Teide and Masca Full-Day Jeep Safari Tenerife

Vilaflor and the Canary pine forest

Vilaflor de Chasna, at about 1,400 metres, is the highest village in Spain and the gateway to Teide National Park from the south. Its white houses, terraced fields and quiet square sit among forests of Canary pine, a tree that survives fire thanks to its thick bark and catches moisture from the clouds with its long needles. The village is known for its mineral water springs, lace work and clean mountain air.

The 4x4 climbs from the coast through changing vegetation, from dry scrub to pine forest, while the driver-guide explains how altitude shapes the island's climate. The stop in Vilaflor is a chance to stretch your legs, take photos of the village and enjoy the fresh air before continuing up into the crater of Las Cañadas.

Teide National Park

Above the forest the road enters Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most visited national park in Spain. Here Mount Teide, at 3,718 metres the highest peak in the country, rises from the vast crater of Las Cañadas, surrounded by lava flows in black, red and ochre, pumice plains and twisted rock towers shaped by wind and erosion.

The jeep stops at viewpoints where you can walk a few steps into this lunar landscape and take photos of the volcano. Your driver-guide tells the story of the eruptions, the last of which took place on the island in 1909, and of the hardy plants that bloom here in spring. This Teide jeep safari shows you the park from several angles in a single day.

Santiago del Teide and the lunch stop

Leaving the park on its western side, the route descends past young lava fields to the green valley of Santiago del Teide, with its white church, almond trees and stone walls. This part of the island feels rural and calm, far from the busy resorts of the coast, and the views stretch across the sea to La Gomera.

Along the way the tour makes a restaurant stop where you can order lunch at your own expense. Canarian cooking is simple and tasty: wrinkled potatoes with red and green mojo sauces, grilled meat or fish, goat's cheese and hearty stews. The stop gives you time to relax before the most dramatic part of the drive towards Masca.

Masca village and the Teno mountains

Masca is a tiny hamlet perched on a ridge in the Teno mountains, the oldest part of Tenerife, where erosion has carved knife-edge ridges and a deep gorge that runs down to the sea. Until the 1970s it could only be reached on foot or by mule, and today a narrow road with dozens of hairpin bends winds down to it, one of the most spectacular drives in the Canary Islands.

In the village, stone houses with red-tiled roofs, palm trees and small terraces cling to the slopes, with views down the gorge to the Atlantic. Take time for photos from the viewpoints above and around the hamlet. A Masca jeep tour is the easiest way to see the village without the stress of driving the road yourself, before the 4x4 returns to the south coast.