What to do · Teide National Park
Astrophotography workshop for beginners in Teide National Park, with pick-up and equipment
Information
- From
- €250 person
- Duration
- 5 h 30
- Season
- All year, from sunset; what is photographed changes with the season
- Who it's for
- Adults with no astrophotography experience who want to leave with their first photo of galaxies and the Milky Way
A night in Teide National Park with an astrophotographer who provides the equipment and teaches you to use it: a camera on a small telescope with a motorised mount, which follows the turning of the sky so that the stars do not come out streaked. At the end you leave with your own photos of a galaxy or a nebula, and of the volcanic landscape under the Milky Way. There are one to four of you, they pick you up at your accommodation and the night lasts five to six hours including the journey. It costs €250 per person and is given in English.
From landscape to the deep sky
The workshop combines two things. One is night landscape photography: Teide, the roques or the tajinastes under the Milky Way, with the camera on a tripod. The other is the deep sky: with the camera on the telescope and the mount guiding, exposures of a specific object are accumulated. The targets change with the season: the Andromeda galaxy and the Pleiades in autumn and winter, the Orion nebula in winter, the centre of the Milky Way in spring and summer. When you finish they send you links and tutorials to process the photos at home, which is where the image is finished.
They pick you up and take you to that day's sky
There is no fixed meeting point: round-trip transport is included and the company takes you to the spot in the park or the Corona Forestal where there is the best sky that night. The session starts after sunset, so the pick-up time changes through the year. You book with the website form, giving the date and how many of you there are; the website does not publish a cancellation policy, so ask when booking.
What you bring
Genuinely warm clothing: the park is above 2,000 metres and at night it is cold even in summer. Drink and something to eat, because they do not provide them. Your camera if you want to use it; if not, the equipment is theirs.
If what you are looking for is to look through a telescope for an hour, without photographing, the stargazing at the cable car base station is shorter and cheaper.
Tips
- Check the moon before choosing the date With a full moon the Milky Way almost disappears; nights near the new moon give a better sky.
- Leave the next day relaxed You get back to your accommodation after midnight.
- Dress as if for snow Hat, gloves and one more layer than you think necessary.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience?
No: it is designed for beginners.
Do I have to bring a camera?
No. They provide the equipment; you can bring yours if you want to use it.
What language is it in?
English.
Where do they pick up from?
The website says transport is included; confirm when booking whether they reach your accommodation. For the private session they pick up in southern Tenerife.
Who runs it
- Dark Skies TenerifeAstrophotography for Beginners, one-day workshop Visit their website
