PR-TF 57 Callejón de Teno trail, from El Palmar to Los Bailaderos

What it is

A waymarked trail in the Teno Rural Park that climbs from the El Palmar valley to the Teno Alto plateau, a hamlet of stone houses high on the massif, far from any main road. It is 4.1 km each way, about two hours, with about 439 m of ascent and 198 m of descent, between 531 and 828 m above sea level. Medium difficulty and no permit needed.

The route

It leaves from the Teno Rural Park Visitor Centre, in El Palmar. Soon a cobbled path at Los Pedregales climbs to the top of the ridge and leaves the valley behind. You continue along the edge of the Los Corchos ravine, along the Los Acebiños ridge, to the Los Lavaderos track; you leave the track near El Barro, cross El Calvario and reach the square of Los Bailaderos, in Teno Alto, a junction of the island's trails. From there the PR-TF 51, to Punta de Teno, and the PR-TF 58, the Camino del Risco, connect.

It is linear: you return the same way, and the round trip takes between three and a half and four hours, with stops.

Getting there

El Palmar is on the TF-436 road, about 5 km from Buenavista del Norte heading up towards Masca. From Santa Cruz it is about 75 km along the TF-5 and TF-42, around an hour and a quarter. By bus, TITSA lines 355 (Buenavista – Masca – Santiago del Teide) and 366 (Buenavista – El Palmar – Las Portelas) stop at El Palmar.

Before setting out

The Cabildo de Tenerife is the one that reports closures or sections in poor condition: check the state of the trails before going, especially after rain. Bring plenty of water, food, a cap, sun cream and a warm layer and waterproof: on the Teno ridge the weather changes quickly and the trade-wind clouds arrive within minutes. There are no fountains on the path that you can count on.