Tenerife

[thehungrytroglobite]

Heading to Tenerife in January for 8 days - I've seen they have some pretty cool lava tubes but not sure how to gain access. Has anyone been caving in Tenerife before? Or does anyone know the best caving club to contact and ask for a tour (we would obviously return the favour if they wanted to visit the Dales!)?

Likewise, if anyone has recommendations of good outdoorsy things to do in Tenerife - hiking, climbing, scrambling, etc - I'd love to hear them. I don't like cities, spas or anything overly touristy. I like rocks, plants, hills, canyons and every now and then can handle a beach if it is devoid of sunbeds & man-made structures.

 

[alanw]

I've done lava tubes, both "wild" and as a tourist attraction on other islands in the Canaries. I believe that access is being increasingly restricted. On Tenerife we just did the guided tour of the Lava Tube at Cueva del Viento. Good from a educational point of view, but not much as a caver - we only saw a very small part of it.

Home - La Cueva del Viento

cuevadelviento.net

Watch out for the weather. We were there towards the end of November. If the winds are too high, the cable car up Pico del Tiede won't run.

Teide - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

We booked for the Barranco del Infierno Gorge Walk, but it was cancelled because of too much rainfall.

Tours and Hiking in South Tenerife | Masca Gorge Walk

Hiking in the Barranco del infierno, a unique route in the heart of Adeje (Tenerife) The perfect walk to do with friends or accompanied by children.

barrancodelinfierno.es

The zoo at Loro Parque is very good.

Welcome to Loro Parque!

The best zoo in the world by TripAdvisor. We are an animal embassy, a benchmark for species conservation and protection in Tenerife and Europe.

www.loroparque.com

Both Cueva del Viento and Loro Parque are on the north coast of the island

 

[mikem]

Better ask CapnChris...

 

[Pitlamp]

Or maybe Menacer on here could also help?

I think the Wessex go there a fair bit (unless I'm getting confused with Lanzarote - anywhere south of the Peak District is off my patch!). Might be worth seeing if WCC journals are available (& searchable?) online?

 

[FabianE]

We've done the tour into the "Cueva del Viento" and it was incredible. Obviously very much aimed at the public so the tour itself is short but very informative. I got talking to the guide before the trip and explained that we are UK cavers and part of DCRO. The guide asked us a lot of questions about UK caving and gave us a lot more "specific" information rather than just the standard tour.

We also ascended Mt. Teide with the view of exploring the top as well as looking into "La Cueva de Hielo" (Cave of Ice), due to its height it actually contains ice throughout the year which you can see from the entrance. It is however covered with netting so you cannot access it at present.

 

[Fulk]

We went to Tenerife in 2014, and stayed at Puerto de la Cruz, a medium-sized town on the north coast, planning to do some walking and perhaps some caving; we didn't do any caving other than a trip to the main show cave (Cueva del Viento), and a quick look at another nearby cave.

We did, however, do some really lovely walks, starting with 'Los Órganos High Mountain Path'. We took the bus to a place called La Caldera, the start of the walk. This walk was mainly along easy paths through pine forests, and climbed some 600 metres – it was a really good day out.

Another day we climbed the 'Roque Imoque', a very shapely peak (1112 m) with quite a sharp pointed top in the south of the island. We managed to get to the top, but the last 30 or 40 metres were quite awkward and exposed (and scary, without any climbing equipment); it seems that most people don't do this final stretch!

We also visited the spectacular Masca Gorge, located in the NW. It starts in theTeno mountains (650 m; limited parking) and descends to the sea. You can catch a boat back to Los Gigantes, but we chose to go back up the gorge. I must admit we were quite weary when we got back to the road.

We decided to climb Montaña del Limón, as this was accessible from La Caldera, but opted out owing to snow, fallen trees and threatening weather after an unseasonal storm.

Anyway, there are loads more walks, and we used the Rother Guidebook for planning them. I see you're planning to go in January – be prepared for cold weather. We had a big storm with snow down to about 1000 m.

Here's a sample snap:

 

[mikem]

I think the Wessex go there a fair bit (unless I'm getting confused with Lanzarote - anywhere south of the Peak District is off my patch!). Might be worth seeing if WCC journals are available (& searchable?) online?

https://wessex-cave-club.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Wessex-Cave-Club-Journal-Number-327.pdf

https://wessex-cave-club.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Wessex-Cave-Club-Journal-Number-323.pdf

They do also spend a lot of time on Lanzarote...

 

[mikem]

Always worth searching the forum beforehand as well:

I am taking this hobby in the Canary Islands more seriously :-)

Hi All I have lived in the Canaries for a few years & i started exploring the various lava tunnels last year, :thumbsup: i am looking for an experienced "buddy" who wants to explore with me & educate me on the minerals etc. I have a 4 x 4 vehicle , EXCELLENT knowledge of the local area...

ukcaving.com

Shenstone Photography - Tenerife Lava Tubes - Information

shenstone photography caving Tenerife Lava Tubes information

www.shenstone.me.uk

 

[Leclused]

Guimar trail is a must do

The ‘Windows of Güimar’ – (Las ventanas de Güimar ) – a classic Tenerife walk

Addendum 5.2.2017 – I have recently done this walk again a couple of times in recent months and cannot now recommend it. It is becoming increasingly dangerous. I had done this walk on…

tenerifenaturewalks.wordpress.com

If you like an adventure of course The report states that it is dangerous but as a caver you are used to difficulties on a path

Clip from 2021 :

 

[cap n chris]

Always worth searching the forum beforehand as well:

I am taking this hobby in the Canary Islands more seriously :-)

Hi All I have lived in the Canaries for a few years & i started exploring the various lava tunnels last year, :thumbsup: i am looking for an experienced "buddy" who wants to explore with me & educate me on the minerals etc. I have a 4 x 4 vehicle , EXCELLENT knowledge of the local area...

ukcaving.com

Shenstone Photography - Tenerife Lava Tubes - Information

shenstone photography caving Tenerife Lava Tubes information

www.shenstone.me.uk

David got caught while caving some years ago. IIRC he got a fine of just under £2K. The Spaniards have significantly ramped up their patrolling of caves in recent years. Good luck to anyone wishing to cave in the Canaries.

 

[Duncan Price]

We're off to Tenerife on Saturday, staying in Puerto de la Cruz - we've been before and last time visited the main show cave (Cueva del Viento) - got talking to the operators who said that if I'd got in touch ahead of our visit then they could have arranged a trip to the "wild" parts of the system. Haven't done anything about it for this visit. Many years ago I stayed in Los Gigantes and did some of the wild lava tubes near to Mt Teide, but as others have said, access is more problematic.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

Apparantly you've got to book ahead to do Masca Gorge now as well.

 

[cap n chris]

Or maybe Menacer on here could also help?

I think the Wessex go there a fair bit (unless I'm getting confused with Lanzarote - anywhere south of the Peak District is off my patch!). Might be worth seeing if WCC journals are available (& searchable?) online?

Menacer is still up to speed on current caving efforts on the islands but much of the research work is now offline. Sports caving on the islands needs to take heed of new technology which is in place overseeing the national park(s) - in particular surveillance drones operated from 4x4s parked on high ground. The fines (last time I checked) can be up to Eur6K for even being parked with kit in your vehicle, whether or not you're actually even caving that day. As I said (above); good luck with caving on the islands without the requisite permission(s). January-May is also bird nesting season so that's perhaps relevant too; most landowners prohibit access during those months as a matter of course. If you look out of place then it's an easy spot for them. Stick to the showcaves, perhaps.

 

[thehungrytroglobite]

We're off to Tenerife on Saturday, staying in Puerto de la Cruz - we've been before and last time visited the main show cave (Cueva del Viento) - got talking to the operators who said that if I'd got in touch ahead of our visit then they could have arranged a trip to the "wild" parts of the system. Haven't done anything about it for this visit. Many years ago I stayed in Los Gigantes and did some of the wild lava tubes near to Mt Teide, but as others have said, access is more problematic.

I'll try getting in touch with them in advance. Maybe the fact I also work in a British show cave will help too!

 

[thehungrytroglobite]

Guimar trail is a must do

The ‘Windows of Güimar’ – (Las ventanas de Güimar ) – a classic Tenerife walk

Addendum 5.2.2017 – I have recently done this walk again a couple of times in recent months and cannot now recommend it. It is becoming increasingly dangerous. I had done this walk on…

tenerifenaturewalks.wordpress.com

If you like an adventure of course The report states that it is dangerous but as a caver you are used to difficulties on a path

Clip from 2021 :

This looks amazing, definitely want to do it thank you!

 

[thehungrytroglobite]

We went to Tenerife in 2014, and stayed at Puerto de la Cruz, a medium-sized town on the north coast, planning to do some walking and perhaps some caving; we didn't do any caving other than a trip to the main show cave (Cueva del Viento), and a quick look at another nearby cave.

We did, however, do some really lovely walks, starting with 'Los Órganos High Mountain Path'. We took the bus to a place called La Caldera, the start of the walk. This walk was mainly along easy paths through pine forests, and climbed some 600 metres – it was a really good day out.

Another day we climbed the 'Roque Imoque', a very shapely peak (1112 m) with quite a sharp pointed top in the south of the island. We managed to get to the top, but the last 30 or 40 metres were quite awkward and exposed (and scary, without any climbing equipment); it seems that most people don't do this final stretch!

We also visited the spectacular Masca Gorge, located in the NW. It starts in theTeno mountains (650 m; limited parking) and descends to the sea. You can catch a boat back to Los Gigantes, but we chose to go back up the gorge. I must admit we were quite weary when we got back to the road.

We decided to climb Montaña del Limón, as this was accessible from La Caldera, but opted out owing to snow, fallen trees and threatening weather after an unseasonal storm.

Anyway, there are loads more walks, and we used the Rother Guidebook for planning them. I see you're planning to go in January – be prepared for cold weather. We had a big storm with snow down to about 1000 m.

Here's a sample snap:

We're also staying in Puerto de la Cruz for the majority of our stay. I'll be sure to have a look at this hikes!
I must say the permit systems are confusing me a lot - it seems almost all the Gorges need a permit, but you can only apply 7 days in advance, and the permit systems vary etc. Luckily I have a few months to figure it out. I'm sure the CSCC would feel right at home, but being a northern caver is putting me at a disadvantage here! 😂

 

[thehungrytroglobite]

Thank you for your help everyone. Tenerife felt like a very niche and random destination to choose so I wasn't expecting this many people to respond! I wasn't planning on packing my cold weather clothes for Tenerife but am now re thinking that... hopefully the weather is good and we get to do the gorge walks, aqueduct walk and explore the area around Teide a bit because I'm really excited for those!

 

[Fulk]

I wasn't planning on packing my cold weather clothes for Tenerife

When we went there we had cold-weather clothes, and ended up loaning them out to people in the hotel who'd gone there expecting the weather to be sub-tropical (as were we, to be fair, but we packed cold-weather clothes thinking that we might go high up in the mountains . . . turned out we didn't need to, to get cold!).

 

[Ouan]

This paper is a good overview of the Cueva del Viento and Cueva de Felipe Reventón cave systems, including a survey and notes on geomorphology, fauna and conservation

Biodiversity in the Cueva del Viento Lava Tube System (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Cueva del Viento and Cueva de Felipe Reventón are lava tubes located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, and are considered the volcanic caves with the greatest cave-dwelling diversity in the world. Geological aspects of the island relevant to the formation of these caves are discussed, and their most...

www.mdpi.com

 

[Badlad]

We had a great holiday in Tenerife in March last year. We did three great circular walks up around the calderia. Lovely weather all the time but the altitude is around 2000m so chilly enough to wear a gilet. It is a fab volcanic landscape with old pine forest interspersed with more recent lava flows. Mount Tied always a scenic backdrop. We had a mad cyclist with us who did all the big ascents with a mate of his who lives out there. pretty epic if you like that sort of thing and the roads were in superb condition. We only watched and cheered from the side lines. Parts are very touristy but that in itself was a tourist attraction for us. There is tons to do for all budgets so unless you are determined I wouldn't bother with the lava caves. Whale watching trip is good.