Teide National Park (Spanish: Parque nacional del Teide, pronounced [ˈpaɾke naθjoˈnal de ˈtejðe]) is a national park located in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain).
The national park is centered on Mount Teide, the highest mountain of Spain (3,718 meters high) in addition, the highest volcano in the Atlantic Ocean islands and the third highest volcano in the world from its base in the ocean floor (7.500 meters high). Pico Viejo, also included within the national park limits, is the second highest volcano in the Canary Islands with its 3,135 m peak. Mount Teide and Pico Viejo are the only two peaks in the Canary islands rising above the 3,000 m level.
The park has an area of 18,990 hectares located in the municipality of La Orotava. It was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 28, 2007. Since the end of 2007, it has also been one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. On a ridge, to the east of Teide, are the telescopes of the Observatorio del Teide.
Teide is the most visited national park in Spain and −by 2015− the eighth most visited in the world, with some 3 million visitors yearly. In 2016, it was visited by 4,079,823 visitors and tourists reaching a historical record.There are morning and afternoon coach trips through the park, departing from selected areas in the south of Tenerife's tourist towns. Access to the peak requires a free permit that needs to be booked in advance.
The national park offers a glimpse of another planet. Its volcanic landscape is unique and beautiful. The park offers a wide range of activities from cycling, hiking or visiting a cafe with stunning views - there is something for everyone. Ideal for one-day or multi-day trips. Definitely a must see in Tenerife.
Effective trip planning (they picked us up close to the hotel, and they announced the pickup time via a telephone call and WhatsApp). The night time view of Teide is spectacularly spooky (it's almost pitch black). I recommend planning your trip when there is a new moon and few or no clouds, so you can see most of the stars. In any case, the skyline was beautiful; we also had a guide (speaking in Spanish+English) telling us about different constellations, stars and planets that we can see at that time. It was also convenient that we arrived just in time to see Venus, then all the other things. The actual time we spent stargazing was about an hour, so if you plan to do long exposure photos, you're probably better off renting a car and going on your own.
Whatever could be said about Teide won’t do justice to it’s beauty. One has to visit Teide to feel the magic.
Amazing experience driving up here on surprisingly well kept roads. The views are absolutely unreal and the different terrains and scenery is beautiful. It can be very cold which shocked us as it was a very hot day on the beach. We drove up to the cable car but the next available car was a couple of hours later as we didn’t know you had to book online. It was nice to stop and get a coffee though and see the views.
Spectacular view points and remains of vulcanic activity all around Teide National Park. Make sure you bring sunscreen and warm clothing as the climate is very different from the rest of the island.
Gigantic vulcanic crater and mountain.unique experience.need good boots.nice forest from Santa cruz