Teno Massif and Masca
This Tenerife mountain hike crosses the Teno Massif on foot and ends in the hamlet of Masca. The trail is 3.65 km, stays between 650 and 900 metres and takes about 3.5 hours with an expert local guide, for $54 per person. Below: the route, the start, the way back and what the price covers.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book this Tenerife mountain hike if you can reach the bus stop at Las Portelas by 10:00 on your own and want to walk into Masca rather than look down on it. It costs $54 per person, holds 4.9 across 12 reviews, and the guide speaks Spanish or English. Transport is not in the price: you get to the start yourself and take the public bus back from Masca for about one euro fifty. If you want to be collected on the south coast, the $100 forest hike above Masca does that.
The trail
Short on kilometres, long on views: 3.65 km between 650 and 900 metres.
The Teno Massif is the mountain block of the island's northwest, around Masca: rugged peaks and deep ravines. The listing describes this Tenerife mountain hike as off-the-beaten-track trails in a protected area, with panoramic views that combine the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.
The numbers are short and clear: 3.65 km (2.27 miles), a high point of 900 metres (2,953 ft) and a low point of 650 metres (2,133 ft), about 3.5 hours in all. That is not a long distance, but the listing calls it a moderate-difficulty trail. It runs mostly along natural paths, with some sections on cobbled or paved roads.
The walk ends in the hamlet of Masca. You take in the views from its viewpoint and explore its traditional streets before descending to the heart of the village. On this Tenerife mountain hike you arrive in Masca on foot, over the ridges of Teno.
How the morning runs
Only the 10:00 start is a fixed time in the listing. The rest follows the guide, the group and the pace of this Tenerife mountain hike.
Meet the guide at bus stop 4549 in Las Portelas. The guide waits 15 minutes; after that, no refunds are issued.
By car, or on bus line 355, which the listing times from Buenavista at 9:35. Getting there is up to you.
About 3.65 km of trail between 650 and 900 metres, with viewpoints over the ravines and peaks of Teno.
The tour ends in the hamlet of Masca: its viewpoint, its traditional streets, then down to the heart of the village.
Return by public transport. The fare is about one euro fifty and is not included in the tour price.
In the frame
What the land around a Tenerife mountain hike in Teno looks like, with Teide on the horizon.
Red-roofed houses and tall palms sit on a narrow ridge below bare rock walls, a road winds between them, and a patch of sea shows in the far corner.
Brown ridges fall away into deep ravines, a thin road crosses the slope on the right, and white cloud drifts over the ocean beyond.
The cone of Teide rises far behind rolling green hills, with a small village, terraced plots and a winding road in the foreground.
Getting there and back
You reach Las Portelas yourself and ride the bus back from Masca.
This is the one thing to get right before you book. The meeting point is bus stop 4549 in Las Portelas at 10:00, and the listing says you reach it by car or by public transport on line 355. Nobody collects you from your hotel for this Tenerife mountain hike.
The walk ends in Masca, not where it started. The way back is by public transport, at about one euro fifty, and that fare is not included in the tour price. Keep some change with you for the bus.
Two more rules sit in the listing. The guide waits 15 minutes at the meeting point, and after that no refunds are issued. And the tour needs at least six adults: if fewer book, you are offered another date, another activity or your money back.
Every hike, current fare
Four guided hikes in the Teno mountains and around Masca, plus our top pick on Teide. Prices are per person.
| Hike | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teno trail to Masca village | $54 | per person | 3.5 h | Expert local guide and support on the route. No food, no transport | Bus stop 4549, Las Portelas, 10:00 | 4.9 · 12 |
| Masca Gorge down to the sea | $73 | per person | 6 h | Local mountain guide. Entrance and transport tickets bought separately | Church square, Santiago del Teide | 4.2 · 115 |
| Relict woods above Masca | $99 | per person | 5 - 7 h | Guide and pickup from ten towns, nine of them in the north | Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Adeje and seven more | 5.0 · 51 |
| Forest above Masca | $100 | per person | 5 h | Guide, light picnic, hotel pickup on the south coast | Los Cristianos to Los Gigantes | 4.9 · 466 |
| Teide by night, our top pick | $245 | per person | 10 h | Guide, sunrise picnic with a warm drink and snacks, pickup | Los Cristianos | 5.0 · 114 |
Teno compared
One walks into Masca, two look down on it, one goes down the gorge.
Masca appears in four listings on this site, and only this one ends in the village. Two look down on it from the heights above, and the fourth goes down Masca Gorge to the sea. All four are guided; they differ in transport, length and where you finish. Guided hikes on the island start at $27 on this site, for a walk in the Anaga forest.
The forest hike above Masca, $100, has the most reviews here: 466, at 4.9. The forest hike picks you up on the south coast between Los Cristianos and Los Gigantes, covers about 8 km with about 300 m of climbing, includes a light picnic and takes up to eight people. You see Masca village and the Los Gigantes cliffs from above.
The relict woods hike, $99, rated 5.0 across 51 reviews, collects you from ten towns: nine in the north, plus Adeje. It runs about 7.5 km with 300 m of gain, climbs to 1,300 metres and takes up to six. Jana from Germany: «A very nice hike above Masca with beautiful views of the mountains and the gorge.»
Side by side
One line per listing, from the listings themselves. Compare these before you pick your Tenerife mountain hike.
Shortest of the four at 3.65 km and 3.5 hours. Ends in Masca village. You arrange transport.
About 8 km, light picnic, hotel pickup on the south coast. 466 reviews at 4.9.
About 7.5 km to 1,300 metres. Not recommended for vertigo or fear of heights.
A 5 km descending trail between basalt walls over 700 metres high, then a boat to Los Gigantes.
The gorge
Different start, different finish, tickets bought separately.
Masca Gorge is a different day. The gorge walk starts on the church square in Santiago del Teide, follows a 5 km descending trail to the coast, and a boat arranged by the team takes the group to the harbour of Los Gigantes. Entrance and transport tickets are not included in that reservation and are bought separately, through a link sent after booking.
The gorge listing also says the activity is subject to weather conditions and permit availability, and hiking boots or trail shoes are compulsory. If you simply want to reach Masca on foot, the Teno trail on this page ends in the village itself.
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing now makes the morning at Las Portelas easier.
Car or bus line 355; be at stop 4549 by 10:00. The guide waits 15 minutes.
About one euro fifty, paid by you. It is not in the tour price.
With fewer bookings you are offered another date, another activity or a refund.
The listing asks for comfortable clothing and footwear on a moderate-difficulty trail.
Free cancellation applies. Check the deadline on the booking page before you pay.
Fitness and the guide
Moderate, short, and no previous experience required.
The listing rates the route as moderate and says no previous experience is required. At 3.65 km and 3.5 hours, this Tenerife mountain hike is the shortest of the four Masca listings, in distance and in time. The others run 5 to 8 km and 5 to 7 hours.
An expert local guide leads the walk in Spanish or English and gives support throughout the route. Most of the reviews talk about the guide. Ivar from Norway: «Nice and beautiful trip. Guide did a very good job, informing about plants, geography and history as we walked.»
Our verdict
Book the Teno hike at $54 if you can reach Las Portelas by 10:00 and want to walk into Masca village: it is the shortest and lowest-priced of the four Masca listings, rated 4.9 across 12 reviews. For hotel pickup in the south, take the $100 forest hike above Masca. Based in the north? The $99 relict woods hike collects you. For the gorge, the $73 walk to the sea.
Book direct
The Teno trail has no pickup; the two hikes above Masca do. Our top pick on Teide makes four, all priced per person.
★ 4.9 · 12 reviews
★ 4.9 · 466 reviews
★ 5.0 · 51 reviews
★ 5.0 · 114 reviews
Common questions
Yes. This Tenerife mountain hike from Las Portelas ends in Masca village itself, for $54. Two more listings look down on Masca from above: the $100 forest hike and the $99 relict woods hike.
Around Masca, the $100 forest hike picks up along the south coast between Los Cristianos and Los Gigantes. The Teno trail has no pickup: you reach bus stop 4549 in Las Portelas yourself.
Around Masca, the $99 relict woods hike collects from ten towns, including Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Garachico and Icod de los Vinos, plus Adeje.
Not on the Teno trail. Around Masca, only the $100 forest hike includes a light picnic. Our top pick on Teide, $245, serves a warm drink and snacks at sunrise.
By the listing, yes: a 5 km descending trail to the coast, then a boat to the harbour of Los Gigantes. The listing does not say the boat is in the price, and entrance and transport tickets are bought separately.
Yes, the Teno trail has free cancellation; check the deadline on the booking page. Arrive on time: after the 15-minute wait no refunds are issued. If fewer than six adults book, you are offered another date, another activity or a refund.
Go deeper
The forest trails above Masca with pickup, and how they differ from the gorge.
Masca GorgeThe gorge walk down to the sea, and what the listings say about the descent.
Hikes comparedEvery guided hike on Tenerife bookable here, side by side: trail, hours, transfer and what the price covers.
North or southWhere the hikes are on the island, and where each one picks you up.
Tenerife: Teide Night Hike to Watch Sunrise and Summit
★ 5.0 · 114 reviews · 10 hours