Walking on Tenerife. Paddy Dillon
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in Spain, but as a guagua throughout the Canary Islands. Some natives may seize the opportunity to practise their English with you, while others may be puzzled by your command of Spanish. No matter how bad you think you sound, you will not be the worst they’ve heard!
Money
The Euro is the currency of the Canary Islands. Large denomination Euro notes are difficult to use for small purchases, so avoid the €500 and €200 notes altogether, and avoid the €100 notes if you can. The rest are fine: €50, €20, €10 and €5. Coins come in €2 and €1. Small denomination coins come in values of 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c. Banks and ATMs are mentioned where they occur, if cash is needed. Many accommodation providers accept major credit and debit cards, as will large supermarkets, but small bars, shops and cafés deal only in cash.
Communications
All the towns and some of the villages have post offices (Correos) and public telephones. Opening times for large post offices are usually 0830–1430 Monday to Friday, 0930–1300 Saturday, closed on Sunday. Small post offices have more limited opening times. Mobile phone coverage is usually good in towns and villages, but can be completely absent elsewhere, depending on the nature of the terrain. High mountains and deep barrancos block signals. Wi-fi internet access is usually offered by hotels but, if relying on it, please check when making a booking.
WALKING ON TENERIFE
El Teide stands high above the clouds, experiencing different weather from the rest of the island
This is the largest of the Canary Islands, in the middle of the archipelago. The southern part of the island is arid and often environmentally degraded, having been intensively cultivated and then abandoned as water supplies ran out. Walking opportunities are limited, and most visitors travel through the southern parts at speed on busy roads, not inclined to stop. The northern part of the island, by contrast, is moist, fresh and green, often terraced and intensively cultivated, with good walking routes available. The extreme ends of Tenerife, Anaga in the north-east and Teno in the north-west, are the oldest parts of the island, riven by deep barrancos, with cliffs and arid slopes rising to summits covered in laurisilva forest.
The most popular resorts, along with the bulk of accommodation on Tenerife, are based around Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas in the south, and Puerto de la Cruz in the north. There are good walking opportunities within easy travelling distance of these resorts. Anaga has an impressive network of signposted and waymarked trails, and Teno is almost as good in that respect.
The central part of Tenerife is completely dominated by a huge, rugged and steep-sided volcanic peak – El Teide. This is in turn surrounded by a semi-circle of jagged peaks, the remains of a vast volcanic caldera. The whole central area of Tenerife is protected as a national park and boasts a wealth of interesting and sometimes very rugged trails. The altitude is generally well above 2000m (6560ft), and the region often basks in the sun under a blue sky when other parts of the island are covered in cloud, or experiencing rain. However, when bad weather hits these mountains, it is often very bad, and extensive snow cover can make it difficult to follow some routes in winter.
It takes time to explore Tenerife, and some people return year after year to discover more and more of the island. This guidebook contains a good six weeks of walking, and to make the most of opportunities visitors should be prepared to choose different bases to explore different areas; otherwise too much time could be spent travelling to far-flung parts. Good fast roads encircle the island and climb remarkably high, but other roads are narrow and convoluted and can only be travelled slowly.
The 45 days of walking on Tenerife described in this guidebook are made up of 40 one-day walks, either signposted as PR (pequeño recorrido) routes or number-coded senderos in the national park, plus another five days signposted as a GR (gran recorrido) route that can be linked together as a long-distance walk. Few of these routes stand in isolation, and most of them link with one, two or more adjacent routes, so there are options to modify and adapt them, and some routes feature variants and extensions. There are almost 630km (390 miles) of trails described on Tenerife in this book, and this represents only part of the signposted and waymarked trail network.
Getting there
By Air
Most visitors fly direct to Tenerife Sur airport, from the UK or Europe, using a variety of airlines. Local flights from the adjacent Canary Islands land at Tenerife Norte, and are operated by Binter Canarias, tel. 902-391392, www.bintercanarias.com, or Canaryfly, tel. 902-808065, www.canaryfly.es.
Frequent, fast and cheap TITSA buses link Tenerife Sur with the bustling nearby resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas, and some services also run to the capital city of Santa Cruz. From Tenerife Norte, regular buses run to Santa Cruz and the northern resort of Puerto de la Cruz. Taxis are also available at the airports.
By Ferry
Two ferry companies operate between Tenerife and neighbouring islands. Lineas Fred Olsen, tel. 902-100107, www.fredolsen.es, is quick and expensive. Naviera Armas, tel. 902-456500, www.naviera-armas.com, is slower and cheaper. Ferries berth at Los Cristianos, from the westernmost islands of La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, and at Santa Cruz, from Gran Canaria.
Getting around
By Bus
TITSA buses operate all over Tenerife from sea level to almost 2400m (7875ft) at the foot of El Teide
Tenerife has an excellent network of bus services operated by Transportes Interurbanos de Tenerife SA (TITSA), tel. 922-531300, www.titsa.com. Obtain an up-to-date timetable for the whole island as soon as possible, from bus stations or information kiosks. There are two timetables, one listing all services and another listing only those regularly used by tourists. Details can also be checked on the website. Tickets are for single or day return journeys and fares are paid on boarding the bus. For the best deal, obtain a pre-paid bono ticket and use the on-board machine. The bono will be debited less than what you would pay for a ticket on board. Buses are referred to as guaguas, although bus stops, or paradas, may be marked as ‘bus’.
By Taxi
Long taxi rides are expensive, but short journeys are worth considering. Taxi ranks are located in all the towns and some of the villages. Fares are fixed by the municipalities and can be inspected on demand, though negotiation might be possible.
Car Hire
Some people will automatically pick up a hire car in Tenerife, and this is easily arranged in advance or on arrival. In some instances, a car is useful to reach a walk in a remote location, and using a car might sometimes offer more flexibility than using bus services. However, some of the best walks on Tenerife are linear, and if you park a car at one end it can be very difficult to return to it.
Planning your Transport
To make the most of walking opportunities, and limit long and awkward travelling, it is best to choose a number of accommodation bases with good bus connections. Linear routes described in this book generally start at the higher end and finish at the lower end, but there are exceptions. Where buses serve both ends, timetable details need to be checked, and you need to pace yourself to fit in with the schedules. In the few places where bus services are extremely limited, or completely absent, the only options are to arrange drop-offs and pick-ups, either by taxi or by arrangement with a car-driving friend. Pick-ups require careful planning and timing so as not to inconvenience or alarm those who are waiting for you.
What to take
If planning