Anaga Rural Park hike: a short walk, a loop or a long day

Anaga is the range of steep, green mountains in what one listing calls the wild north-east, and another calls a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Its slopes hold laurel forest, the laurisilva. The guided walk listing describes it as the forest that survives in Anaga and “one of the oldest forests in Europe”. The loop listing speaks of lush, evergreen nature and moss-covered trees, and puts the age of the range at 7 to 9 million years.

What you hear on the way depends on the hike you pick. On the Anaga Rural Park hike at $27, the guide shows you plants that only exist in the Canary Islands and tells the legends of Anaga. On the loop, the talk turns to the volcanic origins of the island and to the Guanches, its indigenous people. El Pijaral promises close encounters with fearless endemic birds, naming the Tenerife blue chaffinch and the bold local robin.

How you reach the forest decides a lot. Of the three, El Pijaral is the one with pickup in the price, from seven places: Icod de los Vinos, El Sauzal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Los Gigantes, Los Realejos and San Andrés. The listing puts the transfer from Santa Cruz de Tenerife at one hour. That makes it an Anaga hike Tenerife visitors staying in the north can reach without a car.

The $27 walk lists pickup as an option to check when you book; otherwise you meet at the Cruz del Carmen car park.

The $36 loop has no pickup. It meets at a car park at a crossroads, which the listing calls ideal for arrival by bus, and it warns that this is not the village of Los Batanes. The guide sends a parking link one day in advance.

Group size is the clearest difference between the three. The El Pijaral day is limited to four participants. The title of the loop says a small group of no more than 12. The $27 walk is listed with a small group option but gives no number.

Pace is where the loop stands out: its listing promises no time pressure and a walking pace adjusted to the group. Mike from the United Kingdom, on the loop: «The pace was steady, and there was time to stop, enjoy the forest, take photos and chat.»

El Pijaral is the only one of the three with a permit in the listing: it includes a short stretch of the protected official Pijaral path, and your guide handles all necessary permits.

The three listings grade themselves differently. The $27 walk calls its route “an easy hiking trail suitable for the whole family”. The loop calls itself “Easy/intermediate – ideal for anyone with a good basic level of fitness”, yet the same listing also speaks of a physically demanding, mountainous route. El Pijaral gives numbers instead of a grade: 5.5 km with 350 m of elevation gain, inside a 7.5-hour day.

The ground matters as much as the grade. Patrycja from Germany, on the $27 walk: «it's a good idea to wear sturdy shoes because there's a lot of mud, and it's also worth having a jacket». The loop listing adds that the guide can change the route for the weather or for official closures by the island government.

Two more listings go to Anaga. The $67 day walks from the laurel forest down to Antequera Beach for a swim, then boards the boat for the drop-off at Las Teresitas; it has its own page. The $66 La Laguna day is an Anaga tour Tenerife visitors in the south can join from three pickup points: two hours in the laurel forest of Las Mercedes, then an hour in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of La Laguna.

Book the $27 guided walk for a first Anaga Rural Park hike: 266 reviewers rate it 4.8, and pickup is an option. If you can reach the start, the $36 loop gives a full 5 km circle from 1,000 m at an unhurried pace. For a whole day with pickup and four people at most, El Pijaral at $159, rated 5.0 by 19.