion-al-cliente/puntos-de-venta-y-recarga

We were buying it in a small grocery store a few meters from our hotel (https://mapy.cz/s/kobavujofu).

At the beginning of your stay you probably will not guess how much the buses will cost, so it is better to charge in smaller amounts. 4 trips for 2 people and 6 year old child cost 93.35 EUR (the last trip back from Portelas to Puerta de la Cruz was paid cash because I had not charged enough) + return ticket to Teide for 2 adults and the child cost 33 EUR (Ten Mas card can´t be used for bus going to Teide). Children pay from the age of 4 years.

When boarding a bus, you need to swipe the card through the machine to read the start of the journey. When getting off, the middle door is used and it is necessary to swipe the card again to mark the end of the journey, otherwise the fare would be marked up to the terminal station. We were 3, including the child, so we proceeded differently – I reported to the driver where we are going and that we are 2 adults and 6 years old child and he marked the end of journey right away, but still I swiped the card through the machine, if by chance any driver did not select the whole journey… When the card is validated at the exit, you can also see the card balance. If you do not have sufficient balance, the rest can be paid directly to the driver.

For most of the trips we started from the bus station in Puerto de la Cruz (https://mapy.cz/s/3pgVH), it is just a small station, where the individual stations are along the road, so it is not difficult to find the right stop of your

Bus timetables

Web Titsa:

Titsa has timetables on their website:

https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-011

Application Guaguas:

Titsa also has an easy-to-use Guaguas mobile app, just when I checked on some timetables the return journey, to check if it fits with my printed notes, it didn’t show me the opposite direction (or maybe I just didn’t know where to click and I have not found the timetables for the return trip…), then it is better to check via Google maps by clicking on the bus icon at the respective stop and displaying the closest departures.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.diodev.guaguas&hl=en_US

Application Rome2rio:

When planning the trips, I also used the Rome2rio mobile app to easily find out which buses are going to that location. When you enter where you are going from, it shows the individual lines with transfers. I searched then for specific timetables through the Titsa website and Google maps.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rome2rio.www.rome2rio

Mapy.cz:

When planning the trips, I also used mapy.cz, where you can see individual timetables when you click on the bus icon but then I found out that these timetables are not 100% reliable and even though the timetable was valid from February to June, then departures exceptionally slightly varied (but mostly it was ok). Also they changed some routes in February and one bus, for example, did not stop at the Tucán stop at our hotel as before but was going from the bus station in Puerto de la Cruz and went another route. So Titsa’s website or its mobile app is the most reliable. The problem is when you do not leave from the terminal because the timetables show only the time when the bus leaves the terminal and you have to estimate the time of departure from another stop. In this case, it is better to use Google maps, the departure times were correct there.

Trips

Puerto de la Cruz & Loroparque

On the first day we decided to stay in Puerto de la Cruz to have time to buy a Ten + card for the bus. We decided to visit Loroparque, a zoo that really excited us.

Loroparque train runs free of charge from Plaza de los Reyes Catolicos (approx. here https://mapy.cz/s/3p86J ). The first train leaves at 9:00 and then every 20 minutes and the last leaves at 16:00 (https://www.loroparque.com/index.php/el-parque/prepara-tu-visita/como-llegar-es) .

Tickets

Tickets can be bought online (https://tickets.loroparque.com/gb/35-tickets ),

but we didn’t buy online. We wanted to buy tickets at the ticket office but on the way to the train we were caught by a lady who offered us to buy tickets from her. She was from a local travel agency located on the other side of the road and recommended that we buy tickets from them to avoid the queue. And we did well, the queue was not completely crazy but it looked like we could wait for 15-20 minutes. Ticket for an adult costs 37 EUR, for a child 25 EUR. It is not cheap but it was really worth it.

Times of particular shows

Just behind the entrance at the end of a small bridge they distribute a handout with the times of each show but of course they are also available on the internet (https://www.loroparque.com/index.php/el-parque/prepara-tu-visita/horarios-shows-y-atracciones).

You can see a show with dolphins, killer whales, parrots and sea lions. They were all worth it but we were most enthusiastic about sea lions.

At the killer whale show, we sat in the front seats where there was a splash zone, so there was a risk that the killer whales would throw the water on us. They sold a raincoat for 3 EUR, we had our own, except for my sister who forgot her raincoat at home in the Czech Republic but she had with her some clothes to change. A zoo staff warned us to treat the videocamera and camera with caution saying that water is really splashing quite a lot. So my clever sister invented a contraption and put the camera in the plastic bag so that only the lens was out. In the end we were lucky and the shower did not happen but my son considered it rather bad luck, he wished the killer whale would douse us with water. But the others were really wet.

The exposition of penguins, jellyfish and aquarium with a tunnel was beautiful as well. Actually we were completely excited from the entire zoo. We went for lunch to the Casa Pepe restaurant (https://mapy.cz/s/kecodukaso), we had an octopus (it was a starter but it was such a big portion that it would be almost enough for the whole lunch, bechamel chicken croquettes and chicken skewer and papas arrugadas)

On the way back we decided to go from Loroparque to our hotel along the coast to explore the city, Castillo de San Felipe, Jardin de Piedras and the coast (https://mapy.cz/s/3pgMl).

I was a little surprised how many people were lying on the beach now in February, when only the cold water swimmers would go into the water. Personally, I don´t understand that, when the water is not warm enough to swim, I would be able to lie on the beach for about ten minutes.

Teide

We wanted to go to the Teide volcano (3,718 m) as soon as possible to avoid risking the cable car being closed due to bad weather. After our return to the Czech Republic it was closed 4 days in a row due to the weather.

On Sunday the weather looked promising and at the same time the last tickets were available online so we decided to go on Sunday. Here, perfect planning was important to us, because the bus only comes here once a day. It could happen that on arrival the tickets purchased on site could be sold out or available for a later time and we wanted to make a small hike as well. At the same time, we were afraid to buy tickets online and in the morning before departure find out that the cable car was closed. In this case it is possible to cancel the reservation or book it for another day (ticket is valid for one year) – https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/manage_your_booking) but weekend trips were limited due to buses and the bus for a alternative trip was leaving much earlier than on Teide, so we would miss this bus.

The weather forecast looked good and the wind wasn´t supposed to be strong, so we took the risk and bought the tickets online (we bought it the day before and for 11:30 there were the last 4 available tickets on the internet. It was obvious that they could be bought on the spot but when we were in the queue for the cable car, people were coming with tickets for the later time, which would not be possible for us because of the planned small hike.

Tickets online for the cable car can be purchased here (return ticket costs 27 EUR):

https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/volcano_teide/teide_cable_car/teide_cable_car

It is also possible to tick off the possibility that in case of closing the cable car they will send you an SMS (approx. around 8:30)

Also there are 3 ways how to find out in the morning before departure whether the cable car runs that day or is closed due to bad weather:

It is possible to call there but this is probably the least convenient option (tel. 922 010 440)
You can check there website https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/how-s-the-weather-on-mt-teide-today
Or you can have a look on facebook – they only write here if it is closed, if it is open, there is no info about it – https://www.facebook.com/VolcanoTeideExperience/

The bus was going from Puerto de la Cruz from the bus station at 9:40 (https://mapy.cz/s/3pgVH) and arrived at Teide around 11:00 (stop Teleférico del Teide). Tickets for this bus can also be bought online but we bought only at the bus station (Ten + card can´t be used for this bus). The bus was practically full, so it is good to go from the terminal station… (on another trip where the bus was smaller, we saw that when the passengers would not fit in the bus even standing, the driver did not even stop and the next bus was going in about 3.5 hours)

There are a lot of hairpin bens on this road, so with my son who feels sick on the bus due to motion sickness (kinetosis), it was sort of adrenaline. Already after half an hour he began to complain that he didn´t feel well, then it was a little bit better, and when I thought it is completely ok, he vomited approximately one minute before getting off the bus. Thank God that I had such a fast reaction and I had a plastic bag prepared… Seems that for 1.5 hours of hairpin bens even the pills for kinetosis were not effective….

At the cable car we just showed tickets for 11:30 in the mobile (signal was ok here) and we could go up.

The return ticket cost 27 EUR / person, child 13.5 EUR.

I recommend to go in warm clothes because on Teide there was really cold about 0 ° C.

It is possible to be upstairs 1 hour.

The view is beautiful from there, I definitely recommend this trip.

If anyone wants to go to the crater, you need to have a special permit to apply online:

https://www.reservasparquesnacionales.es/real/ParquesNac/usu/html/detalle-actividad-oapn.aspx?cen=2&act=1

http://blog.volcanoteide.com/en/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-mount-teide-permit

After we went down with the cable car at 13:00 approximately, we went down to the road to take a small hike which was finishing at the next bus stop (Parador del Teide (T)), from where we were supposed to leave at 16:00. So we had exactly 3 hours for the 8.6 km hike. The bus runs only once a day, so we were hoping we could make it. The hike is not difficult, the path is flat, so fortunately we managed to catch the bus. Here it was considerably warmer comparing to the top of Teide, the sun was shining, so we had a long-sleeved T-shirt but still I recommend not to underestimate clothing for this trip.

Trail – 8,6 km (based on mapy.cz 2:30 hrs) – it took us 3 hours with my 6 year old son

https://mapy.cz/s/3p7Od

Our transportation
There

Timetable bus 348 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-348
Departure – 9:30, Puerto de la Cruz (Estación)(bus station – https://mapy.cz/s/3pgVH)
Lenght 1 hod. 30, goes once a day (we were getting off on the station before the last one)
Getting off – bus station Teleférico del Teide
Bus ticket price – 11 EUR/osoba

Back

Bus 348
Departure – 16:00 – from terminal station Parador del Teide (T)
https://www.tomaticket.es/titsa-linea-348 – ticket online (needed to print it out), we were not buying online

Duration

The trip took us 3 hours (with 6-year-old child and with taking photos and filming)

Useful information

Check the weather forecast in advance – leave it on a different day in the event of heavy winds or rain, there would be a risk that the cable car will be closed.
Wear warm clothing and sunglasses
Refreshment – yes close to cable car station, none during the hike
During the hike we did not meet any tourists during the whole trip, only a few in the opposite direction at the end

Anaga – from Taganana to Afur

On Monday they also reported beautiful sunny weather around 22 ° C, so we decided to go to Anaga for a hike from Taganana to Afur. We were changing the bus on bus station in Santa Cruz, we had about half an hour to change the bus.

The bus station is easy for orientation, on the sign you can find a map of the station with information from which the platforms buses are leaving. The bus 946 was leaving from 1st floor from platform 1 so we just went one floor downstairs to this platform.

For me it was the most beautiful hike for our whole stay – beautiful mountains and coast, beautiful views everywhere you look. The hike is moderate, starting with a short ascent, continuing comfortably on the flat land and the last third is ascent through a beautiful gorge up to Afur. My 6-year-old son managed the hike without any problems, the road was wide enough to lead him by the hand, after all, it was his first hike in the mountains, so I felt better when I led him by the hand.

A nice weather is needed for this hike because a part of the way is rocky, so it could be slippery in the rain or after the rain. Because we like geocaching, there was also one cache that was on our route and we managed to find this cache in the gorge and because it was of medium size, we put a Travel bug into it and we are curious about his trip around the world.

At the end of the hike in Afur, there is a small bar next to the bus stop where you can buy some drinks. The bus from Afur doesn´t go very often but it was easy to catch the bus at 17:30.

Trail – PR – TF 8, 7,5 km – based on mapy.cz 3:37 hrs.

https://mapy.cz/s/3j9tW

Our transportation

There

Timetable bus 103 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-103
Departure – 9:05, station Tucán (goes also from bus terminal station in Puerto de la Cruz https://mapy.cz/s/3pgVH)
Getting off – Intercambiador Sta Cruz (terminal station) – there were 30 minutes to change bus

Change:

Timetable bus 946 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-946
Change to bus 946 on bus station in Santa Cruz (Intercambiador Sta Cruz)
Departure – bus station Intercambiador Sta Cruz, 10:30, 1. floor, platform 1.
Getting off – station Taganana (was going there about 50 minutes)

Back

Timetable bus 76 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-076
Departure – stop Afur, 17:30
Getting off – bus station Intercambiador Laguna (T)

Change:

Timetable bus 103 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-103
Timetable bus 102 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-102
Change in Laguna (Intercambiador Laguna (T) either to bus 102 or 103, goes quite often till the evening
Departure – Intercambiador Laguna (T), 18:40

Duration

5.5 hours (with a 6-year-old child and with taking photos and filming and a break for food)

Useful information

Do not walk in / after rain, the path leads is partly rocky and could be slippery
Refreshments – none during the hike, one bar at the bus stop in Afur
We met only a few tourists and they went in the opposite direction than we did

Anaga – Las Escaleras – Punta del Hidalgo

The weather was nice, sunny and again around 22 ° C, so we decided to make another trip to Anaga which absolutely impressed us.

We took a bus to Las Escaleras and we went through village Chinamanada to Punta del Hidalgo. There is La Cueva restaurant in Chinamada but we haven’t tried it because the Mondays and Tuesdays the restaurant is closed. It is also a beautiful hike with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and beautiful coast. If you are going this hike from Las Escaleras it is not a difficult hike, practically only on the flat land or downhill, but on the stones, so as always I led my 6-year-old son by the hand. In our direction we met only a few tourists, we met a little bit more people in the opposite direction because they went from Punta del Hidalgo and I did not envy them because in the opposite direction the hike had to be much more difficult because bigger ascent.

At the end of the hike we stopped at Playa de los Troches beach. My sister took a bath, I didn’t enter the sea because the water was pretty cold. We were alone on the beach and I appreciated this fact especially when leaving because after we walked on the big stones back to the beginning of the beach my sister realized that she had forgotten my video camera on the beach, so she immediately went back. Thanks to the absence of tourists we didn´t have to worry that the video camera would not be there. The bus goes well until the evening from Punta del Hidalgo, so we did not have to hurry.

Trail – 7,4 km – based on mapy.cz 3:25 hrs. https://mapy.cz/s/3j7OO

Our transportation

There

Timetable bus 103 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-103
Timetable bus 102 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-102
Bus 103
We were leaving from bus station in Puerto de la Cruz (T) and we wanted to take bus 102 but the driver told us that the bus 103 staying behind him is faster so we used bus 103 at 8:00
Departure – 103, 8:00
Getting off – Intercambiador Laguna (T)

Change:

Timetable bus 275 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-275
Change in Laguna (Intercambiador Laguna (T)) bus 275, bus station is easy for orientation to see from which platform the bus is leaving
Departure – Intercambiador Laguna (T), 9:35, platform 14
Getting off – stop Las Escaleras

Back

Timetable bus 105 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-105
Departure – Punta del Hidalgo, 16:25,
bus 105 is going quite often till the evening
Getting off – Intercambiador Laguna (T) (approx. 17:20)

Change:

Timetable bus 102 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-102
Timetablebus 103 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-103
Departure – Intercambiador Laguna (T), bus 102, 17:40, platform 8
possible to take also bus 103 to Puerto de la Cruz

Duration

5 hours 45 minutes (with 6-year-old child and taking pictures and filming and taking a break)

Useful information

Do not walk in / after rain, the path leads in some parts on stones that could be slippery
Refreshment – La Cueva restaurant in Chinamada (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)
We met only about 30 tourists and the vast majority went in the opposite direction

Santiago del Teide – Puerto Santiago – Los Gigantes

The next day we went on a hike from Santiago del Teide to Los Gigantes. The path leads between the stone walls, it was a nice trip but I would say that the least interesting hike from the whole week.

The nicest part was close to village El Molledo after turning to the left. There are wonderful views of the mountains and the island of Gomera, so it is certainly more interesting to go this route (PR TF 65.3 Circular el Molledo, https://mapy.cz/s/3piBn) and not continue on the blue, this was the most interesting part of the hike.

We only met a few tourists but at the beginning we saw a large group of tourists coming from an organized tour, so we tried to go extra slowly because we thought that if got ahead of them they would be all the time too close to us as we didn´t walk fast with a 6 year old child… but soon we saw that they were going really incredibly slowly, so we got ahead of them and they did not catch up with us anymore.

In the end, we were going along the banana plantations and after crossing the main road leading to Los Gigantes and Puerto Santiago, we wanted to continue along the blue trail to Puerto Santiago to the coast, where we wanted to go to a restaurant for a late lunch. However, after crossing the road, we had doubts whether we were going right but we could not find another path, and GPS showed that we were following the blue trail. And about halfway, we found out that the path suddenly ends (https://mapy.cz/s/3piCp) and is closed due to reconstruction of this path. We did not want to go back up the main road, so we tried to go through the thickets and stones around one plantation until we reached the main road.

We arrived at the Casa Pedro restaurant (https://mapy.cz/s/3piCD) that I found out on the internet and we had lunch there. We had as usual my favorite tapas (Croquetas, Gambas al ajillo – garlic shrimps and potatoes papas arrugadas) and my son had a chicken with French fries. The food in the restaurant was great and there was a beautiful view of the ocean.

Then we went along the coast to Los Gigantes and because we had enough time for the last bus, we went to a natural swimming pool (https://mapy.cz/s/3p7Xq). I didn’t get into the water, it was pretty cold, but my sister and my son had about two baths, apparently it wasn’t as cold as the sea, because the natural pool was a little warmer than the ocean…

Trail – 11,3 km – based on mapy.cz 3:22 hrs., PR-TF 65 Santiago del Teide – Puerto de Santiago

https://mapy.cz/s/3pE6l

Our transportation

There

Timetable bus 325 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-325
Departure – bus station Puerto de la Cruz (T) https://mapy.cz/s/3pgVH, 8:40
Getting off – stop Consultorio (approx. at 10:15)
Direct bus, no need to change

Back

Timetable bus 325 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-325
Departure – stop Los Gigantes (T), 17:30
Direct bus, no need to change

Duration

From Santiago del Teide to Puerto Santiago it took 4 hours 15 minutes (with 6-year-old child and taking pictures and filming and taking a break, and in the beginnning we walked extra slowly because of a group of organized trip)

Practical information

Do not walk in / after rain, the path leads in some parts on stones that could be slippery
Refreshments – none along the way (but you could possibly find something in the middle in the village of Tamaimo), in Puerto Santiago and Los Gigantes there are enough restaurants

Masca – Turrón – Las Portelas

On the last day we planned visit of Masca and a short hike to Las Portelas. With a 6-year-old child we did not planned the Masca hike, which is described as one of the most beautiful and we didn´t have to regret, the gorge was currently closed for about 6 months due to work on the trail, e.g. marking, etc. Well, at the enrance there are a big door with a latch so you can´t even go there. Well, you can but I don’t know if the path is walkable and if it would be safe. When we were looking on the door with described information, 3 guys who were looking over the fence for a while suddenly opened the latch and asked us to close it once they entered… I don’t know if the route is really impassable or they just wanted to look down a bit because after a while we saw they were back.

Even so, just visiting Masca is worth it, the views are beautiful. We met there a man who was selling barbary figs from opuntia, so we bought a small sack for 2.5 EUR.

Then we set out for the hike, we were supposed to start in El Turrón, just 1 stop behind Masca. Because just at 11:17 the bus was going, we took one bus stop to avoid having to walk on the road. But otherwise it would be possible, it was only about 700 m and some people were going on foot.

Barbary figs were growing almost everywhere on this route and because my son liked them a lot, I wanted to make him happy and pick some of them. I saw the first one just recently fallen and without the thorns so I took it in my hand and started to peel. Previously, I had this fruit only a few times from the fruit shop and I never noticed that besides the big thorns, it actually had small ones that couldn’t even be seen. I put the fruit from one hand to the other, and then I realized it wasn’t a goo idea. I had my hands full of small thorns, which were prickling and it wasn´t easy to remove them. My sister laughed at me saying that I didn´t handle it well. She didn’t like barbary figs too much but she wanted to beat me and show that she was cleverer than me so she picked figs with a plastic bag with banana peel inside. It was quite effective protection but then she decided to put it from a plastic bag into a box and during this manipulation she pricked with thorns. Thorns are just everywhere.

The views on this hike were also nice and it was not a difficult hike and it was a short hike. There is a snack bar on Mirador de Cruz de Hilda but there was nothing very interesting to eat, so we went on. In Portelas, we decided to go to the Mesón del Norte restaurant (https://mapy.cz/s/3piUZ), the food was delicious. I had my favorite Gambas al ajillo (Garlic Prawns) with baguette, papas arrugadas with mojo picón and I ordered a chicken breast with French fries for my son and because it was such a huge portion, so we all shared it. Even though it was just an ordinary grilled breast, it was so great that we really enjoyed it. The prices were also very good.

Trail – PR-TF 59, 3,6 km – based on mapy.cz 1:51 hrs. – https://mapy.cz/s/3p82k

Our transportation

There

Timetable bus 363 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-363
Departure – bus station Puerto de la Cruz (T) https://mapy.cz/s/3pgVH, 7:40 (arrival to Buenavista del Norte approx. 9:15, was going longer than based on timetable)

Change:

Timetable bus 355 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-355
Odjezd – bus station Buenavista del Norte, 9:30, platform 2
Getting off – stop Masca (T)

Back

Timetable bus 366 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-366
Timetable bus 355 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-355
Departure – stop Portelas (T), bus 366, 16:00 (also bus 355)

Change:

Timetable bus 363 – https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-363
Departure – Buenavista del Norte (T), 16:30, platform 5

Duration

2.5 hours (with 6-year-old child and taking photos and filming)

Practical information

Refreshments at Mirador de Cruz de Hilda
Great restaurant in Portelas – Meson del Norte

Restaurants

We did not go to restaurants every day for lunch, because the restaurant was not always available. But wherever we were, the food was delicious. Below you will find what we had, including prices, to give you some idea. Some restaurants are not expensive at all.

Puerto de la Cruz

Casa Pepe – restaurant in Loroparque (https://mapy.cz/s/3piU5)

We had an octopus – Pulpo a la gallega (a starter but it was such a big portion that it would be almost enough for an entire lunch – 11.5 EUR), Croquetas pollo – bechamel chicken croquettes (8 EUR) and chicken skewer – 13.5 EUR , apple juice 2.1 EUR)

Intermezzo – https://www.google.cz/maps/place/Inter+Mezzo/@28.4149799,-16.5390956,19.17z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0xc6a7fc6f1bca7a1:0x2d783f66b7a8b668!2sLoro+Parque!8m2!3d28.4083201!4d-16.5647169!3m4!1s0xc6a7ff4c04c2817:0xf3cd3a12a9772ddc!8m2!3d28.4150302!4d-16.5390426?hl=cs&authuser=0

We went to this restaurant for lunch the last day. I was not impressed with the selection, no typical tapas, so we decided to try the lunch menu – fish with papas arrugadas and chicken breast with French fries. The food was quite good for the price (7,95 EUR – soup, main course and as a dessert ice cream or coffee)

Puerto Santiago

Casa Pedro (https://mapy.cz/s/3piCD)

Croquetas, Gambas al ajillo, Papas arrugadas, Chicken slice with French fries, apple juice

Price – we paid in total 27,20 EUR

Portelas

Mesón del Norte https://mapy.cz/s/3piUZ

The food was delicious, the best restaurant we visited. I had my favorite Gambas al ajillo (Garlic Prawns 9,25 EUR) with baguette, papas arrugadas with mojo picón (4,25 EUR) and I ordered a chicken breast with French fries for my son (Pechuga del pollo a la brasa 6,95 EUR) and because it was such a huge portion, so we all shared it. Even though it was just an ordinary grilled breast, it was so great that we really enjoyed it. The prices were also very good.

Costs

How much did it cost (2 adults, 1 child 6 years) – total about 2153 EUR (56 000 CZK):

Hostel Modrá – 110 EUR (1440 Kč + 1440 Kč, we used it when going there and back as well)

Travel with travel agency Canaria Travel (flight tickets, 4* hotel, half board, transfer from/to airport, insurance) -1612 EUR for all (41 925 CZK)

Restaurants – 114 EUR (4 restaurants)

Food and water – 35 EUR

Buses (2x adult, 1 child) – 127 EUR

Tickets:

Loroparque: 99 EUR (37 EUR adult, 25 EUR child)

Cable car Teide: 67,5 EUR (roundtrip – adult 27 EUR, roundtrip child – 13,5 EUR)

+ some amount for souvenirs – we spent mainly for various Spanish delicacies, you can check the approximate prices per piece depending on where and what brand you are buying:

Mojo picón – 2,5 EUR (excellent salsa typical of the Canary Islands, mainly eaten with potatoes and meat)

Mojo verde – 2,5 EUR (excellent salsa typical of the Canary Islands, eaten mainly potatoes and meat, parsley is the basis for this one)

Sirope de palma – 2.82 EUR (palm syrup – it reminds me of maple syrup, it is better to buy in the supermarket, in the souvenir shop it costs approximately 5 EUR)

Dulce de leche – 4 EUR (sort of milk caramel) – I like it with pancakes

Turrón – 1,65 – 2,50 EUR (my favorite Spanish sweet, there are many kinds, I like the most Turrón de Jijona)