In order to get to the top of Teide there’s only two possibilities: 1) get a limited ticket (booked out for weeks) or 2) climb the last stretch before 9 a.m. or after 17 p.m.. Since it’s impossible to get to Teide by bus in time for either and I didn’t want to pay 80 Euros for a taxi, I decided to hike up all the way from Puerto de la Cruz. It’s only 30 km, but also a staggering 3900 m ascent. So I looked at my walking times in different terrains in the past week and calculated 10-11 hours total time.

I started on Thursday evening shortly after 9 p.m., giving me a 2 hour buffer added to the target time of 10 hours. Half an hour in it was drizzling warm summer rain, which continued on and off until midnight, when I broke through the cloud cover. 

The trek though the villages was uneventful, but soon after I reached the first steep climb. Hundreds of high steps lead through dense forest. The light rain made everything sparkle in my headlamp’s light and when the clouds cleared, the moon lit the wet plants up like chandelliers. 

I continued through this nightly wonderland, slowly putting on more clothes against the chill. Teide briefly showed its silhouette before more clouds moved in. 

At 2200 m elevation I entered the National Park and a high plateau that opened a magnificient view on the night sky. It’s clear why one of the world’s largest observatory was built up here. Temperatures also dropped to below the freezing point, noticeable by a fine layer of ice on the ground.

Leaving the flat plateau behind and starting on the last quarter distance but with more than a third ascent before me the wind started. Surprisingly it felt warm but later turned into gale force gusts that were fairly uncomfortable and cold.

Progress slowed perceptibly, my speed dropping from 4-5 to 2-3 km/h and the twreain changed, too. Large loose rocks required a change of shoes and I put on my slightly less comfortable but hard-soled trailrunning shoes (no running ensued 😉 ).

Sunrise begins

The magic moment

Tired but happy at 3716 m

Teide’s shadow