Codeso
What to order: the local fish in a casserole with black potatoes, an arroz a la llauna or, on Sunday, the Sunday menu
geocalia
Day itinerary · 28.31° N · 16.84° W
The Masca gorge: walk down, come back by sea.
Drive to Santiago del Teide, take bus 355 to Masca, four hours down the gorge in a helmet to the sea, a boat to Los Gigantes and lunch at Codeso before the bus back.
Leaving from
Part of Teno and Masca
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car1 h 15 each way
Walking5 km downhill, about 4 h
BookingGorge from €40.66 and boat extra
Cost€110–150 pp
Best timeMarch – May · September – November
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1 h 15 by car
via the TF-1 to Santiago del Teide; park at the cemetery and walk 10 min to stop 4692
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1
Bus 355 from Santiago del Teide to Masca
8:00 departure to Masca; show the gorge ticket to get priority
Parada 4692, Santiago del Teide · +34 922 531 300
- 15 min by bus
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2
Masca Visitor Centre
Check 30 min before the slot: ID, ticket, bus ticket and helmet
Caserío de Masca, La Piedra, Masca
- 3 min on foot
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3
The Masca Gorge trail, from the hamlet to the sea
9:00 slot · from €40.66 with booking on the Cabildo website
+34 922 86 19 18
- 30 min by boat
- 4
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Back home 45 min by bus
Bus 462 from Los Gigantes to Santiago del Teide, with extra service for the gorge Wednesday to Saturday
- 1 h 15 by car · from Santiago del Teide to Santa Cruz; you arrive around 17:00
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The Masca Gorge trail, from the hamlet to the sea
The Masca gorge can be walked down in a day from Santa Cruz, but it is a day of timetables: the 8:00 bus, the 9:00 slot, the boat at the end and the bus back to collect the car. This plan is designed for a Saturday, the day when everything fits together best.
Before you go: three bookings
- The gorge ticket, on the official Cabildo website, 9:00 slot: from €40.66 per person. Residents of Tenerife do not pay.
- The boat back from the Masca cove to Los Gigantes, with a partner boat company such as Masca Water Taxi, of Marítima Acantilados, or Discover Teno. You buy it after the ticket.
- A table at Codeso, in Los Gigantes, for 13:45.
The day, hour by hour
6:45 · Set off. From Santa Cruz to Santiago del Teide on the TF-1, a little over an hour. Park in the cemetery car park and walk about 10 minutes to stop 4692.
8:00 · Bus 355. Compulsory to reach the start of the trail: you must be at the stop an hour before your slot. From Wednesday to Saturday one leaves every 20 minutes and anyone showing a gorge ticket has priority.
8:20 · Masca Visitor Centre. Check with ID, ticket and bus ticket. They lend you a helmet.
9:00 · The gorge. About 5 km downhill, nearly four hours, from the 750 m of the hamlet to the sea, between rock walls and narrow passages. No water points: at least 1.5 litres of water per person.
13:15 · Boat to Los Gigantes. From the cove to the harbour, 20 to 30 minutes beneath the cliffs.
13:45 · Lunch at Codeso. A short walk from the harbour. Signature cooking with Canarian produce, in the 2026 Michelin Guide: local fish in a casserole with black potatoes or a rice dish cooked in a tin.
15:00 · Head back. Bus 462 leaves Los Gigantes for Santiago del Teide; it is a reinforcement service for the gorge from Wednesday to Saturday. You collect the car and are in Santa Cruz around 17:00.
If the sea closes the jetty
It happens: the Cabildo warns that the boat can be suspended without notice because of sea conditions. In that case you have to climb back up the gorge to the Visitor Centre and take the 355 there to Santiago del Teide. Keep water and energy in reserve for that case.
Distance5 km
Time4 h
Change the route
If there are no places for the gorge: the two-hour boat trip under the cliffs, with a stop in Masca bay:
Boat trip beneath the Los Gigantes cliffs, with cetaceans and a stop at Masca
If the sea closes the landing stage and you have to climb up: the afternoon in the hamlet:
The hamlet of Masca, via the TF-436
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Teno and Masca
All year, if the gorge and the jetty are open. Designed for a Saturday: from Wednesday to Saturday there are more buses to Masca and the 462 returns from Los Gigantes in the afternoon; on Sundays the only bus back is the 325, which leaves from Puerto Santiago, next to Los Gigantes, at 18:30.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Take the 9:00 slot
It has 50 places and leaves room for the boat and lunch.
- 2Do it on a Saturday rather than a Sunday
On Sundays the 462 does not run and the only bus towards Santiago del Teide is the 325, from Puerto Santiago at 18:30.
- 3Closed mountain footwear
You will not get past the check in ordinary trainers.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can you do the Masca gorge in a day from Santa Cruz?
Yes: you leave around 6:45 and are back around 17:00.
Where do you leave the car?
In the Santiago del Teide cemetery car park, beside the 355 bus.
How do you get back from Los Gigantes to the car?
On bus 462 from Wednesday to Saturday, or on the 325 at weekends from Puerto Santiago, next to Los Gigantes, at 12:50 and 18:30.
How much does the day cost?
The ticket from €40.66, plus the bus, the boat and lunch: between €110 and €150 per person.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/canary-islands/teno-and-masca/itineraries/masca-gorge-with-boat-back
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.