A one-week loop around Mount Teide: Santa Cruz and La Laguna, the Anaga ridge, the crossing of the national park above 2,000 m, the cliffs of Los Gigantes, Masca and Garachico. The island is best done by car, but 2026 changes the picture: a paid permit for the summit, a compulsory bus for the Masca gorge, and access control announced at Teide.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Start |
| Day 2 | San Cristóbal de La Laguna | 55 km · 1h15 |
| Day 3 | Vilaflor | 82 km · 1h30 |
| Day 4 | Los Gigantes | 56 km · 1h10 |
| Day 5 | Garachico | 49 km · 1h05 |
| Day 6 | La Orotava | 36 km · 45 min |
| Day 7 | Back to Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 36 km · 30 min |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
All year round: winter is the biggest draw, with sunshine on the coast. But snow and ice sometimes close the Teide roads, as on one night in early March 2026; in summer, the Cabildo brings in wildfire measures.
🚗 55 km · 1h15 of driving from Santa Cruz de Tenerife
TF-11 to Las Teresitas, TF-12 along the Anaga ridge, the winding TF-134 to Taganana, back via Cruz del Carmen. Narrow and twisting.
🚗 82 km · 1h30 of driving from San Cristóbal de La Laguna
TF-24, a ridge road via La Esperanza up to Teide National Park at around 2,000 m, then the TF-21 through Las Cañadas and down to Vilaflor.
🚗 56 km · 1h10 of driving from Vilaflor
TF-21 to Boca Tauce, the TF-38 down towards Chío, then the TF-82 to the west coast.
🚗 49 km · 1h05 of driving from Los Gigantes
TF-436 via Santiago del Teide, Masca and Buenavista: narrow, winding, with buses coming the other way. For the gorge, leave the car in Santiago del Teide.
🚗 36 km · 45 min of driving from Garachico
TF-42 via Icod de los Vinos, then the TF-5 to Puerto de la Cruz and up to La Orotava.
🚗 36 km · 30 min of driving from La Orotava
Spend two nights in La Laguna (Santa Cruz and Anaga as day trips), one in Vilaflor via Teide, one in Garachico via Los Gigantes and Masca. Head back via Icod, La Orotava and the TF-5.
| Small car, annual average | ≈ €19 a day (Kayak, Tenerife South airport, Sept. 2026) |
|---|---|
| All categories, May | ≈ €9 a day |
| All categories, December | ≈ €19 a day |
| SUV, annual average | ≈ €32 a day |
| Vehicle | A reasonably punchy engine: the Teide roads go above 2,000 m; those in Anaga and Masca are narrow. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Tenerife North airport, in La Laguna, very close to the first stage. It is a loop, so you return it to the same place. |
| Insurance | Cicar, a Canarian rental company, includes fully comprehensive cover with no excess, unlimited mileage and additional drivers. |
| Fuel | Cicar holds a fuel deposit, refunded if the tank comes back at the starting level. |
| Age and licence | At least 21 with two years' driving experience at Cicar. |
⚠️ Deals at €4 or €5 a day on comparison sites often hide a large deposit or insurance sold at the desk: read the excess.
Any valid European Union licence is enough, with no international permit. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
As in mainland Europe. A connected V-16 warning beacon has been compulsory in Spanish cars since 1 January 2026.
Spanish highway code. In towns: 50 on streets with two lanes in each direction, 30 with one lane, 20 with no pavement.
0.3 g/l for licences held under 2 years. A cut to 0.2 g/l was rejected in March 2026.
TF-24 and TF-21 closed by snow one night in early March 2026; park access roads also close in high winds.
Since May 2026, the TF-21 has been managed by the park: badly parked cars are towed. Smoking banned since June 2026.
Since December 2025, the trail can only be reached on bus 355 from Santiago del Teide.
09:00-20:00 in summer, 10:00-19:00 the rest of the year, round the clock from Friday to Monday. Bus 369.
50% discount if the fine is paid within 20 calendar days.
Under 135 cm: an approved child seat, never in the front.
≈ €1.57 per litre of unleaded 95, €1.72 for diesel (24 September 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: Geoportal Gasolineras (Spanish ministry) →
⛽ 314 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €30 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
Provincial averages reported to the ministry. Thanks to Canarian taxation, unleaded costs about 35 cents less than the Spanish average (€1.92).
| Island roads | No tolls, including the TF-1 and TF-5 autopistas |
|---|---|
| Teide cable car | €42 return, €21 for ages 3 to 13 (non-residents) |
| Summit trail (PNT 10) | €15 from 09:00 to 17:00, free under 14, since 19 January 2026 |
| Montaña Blanca-La Rambleta (PNT 7) | €6 on weekdays, €10 at weekends, from 09:00 to 15:00 |
| Barranco de Masca | From €40.66, plus the return boat and bus 355 |
| Cable car car park | 220 spaces, open from 08:00 to 18:00 (19:40 in summer) |
| Future Teide car park (late 2026) | 500 spaces, booking required, paid for visitors |
| TF-24 and TF-21 (Teide National Park) | Snow and ice in winter, as in early March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Road access to Teide National Park | Closed in strong winds, as in March 2026 |
| Teide summit trail | Closed by ice or snow, even with a permit |
| Teide cable car | Last ascent between 16:00 and 17:40 depending on the season |
| TF-445 to Punta de Teno | Closed to cars during the day, and from Friday to Monday |
| Barranco de Masca | Closed in bad weather; if the landing stage is closed, you walk back up |
| Teide entrances (La Esperanza, La Orotava, Vilaflor-Chío) | Access control announced for late 2026 |
Allow a week for this loop of 6 stages and 6 nights: Santa Cruz, La Laguna via Anaga, Vilaflor via Teide, Los Gigantes, Garachico via Masca, La Orotava. Drives are short, but the mountain roads are slow. In 5 days, keep La Laguna (two nights), Vilaflor and Garachico.
Small car hire: about €19 a day on average (Kayak), so just over €120 for 6 days, excluding zero-excess insurance. No tolls, and unleaded at €1.57 a litre (September 2026). Add the cable car (€42), the summit trail (€15) and the Masca gorge (€40.66 plus the boat).
Yes. The Telesforo Bravo trail, from La Rambleta (3,555 m) to the summit, requires a named permit from Tenerife ON: slots 06:00-09:00, 09:00-17:00 and 18:00-22:00, 50 places each, ID required. Price: €15 from 09:00 to 17:00. Apply two to three months ahead.
To the village, yes, on the narrow, winding TF-436. But since December 2025, the trail can only be reached on bus 355 from Santiago del Teide, where you park the car. Tickets from €40.66, helmet provided, return boat to Los Gigantes compulsory, then bus 462 or 325 to get back up. Not allowed under age 8.
Since 19 January, non-residents pay for the summit trail (€15) and the Montaña Blanca trail (€6 to €10). Since May, the Cabildo has managed the TF-21 inside the park and has badly parked cars towed; since June, smoking is banned there. Late 2026: access control and 500 parking spaces bookable in advance. In 2027, shuttle buses at about €7.
Not with an EU licence: any valid European Union licence is enough. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required. Rental companies set the age: 21 with two years' driving experience at Cicar, which includes fully comprehensive insurance with no excess. Hire cars are Spanish-registered: a connected V-16 beacon has been compulsory in them since 1 January 2026.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/tenerife · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
