Teide volcano and the Monkey Park in Tenerife

It’s impossible to visit the island of Tenerife without seeing a real dormant volcano. It was with this in mind that we decided to rent a car and head off to conquer the mountains one day.

Contents hide

1 Monkey park in Tenerife

1.1 Zones in the Monkey Park in Tenerife

1.2 Monkey Park opening hours

2 Volcano Teide on the island of Tenerife

2.1 How to get to Teide volcano

2.2 What to take with you to Volcano Teide

It was also decided to stop by the monkey park, it is on the way to the volcano. Now it’s the first thing in a row.

Monkey park in Tenerife

The Monkey Park is located close to Las Americas, but it’s not accessible by public transport. There are at least three ways to visit it:

Rent a car, as in our case
Join an organized tour
Take a taxi

Zones in the Monkey Park in Tenerife

The park is divided into several zones:

A monkey enclosure
Bird aviaries
Free zone, where you can interact with monkeys, turtles, iguanas

Zones in the Monkey Park in Tenerife — Iguana in Monkey Park, triptenerife.com

We arrived just before the opening of the park, so there was not a lot of people in the park, according to workers, there are never any queues, after the construction and active development of Loro in Tenerife, Monkey Park is no longer popular.

After wandering around the park, we managed to meet and feed the beautiful lemurs, who were very attentive in their choice of treats.

Monkey Park opening hours

The park is open from 9:30 to 17:30.

I recommend visiting in the morning, this time of day, the animals have had time to rest from the visitors and they are more likely to show interest in you.

Overall, we enjoyed the park, walked around, fed and touched the monkeys, but it was time to move on. Volcano Teide was planned as the next point on the itinerary.

Volcano Teide on the island of Tenerife

The volcano is located in the centre of the island and is considered dormant. The last eruption was just over 100 years ago. It is 3718 metres high, of which 1200 metres can only be reached on foot or by cable car; there is no motorised transport to the peak.

The way to the volcano is through a serpentine road; if you do not tolerate the road, but very much want to visit this place, have pills.

Tip: Read another post about Teide volcano and Jardin beach on Travel Guys

While climbing the mountain, you can stop at panoramic vantage points to admire the views. You’ll pass canary cedar forest, fields, burnt-out chunks of woodland and finally you’ll be 1200 metres from the summit and can enjoy a real lunar landscape.

Due to the danger of erosion, 150 people a day can climb to the top of the volcano, they have to pick a date, register on the reserve’s website and bring a copy of their passport. Everyone else can climb to the top, reached by cable car, and enjoy the view from there. For those wishing to visit the volcano in winter, be aware that the cable car may not work due to weather conditions or repairs.

The volcano and its surroundings have the status of a National Park and it is the largest park by number of visitors in Spain. There is only one hotel in the reserve which needs to be booked well in advance and a hostel is available for tourists wishing to spend the night on the volcano.

How to get to Teide volcano

Hire a car and drive yourself.
With an organised tour group.
By public transport: There is bus no. 342 from Las Americas (departs daily at 9:15 am and arrives around 11 am). It is the only bus that goes directly to the funicular railway. The return bus leaves at 15:40, in case you are late, you will have to find a hitchhiker.