Especially if you want to access Altavista Refuge on foot using Montaña Blanca trail 7, reach the summit via Telesforo Bravo trail 10, or use the cable car for the ascent or descent. Important: please note that the Mount Teide Cable Car running is subject to weather and/or technical conditions, so you may have to reach the Refuge and leave it entirely on foot via Montaña Blanca.

Some trails, such as Telesforo Bravo, trail 10 and Montaña Blanca, trail 7, require a special permit, which can be obtained from the TenerifeON website. However, if you have a reservation for an overnight stay at the Refuge, access to both trails is included in your booking, you do not need to book it separately.

Teleférico del Teide is a cable car transport system that allows you to comfortably ascend to the summit of Mount Teide in Tenerife, overcoming an elevation gain of 1,200 metres in just 8 minutes. It is the first cable car in the world to operate exclusively on renewable energy, it is not connected to the electricity network. 

Index

1 - If you plan to travel up or down by cable car as part of your night at the Refuge

Please note that the cable car may not be running due to weather or technical conditions on the day of your visit, so you may not be able to use it to reach the Refuge. If this happens, you will have to use Montaña Blanca trail to make the ascent and descent entirely on foot.

  • You can book your ticket in advance on the official Mount Teide Cable Car website, preferably choosing the sessions after 3 pm. If the cable car is not running on the day of your booking, the company will give you as much advance notice as possible and offer you a free refund or the option to change the date of your ticket.
  • For the descent, you can only buy a ticket at the top station on the day you are going to use it, as this type of ticket is dependent on the cable car running on the day in question. If the cable car is running for the descent on the day immediately after your overnight stay at the Refuge, all you have to do is scan a QR code at the top station. Please note that tickets must be purchased with a credit or debit card, no cash payments are accepted.

2 - Booking access to the Teide trails

Overnight stay at the Refuge entitles you to the access permits listed below, without having to apply separately for these permits on TenerifeON, presenting your booking confirmation for an overnight stay at the Refuge at the trail checkpoints allows you access as follows:

  • Access to Montaña Blanca trail 7 between 3 pm and midnight on the day of your overnight stay (remember to check in at the Refuge before 10 pm) and between 9 am and 12 pm on the morning immediately after your overnight stay.
  • Telesforo Bravo to Pico del Teide trail no. 10 from 6 am to 9 am on the day immediately following your overnight stay. You must leave the trail before 9 am.

Access to these trails is controlled by the Tenerife government via the TenerifeON website. Safety and conservation measures in the National Park.

Remember that you do not need to process the permits separately as they are included in your Refuge reservation, however, you must take into account all the mandatory equipment required by TenerifeON to walk the trails.

3- Information about the Telesforo Bravo trail for access to the peak of Mount Teide.

This restricted access trail can only be used with prior permission, it connects La Rambleta (the upper station of the Mount Teide Cable Car) with the peak of Mount Teide.

Your overnight reservation at Altavista Refuge includes permission to access this trail between 6 am and 9 am on the morning after your overnight stay, you must leave the trail before 9 am.

It takes around 40 minutes to walk the trail from its start, close to the upper cable car station. The trail is a fairly straight line of around 0.66 km.

Although it is short and well maintained, the greatest difficulty lies in the steep slope: some areas reach gradients of 60%, and the path begins at an altitude of 3,550 metres. Therefore we advise you proceed slowly, and stop as often as you need to.

Difficulty profile for trail number 10, Telesforo Bravo
Chart showing the challenges of Telesforo Bravo, trail number 10.


If the sky is clear when you reach the highest point, you can enjoy spectacular views of Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands

Near the crater, you can see smoke that reminds you the volcano is still active. And, incredible as it may seem, this environment is home to species of flora and fauna that have adapted to the volcanic conditions of their location.