TEIDE
CANARY ISLANDS / 3718m
In terms of getting to this huge, active volcano to summit the highest in the world (outside of geological oddball Hawaii) you’re rather spoiled. Teide is on Tenerife and just about every airport goes there, for not too much dosh.
Once there, the ascent is quite splendid. While under the Spanish mantle Teide feels far more African, lying as it does off the coast of the Western Sahara. The terrain is incredibly varied, transporting you through thick rainforest with sea views, onto the weird desert-scape of the volcano, right the way up to the incredibly lofty (and rather chilly) summit. At its most striking at dawn, you can witness the triangular shadow of the peak stretching out over the Atlantic. This also avoids the heat later in the day.
The volcano lies within the Teide National Park. Here there is so much interest, from the ‘eggs of Teide’ (Los Huevos del Teide) – huge blocks of obsidian ejected out of the mountain during past eruptions – to the elusive
Teide violet, which spends most of the year underground and only emerges to flower in the spring.
The ascent is best broken over a day and a night, and requires a free permit – though if summiting before 9am this is not required. There is a refugio on the mountain to allow you to get close the night before: the Altavista (€20).
The crater is a wasteland wonderland of sulphur smells, white hot rock, steaming fumaroles and a famous ‘sea of clouds’ caused by trade winds stretching out over the sea. It’s only a relatively short walk from the refugio, so if you have a headache with the height, you won’t be suffering for long.
CAN I DO IT?
You can hire a guide, but most don’t need to: this spectacular walk is wellmarked and relatively easy going. And if you really want, a cable car will get you back down the mountain in eight minutes. It will also get you up as well, but where’s the sense of achievement in that?