Off the African coast, Spain's tallest mountain

By Wolfgang Duveneck Apr 27, 2010, 15:12 GMT

Santa Cruz de Tenerife - The colours are fascinating: a deep-blue sky, a surrounding landscape of glittering black and red lava stones, and in the distance, the snow-white contours of an observatory.

The atmosphere above the clouds on Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa, and 200 metres below the peak of Spain's tallest mountain, the 3,718-metre Teide, is breathtaking - literally.

The air is clear, but thin. A first-time visitor to what is the third-highest volcanic mountain in the world and has not previously had experience with such high altitudes may be in for a bit of surprise.

Scarcely disembarked from the Teleferico cable car, which goes to the top of the Teide, the visitor may have some breathing difficulties. Many tourists who are accustomed to low-level altitudes may feel their hearts beating faster.

But the mountain-top tour is worth such strains. For those who have only previously seen the summit as a snow-covered peak on a postcard or from the distance, experiencing nature at its purest can literally be the high point of a vacation on Tenerife.

The cable car ride to a few hundred metres below the very top - starting from the 'base station' at 2,356 metres altitude and covering the remaining 1,199 metres altitude - takes eight to ten minutes.

The price is 25 euros (33 dollars) round-trip for adults and half that for children below the age of 14. The cable car operates daily from 9 am to 5 pm - weather permitting. Often, however, it is not operating due to extreme weather conditions of ice, snow, and high winds, or for repairs.

At the mountain station 'La Rambleta' it is best to try to become quickly acclimated to the conditions above the 3,000-metre altitude.

'We advise people with heart problems and high blood pressure against riding the cable car in order to prevent health problems,' says an advisory printed on the ticket.

Once at the top station, a visitor has one hour - a longer stay is not permitted - to hike the narrow stone path to the lookout point 'Mirador de La Fortaleza' and back. On the way, it is always rewarding to take a brief breather - above all simply to enjoy the view of the volcanic cone, the lava flows and the caves with their exceptional colours and shapes.

Looking upwards, tourists notice that, between the lava rocks, yellowish-white smoke is rising up, evidence that the interior of the volcano, which last erupted in 1798, is still very much active.

The path is almost completely flat: on the left is the steep wall of the Pico del Teide, to the right are the slopes of the 'Montana Blanca' (White Mountain) and a black mountain gap. Once at the lookout point, the view is an open one over the northern side of the island - if the weather permits.

Currently, an international group of visitors is at the top. But no matter which language they use, the comments are the same: 'Magnificent. Unique.'

Those who want to ascend even higher, to reach the very top of the mountain, must first receive special permission. This must be applied for several days in advance at the Teide National Park business offices in Santa Cruz.

Experience shows that the best chance of getting a cloud-free view of the island is during the morning. Visitors travelling solo that early also have a chance of getting a place in the cable car before the caravan of buses loaded with tourists start to arrive.

Those who can't make it by car or in a tourist group can also simply travel with a regular public transport bus to the Teide and the surrounding National Park area, which UNESCO declared a world natural heritage site in 2007.