Surreal beauty
Tenerife is just perfect for cycling. During the entire year it’s neither too hot nor too cold. On top of the that, most roads are in decent to great conditions and motorists are usually very relaxed and considerate of cyclists. This route takes you up through the Corona Forest to the base of the volcano Teide, back down to Santiago del Teide through the Masca valley back to La Orotava along the north coast.
La Orotava to the Base of Mount Teide
I’ve set the starting point of this loop to La Orotava, but due to the fact that it’s a loop you can join the route anywhere. From La Orotava we’re going to start climbing through the beautiful Corona Forest until we reach the plains beneath the impressive volcano Teide. Depending on the season you might even see it covered in snow, towering over the island, looking like some sort of an enormeous sugar cone.
Teide to Santiago del Teide
Now, that you’re almost 2300 meters above sea level you’re riding through plains beneath Teide and the surroundings are just so surreal. I actually felt like getting a glimpse of what it looks like on Mars. The landscape beneath the volcano Teide is of bizarre beauty and will certainly leave a lasting impression. The cherry on top will then be that almost neverending descent to Santiago del Teide.
Masca and the north coast
From Santiago del Teide we’re going to set-off towards Masca, where yet more stunning scenery is about to unfold in front of you. Once over the first bump you’ll be able to overlook the Masca valley and if the sky is not too hazy you’ll be able to see La Gomera (another one of the Canary Islands) rising from the sea. Once the Masca valley is behind you the descent to Buenvista del Norte will follow, where especially the bottom half is very flowy and the tarmac is perfect. This route will take you a bit more to the hill-side away from the highway. Personally I really like the roads, that are on the hill-side. They’re not as fast as the route closer to the sea but their scenic and quieter.
In the case of coffee stops there are quite a few towns and places along the way, where you can rest and refuel. For the first part up to the base of Teide I’d recommend bringing enough water as refilling can be an issue until your at the restaurant/hotel, which will be right at the base of Teide. Afterwards, Santiago del Teide, Masca, Buenvista del Norte, Garachico and Los Realejos have plenty of nice spots on offer to have a pleasant break.
Stats / Difficulty
Distance: 152km
Elevation gain: ~4’000m
Duration: 6 – 8h
Endurance level: Medium to Expert
Map
GPX Download
Download GPX – From the Sea to MarsYou can import the .gpx file into any one of your prefered apps such as Strava, Komoot, Garmin Connect, … and change the route from there if you’d for example like to start from another location.