Tenerife – A travel report

In the middle of the wild Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands brave the elements. Tenerife is the largest of the archipelago and also the most diverse. Rugged cliffs, black sand beaches, enchanted forests and moon-like volcanic landscapes. Towering above it all is the mighty Teide, Spain’s highest mountain at 3,718 metres. Sounds like a good mix of beach holiday and hiking.

So in March, my girlfriend and I went to Teneriffa for two weeks with our swimming trunks and camera in our bags. We were greeted by pleasant 21 degrees and sunny weather. But we didn’t just sunbathe on the beach or enjoy coffee and delicious snacks in the towns (Tip: If you’re ever in Puerto de la Cruz, you should definitely try the croissants at the little bakery La Casa del Panadero. But beware, they are quite calorie bombs). No, there were also a few hikes on the programme. Somehow we had to work off all those calories, especially since my girlfriend and I were supposed to run a trail run at the beginning of June.

I was particularly taken with the barren volcanic landscape around Mount Teide, which offered countless opportunities for hiking and photography. In general, Tenerife offers new motifs at every corner, from landscapes to wildlife. Even a short sunset walk on the beach can turn into a longer photo session. Having a photographer as a boyfriend has its advantages but also disadvantages. 😉

So, of course, a sunrise tour was not to be missed and even short stops at vantage points could drag on when some Tenerife blue chaffinches, an endemic, blue-coloured finch species, showed up. However, I also entered unfamiliar terrain and took pictures of my girlfriend for her website. 

As a travel time, I can recommend March. Temperatures are not too hot and the weather is usually good. It’s great for outdoor sports activities, but you can also relax on the beach and swim in the ocean. A rental car makes it much easier to explore the island with its winding, sometimes narrow roads. Due to the size of the island, it is advisable to change accommodation several times, as otherwise you will be travelling a lot by car.

After the rain

The rain has stopped some hours ago. However, clouds are still clinging to the mountain slopes, creating a mystic atmosphere. 

The search

As I hike along, my eyes are constantly scanning the surroundings looking for anomalies. I sense a movement to my right. Something is moving in the clouds. Have I finally found the ibexes, I am looking for? As the clouds drift, I recognise another chamois emerging from the grey mist. It is not the first one, nor the last one I will see today. 

In the clouds

Moving in and out, the clouds engulf myself from time to time, narrowing my view down to only a few meters. Suddenly, a dark shadow with big, curved horns emerges from the clouds in front of me. The clouds are starting to slowly move down the mountain slope again, uncovering three ibexes feeding on the grass next to path. 

White

The clouds do me a favour and stay lower in the valley, offering me the opportunity to create minimalistic photos with a white background. Time passes quickly and eventually it is time go home. Satisfied I return down to the valley and into the clouds.

Hiking Wisdoms

When hiking there is lots of time to think and philosophize about life, especially when being on a solo tour. In this second episode I want to share some of my philosophical wisdoms I gained during two tours. (Do not take it too serious, irony involved)  

I had a slight déjà-vu, as I found myself yet again on a mountain bike to start a tour. However, this time I had at least managed to take a smaller backpack. 

It was another hot summer day, but as I got closer to the top, more and more clouds moved in. It seemed like this summer does not want to let me experience some good sunsets… (I can not wait for fall and more stable conditions) 

When I finally reached the top, greyish clouds surrounded me. However, there was still some time left until sunset, so I decided to wait and hope for the best. I did not bring a book this time, because the backpack was too small, so I roamed around and explored the terrain. (Wisdom no. 1: smaller and lighter is not always better, at least when you have time and want to read a book)

While it got closer to sunset, the clouds started to glow in a golden color. However, I was still in the clouds and could not see anything.

Only a couple of minutes before sunset, the clouds started to part, opening the view to the surrounding mountains. It was a true spectacle before it got dark. (Wisdom no. 2: always stay till the end, unless it is dangerous and thunderstorm is coming)

After those magical moments, it was time to head back down to the city.

For the second tour it was time to tackle higher mountains. During some research, I had found a rarely visited 3000-meter peak I wanted to climb. This time my girlfriend Luisa accompanied me. (Ohh, and no biking was involved, yeah!)

While the first half of the tour was a marked and popular hike trail, the second half required navigating up a unmarked side valley and a steep, with boulders and scree covered slope to a ridge. 

From the distance, it looked impossible to get up to the ridge. However, as we got closer, it started to look more doable, so we gave it a try. First we scrambled over big boulders, but as we got higher, the boulders got smaller and smaller. Carefully placing each step and hand, we tried to find the best way up the loose scree. (Wisdom no. 3: Get closer and change the perspective and you will find a way, even if the way means turning around and going home) 

It took us more time than we initially had thought to get up to the ridge. The sun had already started to set behind the mountains, as we were finally standing on the ridge and got a first view on the summit we had planned to climb. 

To reach our goal, we would have to descend around 100 meters and scrambled up another steep slope covered with boulders, without knowing if we could actually sleep up there. Therefore we decided to stay and enjoy the view from the peak we were on. But I will definitely come back and climb it. (Wisdom no. 4: The way is the goal, at least if it is scenic and offers as great views as the original goal 😉 )

After a cool and windy night at nearly 3000 meters (we missed the 3000 meter mark by 5 meters), it was time for me to “force” Luisa out of her sleeping bag for the sunrise. She normally likes to watch the sunrise straight from our sleeping place without leaving the warmth of her sleeping bag, while I run around in the cold to take pictures… This time she got up and just wrapped the sleeping bag around her like a blanket to fend off the cold.

Later, after we had already reached the marked hiking path, I heard a scream behind me. I quickly turned around to Luisa. The reason for the scream was a snake on the path. The snake quickly made its way into the grass and we continued on. Luisa now placed her feet more carefully. (Good that I did not mention the high chances of coming across snakes here to Luisa, especially as a good portion of the way was across pathless, grass covered terrain… (Wisdom no. 5: maybe do not always tell all small details of a tour before))

Eventually we made back down without any more snake incidents.

Scree

Scree describes loose broken rocks on a side of a mountain

Lots of scree, inaccurate weather reports, a really short night due to some little friends and exhausting hikes in pathless terrain. That’s how the two tours of the first episode could be summarized. But let’s start from the beginning:

The first tour seemed pretty straight forward, at least theoretically, as there was a path indicated on the map. However, I was tricked. There were no trail marks and about 5 minutes later I had already lost the trail…

Not the best way to start things off.

I eventually found the trail again and fought my way through mountain pines and stream beds. With reaching the scree, the trail completely vanished. So I tried to find my own way up the scree and over boulders. The only good thing about not having any trail: I could not lose the trail…

After a last scramble over some lose rocks I finally reached the top. Exhausted, it was time for a dinner with an awesome view and to get ready for the sunset. And once again I was fooled, this time by the weather report. The promised blue sky was filled with clouds. However the sun managed to sneak through and created an awesome mood.

The second tour started with a 20 km bike ride. Not so much fun with a big and heavy backpack on your back. 

Happy to eventually leave the bike behind and start hiking, I followed a trail for the first half up the mountain. Once I left the trail, it was time to find a way up to the ridge towards the summit. After making my way up a steep scree, with two steps forward and one step back, I finally reached the ridge. Carefully I scrambled up the ridge to the summit. 

Happy to finally reach the top, it was time to put the heavy backpack down and get some much needed calories in as I burned over 7000 kcal that day. I guess I probably should work on packing a little bit lighter next time…

Again the weather report fooled me and I witnessed another not so sunny sunset. But that’s how it is in the mountains. It is always a little gamble. However, it is worth it.

I set up my sleeping place right next to the summit cross and tried to get somewhat comfortable on my thin sleeping pad.

However, my night was cut really short. In the rocks around the summit lived at least one or two pretty noisy and active mice. They kept me awake for almost the whole night.
Though as I was the intruder in their home, I had no right to be angry. And at least I had a lot of time to admire the milky way, see some shooting stars and finish reading my book (really wanted to find out how it ended anyways).

Of course I finally fell asleep right before my alarm clock went off. Tired, I crawled out of my sleeping bag, but the scenery helped me quickly to wake up. (Or was it the cold wind and cool temperatures?)

Eventually it was time to tackle the long way back. This time I was really happy to reach the bike and ride back, not having to walk anymore.