Parque Nacional del Teide: national parks in Spain

Styles

In this section you can search all our contents throughout the different stages in the history of art in Spain, to find styles such as Baroque, Gothic, Mudejar and many, many more.

Modernism and Avant-garde movements The turn of the century brought new winds of modernity. The aesthetic sensibility of the time was marked by a different, freer attitude towards art and life.

Topics

In this section you can search among all our contents by topic to find the different resources available in Spain, such as museums, routes, destinations, monuments and many, many more.

Audience

This section provides access to all the contents in a personalised way, according to your own particular interests and socio-demographic profile.

Professionals

Innovation in culture

Autonomous Regions

This section provides access to the contents in each autonomous region by browsing through maps.

Natural heritage

Teide National Park

Share
Locate

Add to favourites

Teide National Park © Turespaña

The largest and oldest of the Canary Islands’ parks

Its landscape revolves around the largest volcano in Spain: the Teide, which last erupted in 1798. The volcanic cones and the lava outcrops form an extraordinary conjunction of colours and shapes, and are home to a wide diversity of flora of great biological value.

TheTeide National Park was created in 1954 in order to protect this spectacular landscape of great ecological value which lies at the foot of the colossal volcano. The Teide is the volcanic formation located on an ancient and gigantic cauldron-shaped depression, formed by two semi-calderas separated by the Roques de García rock formations. Plant and animal species that are unique in the world live in the shadow of the Teide. There is an astonishing diversity of plants: Teide broom, red echium, blue echium, the guanche rose (Bencomia extipulata), flixweed, rosalillo de cumbre (Pterocephalus lasiospermus), silver thistle (Stemmacantha cynaroides)... The most important species in the park are the invertebrates. Over 700 types of insects have been recorded, of which 50% are endemic to the area. There are some species of reptiles (such as the Tenerife lizard) and birds (Egyptian vulture, sparrowhawks, lesser kestrels, red kite), and a few mammals, the most common of which are the mouflon, rabbits and five species of bat.

Practical information

Information for visits

There are two public bus routes: number 348, from Puerto de la Cruz, and number 342, from Playa de las Américas. A special permit is required to go to the highest cone on the summit of the Teide. For more information check with the visitor centres at Cañada Blanca and El Portillo.

Environmental information

The primary interest of this national park is its flora, as it has 212 species of plants, of which 58 are endemic to the Canary Islands. One of these natural treasures is the Teide violet, which has the honour of being the highest flowering species in the whole of Spain.

Cultural information

The island of Tenerife is one of Spain's most important tourist destinations. Its appeal lies in the excellent climate, its beaches, the Teide, and a wide variety of cultural attractions. One of the best times to visit the islands is in February when the Carnival festivities take place.