Santiago del Teide - Cruz de Gala - Masca
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 4.79 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,294 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 4,314 ft
- Max elevation
- 4,221 ft
- TrailRank
-
47
5
- Min elevation
- 1,967 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 4 hours
- Coordinates
- 208
- Uploaded
- May 6, 2015
- Recorded
- April 2014
near Santiago del Teide, Canarias (España)
Viewed 3075 times, downloaded 103 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Santiago del Teide - Cruz de Gala - Masca
This is easy, and nice walk starting in the village of Santiago del Teide and ending in famous and usually crowded Masca. The walk is suitable for families with children, and the only difficulty with it that the start and end points are on the different sides of the ridge. It is possible to use 2 car method, however, to cross narrow and busy Santiago - Masca road 2 times in every direction might be too much of the burden. Instead you can drive over to Masca, leave the car there and return by taxi to Santiago, because there are usually plenty of taxis in Masca in the mornings when they take tourists there. It might not be true in the afternoon however.
The walk itself takes you through varying landscapes, and types of vegetation. Eucalipt trees near Santiago del Teide give way to pine forests closer to the ridge of Pico de Gala, and you are rewarded with magnificient views over to Atlantic to the west. later on the road you will encounter some laurisilva forests, then down to Masca valley with its distinct canarian palmtrees. Finally take a rest at the cafe in Cruz de Hilda, if you want to avoid crowds at Masca.
Es un paseo fácil y agradable que comienza en el pueblo de Santiago del Teide y termina en la famosa y abarrotada Masca. El paseo es adecuado para familias con niños, y la única dificultad con él es que los puntos de inicio y fin se encuentran en los diferentes lados de la cresta. Es posible usar el método de 2 autos, sin embargo, cruzar la estrecha y transitada carretera Santiago - Masca 2 veces en todas direcciones puede ser una carga excesiva. En cambio, puede conducir hasta Masca, dejar el coche allí y regresar en taxi a Santiago, ya que generalmente hay muchos taxis en Masca por las mañanas cuando llevan turistas allí. Sin embargo, podría no ser cierto en la tarde.
El paseo en sí te lleva a través de diferentes paisajes y tipos de vegetación. Los eucaliptos cerca de Santiago del Teide dan paso a bosques de pinos más cerca de la cresta del Pico de Gala, y se le recompensa con magníficas vistas hacia el Atlántico hacia el oeste. Más adelante en el camino encontrará algunos bosques de laurisilva, luego hasta el valle de Masca con sus distintas palmeras canarias.
This is easy, and nice walk starting in the village of Santiago del Teide and ending in famous and usually crowded Masca. The walk is suitable for families with children, and the only difficulty with it that the start and end points are on the different sides of the ridge. It is possible to use 2 car method, however, to cross narrow and busy Santiago - Masca road 2 times in every direction might be too much of the burden. Instead you can drive over to Masca, leave the car there and return by taxi to Santiago, because there are usually plenty of taxis in Masca in the mornings when they take tourists there. It might not be true in the afternoon however.
The walk itself takes you through varying landscapes, and types of vegetation. Eucalipt trees near Santiago del Teide give way to pine forests closer to the ridge of Pico de Gala, and you are rewarded with magnificient views over to Atlantic to the west. later on the road you will encounter some laurisilva forests, then down to Masca valley with its distinct canarian palmtrees. Finally take a rest at the cafe in Cruz de Hilda, if you want to avoid crowds at Masca.
Es un paseo fácil y agradable que comienza en el pueblo de Santiago del Teide y termina en la famosa y abarrotada Masca. El paseo es adecuado para familias con niños, y la única dificultad con él es que los puntos de inicio y fin se encuentran en los diferentes lados de la cresta. Es posible usar el método de 2 autos, sin embargo, cruzar la estrecha y transitada carretera Santiago - Masca 2 veces en todas direcciones puede ser una carga excesiva. En cambio, puede conducir hasta Masca, dejar el coche allí y regresar en taxi a Santiago, ya que generalmente hay muchos taxis en Masca por las mañanas cuando llevan turistas allí. Sin embargo, podría no ser cierto en la tarde.
El paseo en sí te lleva a través de diferentes paisajes y tipos de vegetación. Los eucaliptos cerca de Santiago del Teide dan paso a bosques de pinos más cerca de la cresta del Pico de Gala, y se le recompensa con magníficas vistas hacia el Atlántico hacia el oeste. Más adelante en el camino encontrará algunos bosques de laurisilva, luego hasta el valle de Masca con sus distintas palmeras canarias.
Comments (3)
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How long did the journey take you?
This is relatively short walk. We had kids with us (7..8 yo) and the hike itself was approx 3-4 hours including stops. I have done it several times in later years, and if you walk alone in fast pace it will be 2,5-3 hours. Note, that there is some construction work going on at the start of the trail right now, it might affect the access to it.
Leaving the second car at Masca adds another 1-1,5 hours to that (from Santiago del Teide). You can also use public bus to return from Masca, it is pretty reliable.
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Easy
Incredible views and a great path. At the time of writing (Jan 2023) there is major construction work going on at the start of the trail. Just bypass this and make sure you rejoin the proper path rather than walking up the river bed. The path is to the right of the river, and is a very good path.