Tenerife’s National Parks with Children

“Traveling with children ®” shares with you useful tips and information about places to visit with children in the Canary Islands.

National parks on the island of Tenerife with children – you must visit them. They are all so different, but very interesting even for children. You will also find many “child-friendly” hiking trails in national parks too.

National parks in Tenerife

Teide National Park

They say that if you come to Tenerife and don’t go to Teide, you haven’t been to Tenerife. Even if you’re visiting with very young children and can’t take the lift any higher, you can definitely walk the park itself, the trails and admire the enchanting views.

Teide National Park is the largest park in the Canary Islands. A unique landscape of craters, volcanoes and petrified lava surrounding the impressive Mount Teide, 3718m above sea level. Teide Park has 41 marked trails of varying difficulty and duration, 3 visitor centers and a lift.

Teide National Park, located in the center of the island of Tenerife, is the largest and oldest of the four national parks in the Canary Islands.

Hiking trails with children in Teide National Park

We like the Roques de Garcia road. The 3.5 km course goes around an impressive rock formation that can be seen from across the valley. The start of the track is flat and accessible, but there is a climb to the north of the rocks. The part is adapted for people with mobility problems, so it can also be walked while carrying a baby.

Go with the children as much as is convenient and comfortable for you, it will certainly be enough – you will see rocks, Teide itself, local vegetation, and you will meet local lizards. To me, the most beautiful flower of Tenerife is Tachinaste (Tajinaste). It blooms in May.

It will also be really fun for children to run the San Jose Dunes. It’s a beautiful place that has been mined for building material for years and you can walk freely – there are no paths. You can take beautiful pictures and the views are incredible.

Star and Meteor Watching in Teide National Park

We also really like to go stargazing – you will meet a lot of photographers and stargazers during the evening in Teide. Why? Because the further you are from city lights, the more and brighter stars you can see. You can even find meteor fall calendars online. Do you want to experience unforgettable experiences? Go stargazing with a professional guided tour.

Lift to Teide

Important! People with heart problems, pregnant women and children under the age of 3 are not allowed to ride the cable car due to the risk to their health from the high altitude. And this is certainly not just a warning, because some people are afraid to get up in the lift, others may become weak when they get up due to the rare weather. For the time being, our children stayed safely at the bottom, but really healthy and older children who have no expressed fear of heights can travel with you. The price of the lift is from 21 euros. You can always check the weather and whether the lifts are working Teide National Park page.

It is also possible to purchase an organized trip with an ascent to Teide.

Tips for traveling around Teide National Park

Carry water and energy-rich foods such as fruit or nuts, and wear appropriate footwear for the rocky mountain terrain. Also, always pack a windbreaker, and if you’re traveling in the winter months or in the evening, a thicker jacket and a hat. If you’re traveling in the summer, don’t forget that the sun’s radiation is strong in the mountains, so it’s highly recommended to apply sunscreen and wear a hat.

You can find the exact coordinates of Teide Park in the “Traveling with Children ®” Tenerife attractions map.

Anaga National Park

Anaga is mountains, with sharp peaks and deep ravines, carpeted with laurels and dotted with charming villages. All of this is less than an hour’s drive from the island’s capital, Santa Cruz.

The main villages in the area are San Andres, Taganana and Igueste de San Andres.

Anaga National Park trails

There are many walks that criss-cross the area. A couple of trails start at the visitor center in Cruz del Carmen. Take a walk along the trail and enjoy the lush laurel forest. The mountains and valleys of the Macizo de Anaga mountain range are covered with laurel forests, also known as laurisilva, a type of subtropical forest that grows in areas with high humidity and mild temperatures. The trees are mostly evergreen with long glossy leaves. The forest is full of moss, lichen and lianas, making you feel like you’re exploring somewhere more exotic than Tenerife!

You can definitely travel through the Sendero de los Sentidos (The Path of the Senses) with your children, the light version of which is a track only 340 meters long. On this path, you will enter the laurel forest, where you can smell its scents, see its colors, feel its different textures and hear the sounds of the forest.

Be sure to also visit the mystical place called Pico del Ingles. Everyone goes here to take pictures in the treetops. Very nice place.

In the Anaga forests, you will often meet a moving cloud right here, which is why the photos here are extremely interesting and magical.

Tips for those traveling around Anaga

When traveling to these forests, be sure to bring warm clothes. If you encounter a wind sheared cloud, the temperature can be 10 degrees or more different from the southern part. If you are traveling to Anaga, make sure to plan a visit in our article In Tenerife with children: fun in the water mentioned beaches – Bajamar, Punto de Hidalgo or Benny and Almaciga.

You will find the exact coordinates of Anaga National Park in the “Traveling with children ®” Tenerife attractions map.

Masca and Teno Mountains

The Teno Mountains are located in the northwestern part of the island. Teno is an old volcanic mountain range. Start your trip in Santiago del Teide – stop for lunch if you have time. At the end of January – the beginning of February, it is especially beautiful and fragrant there, because the almonds are in bloom.

Masca Gorge

Continue to the town of Masca – you will experience the most adrenaline, because here are particularly narrow serpentines. The town of Masca is the beginning of the Masca Gorge, where you can hike all the way to the water and come back. The track is quite difficult, it requires not only endurance, but also special footwear – without it you will not even be allowed to travel on this track. More information on hiking in this gorge can be found here. However, we do not recommend traveling with children, and we do not allow children under the age of 8 to hike this trail. After a long time, when the gorge was closed due to the accidents that happened in it, now hikers are taken more seriously – proper footwear is required, etc. By the way, after going down the gorge, there is no longer a possibility to sail by boat – you will have to return by yourself. Therefore, very responsibly evaluate the possibilities of yourself and your older children.

You can just walk around the town itself and admire the Tenos mountains. Go down to Buenavista de Norte, visit Los Silos.

The most beautiful viewpoints in Masca

• Mirador de Cherfe. One of the first beautiful viewpoints worth seeing if you start from the town of Santiago del Teide. The viewpoint itself is made up of two branches opposite each other and separated by the TF-346 road that connects Masca to the city of Santiago del Teide. There is a small promontory nearby where you can take the most amazing photos. Location on the map:Ctr. TF-436, Santiago del Teide.
• Mirador de Masca. The main and most beautiful observation deck. The viewpoint is a few meters above the village of Masca and offers a wonderful view of the town and Masca Bay. Take a walk around the town of Masca, stop at a restaurant to drink coffee and enjoy the wonderful views. Location on the map: C. La Piedra, Masca.
• Mirador Altos de Baracán is the special location, right at the top, next to the road that connects Las Portelas and Maska, allows you to appreciate the marked changes in climate between the northern and southern slopes. If you’re lucky, you can enjoy the sun while the drizzle falls a few meters away. You will see a panoramic view of Barranco de Los Carrizales, El Palmar Mountain and El Palmar Valley. And we love this observation deck because of the mountain visible from it – the cake. Why do we call it that? Go and write to us if you also see the cake. Location on the map: TF-436, Buenavista del Norte.
• Mirador de Cruz de Hilda. This observation deck has a rooftop cafe where you can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding area. Mirador de Cruz de Hilda is located in the municipality of Buenavista del Norte. Mountain terraces and palm groves are cultivated around. Location on the map: TF-436, Buenavista del Norte.

Punto del Teno Lighthouse

If you have more time, go to Punto del Teno – a beautiful wild beach with a lighthouse. But it’s definitely worth it – this area reminds me of rugged Iceland. Punta de Teno is an impressive old red and white lighthouse dotting the landscape. It is one of the seven lighthouses on the island and was built in 1897. It used to be maintained by two keepers who looked after and operated the lighthouse and lived there with their families. Today, the beacon works automatically.

How to get to Punta Teno?

• For several years, Punta de Teno has been a protected area, which makes it necessary to regulate traffic and avoid crowds. For this reason, in autumn, winter, spring from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and in summer from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. the only way to get to Punta de Teno is to use bus number 369, which leaves every hour from Buenavista Norte bus station. A bus ticket costs EUR 1 round trip. The journey from the stop to Punta de Teno takes about 20 minutes and the road is really narrow and high. You will get stunning views of the cliff.
• Other times until 9/10 a.m. and after 7/8 p.m. you can drive your car.
• To hike Punta de Teno, drive to Teno Alto (780m), a small village in the Teno mountains. From this small village, a footpath descends all the way to Punta de Teno and back. Route: Barranco del Monte – Teno Alto – Punta de Teno – Bus – Barranco del Monte. However, such a hike is classified as difficult and is definitely not suitable for going with children, and not every adult can do it.

Advices

When traveling to the mountains, be sure to take warmer clothes. If you travel through the town of Masca and go towards Buenavista, stop along the way at places marked with “Mirador” signs and admire the views. Be prepared for the journey to take some time, as the serpentines are extremely narrow and winding. Never leave your most important items (documents, wallet, backpack, cameras, phones and other valuables) in the car, even if you only get out for one photo. By the way, this applies to all tourist places.

You will find the exact coordinates of Masca in the “Traveling with Children ®” Tenerife attractions map.

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