When we visited Tenerife, visiting Mount Teide National Park was one of the things we were most looking forward to. We decided to visit and hike in the national park when there was a cloudy day in the south. What we didn’t expect though, was the Teide National Park being at such high altitude that we ended up above the clouds and had the most wonderful sunny day! We decided to spend our day driving around Teide and exploring more of the national park through 2 short to medium hikes, the Montaña de la Botija and Montaña Samara Loop hike and the Roques de Garcia Trail. This guide gives you an overview of the Montaña de la Botija and Montaña Samara loop hike/circuit trail in Teide National Park on Tenerife. Looking for other things to do in Tenerife? Check out the 7 best natural pools on the island.
We entered Teide National Park and drove straight to the starting point of this hike, the Mirador de Samara. When you enter this point in Google Maps, you will see a small parking lot on the side of the road (TF-38). From the parking lot, you can enter the pine fields and turn right onto path 13 straight away. You can also continue straight, as the route can be followed in both directions. We decided to turn right. From here on, you continue to follow path 13 along beautiful volcanic, black, pine fields. During this part of the hike, you mildly ascend to get closer to the top of the Montaña Samara before you can look out over the beautiful volcanic landscape.
You will continue the route with amazing views of the Teide and Pieco Vejo. You will cross a point where you can also decide to start following the S38 and S9 towards the Teide, but we were only looking for the shorter route so continued along the S13 for more scenic volcano views.
Always stay on the marked trails, then this hike is relatively easy and can be done with a basic fitness level. Also, don’t forget to bring enough water. Teide National Park can be found at around 2000 meters above sea level, which means the sun is quite strong. Needless to say, but also bring sunscreen and wear layers when needed as the temperature can switch.
Our base in Tenerife was the Royal Sun in Los Gigantes. However, if you want to stay closer to the Teide National Park, there are multiple options. Staying closer to the park means you have more time to explore and it gives more opportunity to visit during sunrise and sunset. Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide is the only hotel which is located in the National Park. Another place close to Teide Park is Vilaflor, where you can stay at for example Hotel El Tejar & Spa,
