01/08/2024
And why Tenerife? We didn’t plan it in any way in advance, but approximately one month passed after Madeira and we were preparing ourselves for Canada, wanted to spend some time at home, help at home, and so on. And then we realised that there will be a lot of work and quite cold weather waiting for us in Canada, so that we would like to make our time before departure more pleasant with some trek and hot weather. When we were looking for a plane tickets and looking for where we could go on a trek in January, only the Canary Islands came to mind, because we had just returned from Madeira. Based on the walking distances, fly ticket prices and especially the height of the highest mountains, we decided for Tenerife with the idea that on the way back to the Czech Republic we would stop at Lea in Madrid. My brother decided at the last minute to join us, two days before the flight he was drying meat for hike.
Below, you can find the route in GPX, which we completed.
Day 1 [Jan 1st, 2024]
Tenerife South Airport (TFS) > field in front of La Esperanza [→ 6 km, ↑154m ↓13m]
I knew from the beginning that this trip will be different… and why? Well, my brother is flying with us. I was very happy about it, because it always sounds like my brother wanted to take a trip like this too (trekking, sleeping outside under the sky, possibly in some cozy places and ending the vacation with a surfboards another activity and getting to know with the place). But I was worried at the same time because my bro is simply a SAGITTARIUS. And by that I don’t mean the sign, but his nature, he’s simply bohemian as it should be.
Good start …. he disappeared for a while at the airport and suddenly returned back with three pocket wines and one supposedly super good vodka. He said it would probably be enough for the plane ride. Well, It’s not for me, I had to injected myself with a blood thinner before the flight and I should drink only clean water. At eurowings, they also come with an offer for duty-free prices, we bought 2 half-liter ballantines to take away for cold nights.We landed at Tenerife South Airport. It is a wonderful place here. But we need to get to the northern airport, or La Esperanza, and the best option seems to be to go to the airport in the north and set off on foot from there. We are going from this side of the island because we were not able to buy a last time permit for Pico de Teide and therefore need to sleep just below the peak and leave as soon as possible so that we will not be there anymore before 9 am. However, we discovered a problem with the local buses…
The fact that they are late doesn’t bother us, but when we were waiting in line for the direct connection (343) and it was our turn, they said the last 2 passengers, but there is 3 of us, we try to chat it up, but they sell tickets here exactly for the number of seats, not even one extra. Literally pissed off, we leave for another bus stop number (bus no. 10) where we take another line, this time with a transfer, and we were instructed to stand in the first line to get on first. After about an hour, we arrive in Santa Cruz and look for the bus to the northern airport, the bus is said to have missed us, so we are waiting for the next one. My brother is bored, the bus is late, but it doesn’t bother anyone anymore, he found a way which will be good for a night to sleep.
At around 8pm we finally arrive at the airport, find water source. Our task for today is to walk just 5km to get to our sleeping spot not far from La Eperanza. In about an hour we are at the place, we spread out our sleep in the field, I am terribly cold, so I crawl into the sleeping bag as soon as possible, we are having the “winning” drink and we are looking forward to the next day.
Day 2nd [Jan 2nd, 2024]
Field in front of La Esperanza > Torre de incendios El Gaitero
[→ 18,96 km ↑ 1132m ↓154m]
The next day we have set alarm clock at 7AM, but it’s terribly dewy and cold and we don’t want to get out of our sleeping bags, so we leave a little after 8 in the morning, but we don’t mind at all, we’re not in a hurry today. We stop in La Esperanza at Super Dino, my brother buys a beer, so we taste it, of course. In no time it gets incredibly hot, we dry things and have a snack after a very short time.The path is pleasant, more or less always uphill, but there are straights and more or less in the shade. Our journey is going relatively quickly and during 3 hours we are under the shelter where we should sleep, so we have decided to go on and we will sleep under the open air and we hope that it will not rain. On the way we meet some places with no entry zone and we see a lot of charred trees and guys who take care of the forests and cut charred trees, in some places there are total clearings. According to Google, there was a fire in Tenerife sometime at the end of August. In some places it is really a disaster, in some places we can feel burnt wood, despite the fact that it has been more than a quarter of a year and in some places even the stones are charred. Somewhere the road is covered with pine needles, but after uncovering it, we only see a charred road, some trees are obviously regenerating. We admire how powerful the nature is.
Around 4:30 PM we are at our temporary destination and we are wondering if it would be possible to sleep on the lookout tower. In the end, it turns out to be a telecommunications tower, so we decide to sleep a little below it, because we see a pleasant straight line, a wonderful view of Pico de Teide and available water – so we can wash ourselves and wash our underwear. As a bonus, we discovered an outlet, so we charge our electrical devices. We mix drinks, treat ourselves with a dried meat and enjoy the sunset. At the end of the day, Lu and Pajinek watch a movie and I write this diary. We are looking forward together to the next day’s adventure’s.
Day 3rd [Jan 3rd, 2024]
Torre de incendios El Gaitero > in the middle of the forest in a “motocross track”
[→ 24,5 km ↑ 952m ↓ 1 200m]
We don’t want to get up in the morning at all, everything takes a terrible time and we don’t set off until almost 10:30AM. The nature doesn’t change much, everything is charred and we have at least 1000 meters of altitude to descend and at least 500 to climb, but we want to walk as far as possible so that it wil not be the next day so demanding.
Today we meet the first hikers, a nice couple from Berlin who go to Tenerife every year. They are sad that everything here is burnt down, because they remember how it looked years before. Even sadder is that we learn that Tenerife received offers to help with the fire from several countries, including Germany, but they were so proud, so they refused, saying that they had it under control. However, the fire got out of control and it burned an awfully large area. Already today we can see that approx. 40 km of the GR 131 section is incredibly burnt, including some shelters. We planned to sleep in one of them, but during lunch we agree that we will walk further and therefore we have a greater elevation gain and number of km ahead of us, so we should have hurry.
We collect water from the drinking fountain, where the water flows extremely slowly, but we don’t know where the next one will be, so we are patient. Then we found out, that the next one is about 200m further and the water flows so fast, haha, so maybe the next time.
We are getting closer to the civilization and meeting more and more people. We pass through an area where it is suddenly completely green, what a pleasant change. But it doesn’t take long and we come to the patch where we were originally supposed to sleep, nothing left but an iron structure. We continue on, the only possible place to sleep on the way, but soon it will be dark, so we are afraid that it will be harder and harder to find a place to sleep. We are unpacking our things and having dinner when we hear the sounds of motorbikes, there is a forest road a little away from us, so we hope that the sounds are from the road, but the sounds are suspiciously close to us, we jump out and tried to show them that we are there so they don’t run over us.
We are unpacking our things and having dinner when we hear the sounds of motorbikes, there is a forest road a little away from us, so we hope that the sounds are from the road, but the sounds are suspiciously close to us, we jump out and tried to show them that we are there so they don’t run over us. The guys stoped and they are surprised that we want to sleep right here on the road, that they usually ride here on theirs cross motorbikes. We are surprised that even this late in the evening, but they say it is normal, but that it is not a problem for them, that they can see quite far with its light. Cyclists, horses and motorbikes are expressly prohibited on this and many other roads. We are thinking of moving, but it is already quite dark and the fog has come. A large part here is still covered with red and white tapes, and a little below us there is already a long one wrapped around only one tree, and the rest is laying on the ground next to the tree. So we decide to mark off “our” space with tapes and pray. Sweet dreams.
Day 4th [Jan 4th, 2024]
In the middle of the forest in a “motocross track” > Altavista Shelter
[→ 16,1km ↑ 1938m ↓ m]
We survived!
But tonight we didn’t sleep at all again and we are worried about the next one, when we have to sleep at 3260 m.a.s.l., let’s hope we won’t freeze there.
However, the positive thing is that we survived, the boys on cross motorbikes didn’t run us over, and we can leave at 8:20AM. We have an ascent of almost 2000 meters and approximately 16 km, but at the end of 1/3 of our route there is a restaurant, so the first part is pretty easy for us and we are already sitting down for a beer before 11:30. My brother is sad that he can’t have anything warm to eat, at least he buys fresh baguettes and drowns his sorrows with beer. I’m having a frappuccino and dessert. After my brother’s third beer, we each have one and we’re getting ready to leave, that we won’t be able to make it otherwise, and especially after the next one, we would have heavy feets and we’d probably die under that sun, but before we get back from the toilet, my brother has a fourth on the table, he’s crazy.
We are still dealing with accommodation for the days after the hike, because the owner wrote to us to cancel the accommodation, saying that he has some problem with the apartment and today it is more than 48 hours since I requested a cancellation without charge and the owner still has not responded and communication with him is really difficult, we are calling on booking and we solve it with them. The call took us half an hour, but the glory, it’s solved. I’m texting my brother where he is because he said he’s coming right behind us.
About an hour and a half later, I found out that he had a fifth beer, I don’t get it, I would not be even able to continue let alone finish the whole way to refugio, I would die somewhere there…
Today we have been baking by sun, I have the feeling that we are going through the Sahara and that it is not going away at all, if we will not be baked out on the way, we will definitely freeze to death at the top. I’m finishing the last meters completely run out of energy, I come to the hut like a total zombie, but luckily for us it is relatively warm in the refuge, I don’t know how it is possible but I am really glad for it, because today we won’t freeze out.
Our other concern was that the refugio would be occupied (there are 6 beds), luckily only 2 people came before us. The other 3 who were in fron of us on the way to altavista continued either all the way up or into the cave. After a while, my brother comes after us and brings everyone a winning beer. We all really enjoy it. We have dinner, try to dry things and get ready for bed…
Day 5th [Jan 5th, 2024]
Altavista Shelter >>> Campsite Granadilla de Abona [→ 21,5km ↑ 978m ↓ 1 970m]
And another night when I didn’t sleep at all… I’m no longer happy with the heat in the cabin, because the air is terribly dry and you can’t breathe, let alone sleep. Plus, after a whole day in the sun, I get hot and cold waves and a headache. From approximately two in the morning, the door starts to open regularly and someone always wakes us up with a flashlight, someone goes in and warms up, because 3 beds remain free and someone just closes it and leaves. We have set an alarm clock at 6AM, I’m totally devastated, we quickly get dressed, pack, go on the road and set off. From the first steps, I feel like I can’t do it. I don’t know if the elevation didn’t suit me, or the fact that I didn’t sleep properly for 4 days/nights, or the fact that we set off with almost no food, or simply everything together. Lu gives me gummy bears, but I have a feeling that I will return them. My head is spinning, I’m totally exhausted and I’m walking slower than a snail. Eventually I will reach the top of Pica del Teide (3715 masl), but unfortunately we didn’t catch the sunrise there. (Mount Teide’s shadow is the biggest shadow projected on the sea in the world). It’s incredibly cold there and brutal gusts of wind, I don’t stay long and “smash” down. On the way, we take a short walk to Pico Viejo (3134m above sea level) and I finally start to feel at least a little bit better, we are having a snack.
We continues, and as soon as my brother hears the word restaurant, he literally runs ahead. Since we are in the Teide National Park and more or less a short distance from the highest peak, we meet more and more people. Downstairs, my brother is already waiting for us in the restaurant, a German couple sat down with him, and the gentleman highly recommends the masca trail, saying that it is the second biggest highlight for him, right after Pico del Teide, and that you need to book the trail in advance, but that it is definitely worth it.
We also stop for a well-deserved beer and coffee, grab some water and head out to our sleeping spot. We are pleasantly surprised how the path completely changes, first we go through the total Sahara, then we pass into the green and under our feet we have a white rocks that suddenly turns into black pebbles. We’re there, it’s cold and pretty windy, but we’ll dress properly and hopefully get a good night’s sleep. We have dinner and think that the next day we will go all the way to the end so that we have more time to explore the island, so we have to wake up an early in the morning.
Day 6th [Jan 6th, 2024]
Campsite Granadilla de Abona >>> Arona [→24,9 km ↑ 578m ↓ 1 895m]
I wake up with an alarm clock at six in amazement that I slept so well today. We slept at about 2000 metres above sea level and we were hidden under just one tree without anothers around, so not covered much. That’s why I was so afraid that it would be very windy and we would be very cold. Fortunately, we put the sleeping bag on the other side and threw the “hood” over our heads and we were fine. We have breakfast and leave at seven, still in the dark. I like these early departures, when you have the opportunity to see how nature slowly wakes up and you can gradually wake up with it and therefore not in such a hurry. After approx. 7 km, the town/village of Vilaflor de Chasna awaits us, where we look forward to going to the store for a Coke and something good, and me for a coffee. My brother again runs ahead and then waves at us from the street below us, he must have forgotten to turn in sheer joy.
Unfortunately for us everything is closed, we desperately sit in the square and eat some of our remaining supplies. We find out that there is another restaurant about a kilometer away, but we prefer not to rely on the fact that it will be open. The restaurant is part of the hotel and luckily it is open. We go in, but it looks very posh, I don’t really want to go there because we look like jerks and we have to stink for a hundred hunts… In the end, we decided to go and it looks like the hotel guests are having breakfast buffet, I ask if we can have a coffee and we meet a pleasant waitress who doesn’t even look at us through her fingers and brings us some desserts to go with our coffee. We are surprised about the price and think that she must have given us some kind of employee discount out of pity.
After the breakfast, we continue, we still have approximately 17 km to go, about 5 hours according to mapy.cz. The watch shows me that they will survive about 6 more hours, because I was not able to charge them during the night and I don’t know why, somehow it didn’t agree with the power bank. We thought we’d make it before the watch ran out. We are lowering the arrival time, but the watch life time is also getting shorter. On the way, I’m still dealing with accommodation for tonight, because we don’t have the accommodation until another day. Fortunately, there is availability at our chosen accommodation, so we will only have 1 night more and we don’t have to move anywhere. We meet places marked as take-off for paragliding and remember Madeira. We are entering a good fog and a few drops will also fall. Just before Arona, we pass a lot of wild prickly pears around the road. The watch has already run out anyway, so we are not in such a hurry and we taste the prickly pears. We fight with thistles, but we do not give up the fight. After about another hour, we arrive in Arona and look forward to having a beer at the finish sign. We meet no finish sign and certainly not an open shop, bar or restaurant. So sad.
Our bus leaves in 25 minutes, we try to hitchhike, but no one stops, only a few drivers wave, including the police, who pass by a few times. Actually, we don’t even know if you can hitchhike on Tenerife, but now it doesn’t matter. The stop didn’t work, so we take the bus to Los Cristianos, where we have to change. When we see shops and restaurants open, we postpone the transfer to later and go for a well-deserved pizza and San Miguel.
As we found out later, it is a holiday in Tenerife, but luckily everything we needed was open in Los Cristianos.
During the way in the bus, we reserve a car for the following days. We have to pick up at 7:30 at the northern airport, so it will be an early rise again. Before going to bed, I’m trying to ask about the Masca trail, because the trail can only be completed on weekends, or Friday to Saturday, and I couldn’t find any free dates on the Internet until the end of 2024.
Continuation from the civilization in Tenerife and from Madrid will be ready by the first day of next month.