Teide National Park (Parque Nacional del Teide)

Teide National Park (Parque Nacional del Teide)

Top Attraction

Teide National Park, pronounced 'Tay day', is top of my list of Tenerife Top tourist holiday attractions.  The park is situated in the centre of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain.  With the impressive peak of Teide an active but dormant Volcano in it's centre.

Teide National Park is the most popular national park in Spain and attracts over 4 million visitors a year and consists of Mount Teide (Pico del Teide) and the older surrounding Caldera

A view of Los Roques de Garcia, Teide.
Mount Teide is in the background with snow still located in gullies. Photo taken in June

Mount Teide & Teide National Park Location

Mount Teide, is in the centre of Teide National Park and nearer to the North coast of Tenerife than the South Coast

The dramatic peak of Mount Teide, Pico del Teide in Spanish consists of 2 volcanos that have almost merged into one Pico del Teide & the slightly lower volcano Pico Viejo 3135 metres

Mount Teide Facts & Figures

Approximatley 2.8 million visitors a year visit Teide National Park

Mount Teide Facts

• The highest point of Mount Teide 3,718 metres (12,198ft)
• The highest peak in Spain.
• Mount Teide is the third highest volcano on a volcanic island in the world only beaten by 2 Hawain Volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
• The Volcano is an active volcano.
• The volcano, formed about a million years ago
• Sulphurous wisps come out of cracks near the summit. These can be seen on the steep walk from the cable car to the summit 160m (525ft) above.

Pico Viejo Facts

• Pico Viejo 3135 metres high

The Caldera (Las Canadas)

• The 16km (10mile) crater 'Las Canadas' with its rock formations and volcanic ash gives the area the appearance of a lunar landscape
• The area has been used for film sets
• The main road runs through the Caldera and has parking at several viewing points
• The Caldera is the remains of an absolutly massive volcano, much larger than the current peaks that were created much later after the caldera was formed

Last Eruption

• The last eruption of Mount Teide was in 1909. The eruption was on the north western side from the El Chinyero vent.

  The volcano, formed about a million years ago, was last active in 1909, but sulphurous wisps come out of cracks near the summit. These can be seen on the steep walk from the cable car to the summit 160m (525ft) above.

Caldera - Magma - Magma Chamber - Volcano - Dormant

When a volcano has a large eruption, magma (molten rock) surges upwards from the magma chamber and erupts from the volcano as lava, ash etc. If enough magma is erupted a large empty void occurs in the magma chamber which is unable to support the weight above it resulting in the collapse of the central portion of the volcano leaving a volcanic crater known as a caldera

Teide Cablecar

Click a thumbnail to see a larger photograph

Famous Rocks on Teide

Roques de Garcia

Roques de Garcia

A photograph of Los Roques de Garcia, Teide. Probably the most photographed rock on the island of Tenerife. Mount Teide in the background.

Note the coloured banding in the rock showing that the volcano rock was built up by a multitude of separate eruptions over millions of years. In volcanic rock these layers signify a Stratovolcano

Parque Nacional del Teide (Teide National Park)

The Shoe

An unusual rock formation photograph known as the shoe,
because of its resemblance of a ladies high heel shoe.

Rose Rock

Rose Rock

An unusual rock formation photograph known as the "Rose" Looks like a flower.

General Lunar Landscape

Lunar Landscape

The lunar looking landscape of Teide's National park with Mount Teide in the background.  This dramatic landscape has been used in some of Hollywoods screen epics.  See Films

Teide's Flora

Tower of Jewels Plant (Echium wildpretii)

Tower of Jewels Plant

Mount Teide has flora that does not appear anywhere else in the world.

The Tower of Jewels has a rosette of long narrow leaves at it's base. In summer it sprouts a long single stem that canreach 2 to 3 metres in length covered in spectacular red flowers. After flowering the plant dies.

The plant enjoys a lot of sun and dry & arid conditions.

The yellow flowering plant in the background is the Teide Straw (Cruciferae)

Both these plants are endemic species are found in the Caldera of Parque Nacional del Teide (Teide National Park)

Climate & Temperature on Teide

Because of the high altidude the temperature is several degrees lower than the coast

In winter you can sunbath at the coast and through snowball on Teide. Take warm clothes, it can be cold at that altitude, sunglasses, sunscreen and don't forget your camera.

In summer at the Las Canadas Caldera level the daytime temperature is usually comfortable with short sleeve tops and shorts. It is much colder if you take the cable car to just below the summit.

Because of the thinner air the suns dangerous rays are much stronger than at sea level. These rays can also be intensified if reflected from clouds either above or below your position - protect your skin with high factor sun cream, especially on clear days.

The mountain naturally attracts the formation of clouds.  The clounds can form at any height on the mountain, so it is possible to be under, in or above the clouds, depending on the clouds hight and your height.

Weather: Choose a clear day for the best views, and if you wish to go to the top, windy weather stops the cable car running.

There are restrictions on where you can go near the summit and a permit is required for some areas

There can be long queues (up to 3 hours) for the cable car, this stops many visitors going to the top. But spectacular views can be seen without going to the summit. It is advisable for People with Chest or Heart problems etc not to go higher than the lower cable car position because of the rarified air.

Cable car hot line: 53 37 20 (Mon-Sat 09:15-13:00)

Don't forget to take your camera.

Teide Observatory (Observatory del Teide)

• There is a visitors centre open to the public
• Located 2390 metres above sea level
• The Teide Observatory opened in 1964 & is a major observatory in the World
• The Observatory has
  • 8 visual telescopes from 10 to 152 centimetres that include infrared, reflecting & robotic telescopes
  • 3 radio telescopes.
Website

Stratovolcano

All of the Canary Islands including Tenerife are formed from StratoVolcanoes.

StratoVolcanoes are the most common of all volcanoes and are also called Composite Volcanes because they are built up by succesive eruptions forming layers.

These layers can be seen all over Tenererife where erosion has exposed them. See the photograph of Los Roques de Garcia for an example.

Tenerife Volcanic Activity History

The volcanic history of Tenerife is very complex and the following is a simplified version of the activity.

Tenerife started it's life as 3 volcanoes, around 10 million years ago, that are centred on the areas:

• Anaga (in the NE)
• Teno in the NW)
• Roque del Conde (in the south)

These 3 areas formed most of sub sea and the majority of modern day Tenerife but as 3 separate islands.

This was followed by the formation of the massive Volcano which joined the 3 islands and rose to a height of 4500 metres, 782 metres higher than the present day Mount Teide, and an approximate diameter of 40 kilometres.

There are a couple of theories on how the Las Canadas Volcano collapsed but it did collapse forming the 16 kilometre by 9 kilometre Canadas Caldera.

Films in Teide National Park

One Million Years B.C.

The exterior scenes of the film One Million Years B.C. filmed in 1966, were shot in Lanzarote and Tenerife and includes the magnificent and dramatic scenery on and in the Canadas Caldera, part of the Teide National Park

The volcanic eruptions were achieved in the studio using a 2 metre high model.

One Million Years B.C. Film stars

• Raquel Welch as Loana
• John Richardson as Tumak
• Percy Herbert as Sakana
• Robert Brown as Akhoba
• Martine Beswick as Nupondi
• Jean Wladon as Ahot

One Million Years B.C. Trailer

Purchase the DVD of the film from Amazon. Check for the correct DVD format

Click the link below

Clash of the Titans

A movie set from Clash of the Titans located in the Teide National Park

The majority of filming of the 2010 Clash of the Titans remake of the original 1981 epic was done in the Teide National Park. Additional shots were taken around Icod, Buenavista, Guía de Isora, and many other mountainous regions in Tenerife.

The mortal son of the god Zeus embarks on a perilous journey to stop the underworld and its minions from spreading their evil to Earth as well as the heavens 

The story is very loosely based upon the Greek myth of Perseus with plenty of both nasty & a couple of good creatures as follows:

• Stygian Witches with a taste for human flesh
• Giant scorpions
• Gorgon a giant half snake & half human creature
• Djinn with Magical powers
• Kraken an enormous sea monster
• Harpies are winged Demons
• Pegasus winged horse
• Bubo a mechanical owl

Clash of the Titans Film stars

• Sam Worthington Perseus
• Liam Neeson Zeus
• Ralph Fiennes Hades
• Gemma Arterton Io
• Mads Mikkelsen Draco
• Jason Flemyng Acrisius
• Alexa Davalos Andromeda
• Danny Huston Poseidon
• Izabella Miko Athena
• Pete Postlethwaite Spyros

Clash of the Titans Trailer

Purchase the DVD of the film or Video game from Amazon. Also available in PS3 and Sony PS3

Click the link below

Mount Teide, Garachico and Masca Village Coach excursion

More information about the Mount Teide, Garachico and Masca Village Coach Tour

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