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Teide stargazing from Puerto de la Cruz, the south, or your own car
Teide stargazing from Puerto de la Cruz takes a little more planning than from the southern resorts. Here is who picks up where, how the self-drive options work, and which road to take.
Check availabilityfrom $47 · no cancellation fee
Editorial team, tenerifestargazingtour.comUpdated October 23, 20266-minute read18 sources
Quick answer
- 01Booked here
- A 6-hour picnic and stargazing tour from Puerto de la Cruz or Los Cristianos.
- 02South coast
- The site's sunset evening picks up between El Médano and Los Gigantes.
- 03North coast
- That evening has no pickup from the north.
- 04Self-drive
- Your own car or a rental, never a taxi or bus.
- 05Road from the north
- The TF-21 climbs 31 km from La Orotava to El Portillo.1
Most pickups are in the south
Tenerife's big resorts are on the south and west coasts, and most stargazing tours are built around them. The sunset evening on this site's homepage collects guests only on the south coast, between El Médano and Los Gigantes, and states plainly that there is no pickup from the north of the island.
The large operators follow the same pattern with more stops. One sunset and stargazing tour lists 20 drop-off locations, mostly hotels and bus stops in the south, with Puerto de la Cruz among them. A dinner evening lists 33 drop-off locations along the southern resorts. A Vilaflor dinner evening picks up from 7 places in the south.
If you stay in Los Cristianos, Costa Adeje or Playa de las Américas, you can choose almost any evening and be collected near your hotel. In the north, the choice shrinks to a handful of listings with a northern meeting point, or to driving yourself, which is the subject of the rest of this page.
The evening booked here
From Puerto de la Cruz to the stars and back
-
17:30
Pickup
At the meeting point in Puerto de la Cruz or Los Cristianos.
-
Early evening
Into the park
1 hour by van, then a guided stop of 40 minutes.
-
Next stop
Paseo Lunar
A second guided stop of 30 minutes.
-
Sunset
Mirador de Samara
80 minutes with a picnic and the sunset.
-
Dark
First stars
An introduction to the night sky.
-
23:15
Drop-off
Back to the meeting point after 1 hour in the van.
Teide stargazing from Puerto de la Cruz
The tour booked on this page is one of the few that starts in the north as well as the south. Guests meet at a meeting point in Puerto de la Cruz or in Los Cristianos, with pickup at 17:30 and drop-off at 23:15. It lasts 6 hours, keeps groups to 8, and starts from $91 with an average of 4.81 from 285 reviews.
The evening stops twice in the park, at Roque García and the Paseo Lunar, then spends 80 minutes at Mirador de Samara with a picnic and the sunset, before an introduction to the night sky. The guides speak Spanish and English, and you can cancel for free up to 24 hours before.
A longer day leaves from La Paz, in Puerto de la Cruz, for small groups of up to 8. It includes lunch at a guachinche, La Orotava, the Roques de García and a sunset at Mirador El Retamar, given at 2,100 m, and the operator gives the return as 10 PM, or 9 PM in winter. It lasts 7 hours and starts from $110.
Where tours start
North, south or self-drive
| Evening | Starts from | Self-drive | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picnic and stars | Puerto de la Cruz or Los Cristianos | No | 6 hrs |
| Day from La Paz | Puerto de la Cruz | No | 7 hrs |
| Sunset, Cava, telescope | South coast hotels | Yes | 3-6 hrs |
| Long dinner evening | 51 pickups, north on some days | No | 9 hrs |
| 7 Cañadas dinner | South coast | Yes, meet at 7.45 PM | 3.5-8 hrs |
| Astrophysicist session | Parador patio | Car or taxi | 1.5 hrs |
From each GetYourGuide listing's pickup and meeting details.
Three starting points
North, south, or both
Booked here
North only
South pickupDecision helper
Which way up suits you?
Start from where you sleep and whether you drive
Picnic and stars
It meets in Puerto de la Cruz, with pickup at 17:30.
Day from La Paz
Lunch, La Orotava, a sunset at El Retamar, then stars.
A pickup evening
The homepage evening collects between El Médano and Los Gigantes.
Self-drive
Allowed on the homepage evening; taxis and buses are not.
Long dinner evening
Its guides speak German, English, Dutch and French.
This horizontal mass of stratocumulus forms naturally at altitudes of 500 to 1,500 m.
Northern pickups with conditions
Some southern tours add the north on certain days. The 9-hour sunset and stargazing evening with dinner picks up from Puerto de la Cruz only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. It lists 51 pickup options in all, and its guides speak German, English, Dutch and French.
Read the pickup list on any listing before you book, not after. A tour that collects from Puerto de la Cruz may not collect from La Orotava or the hotels further along the coast, and some operators set a meeting point in town rather than collecting at your door. The listing's own map and pickup list are the only reliable guide.
The north side also has its own weather story. Turismo de Tenerife explains that the trade winds push clouds against the mountains of the north, forming the sea of clouds at 500 to 1,500 m.2 Driving up from Puerto de la Cruz, you often see the cloud from below, pass through it, and come out above it in the sun.3
Map
From the coast to the dark viewpoints of Las Cañadas
First the island with the towns tours leave from, then the high caldera with its viewpoints and the observatory, then the few hundred metres around the Parador where many sessions meet.
1Teide summit2Puerto de la Cruz3La Orotava4El Portillo5Teide Observatory6Los Cristianos7Costa Adeje8El Médano9Los Gigantes10Vilaflor11Mirador de Samara12Parador de Las Cañadas
1Teide summit4El Portillo5Teide Observatory11Mirador de Samara12Parador de Las Cañadas13Cable car base station14Llano de Ucanca15Minas de San José16Guajara17Boca de Tauce
12Parador de Las Cañadas14Llano de Ucanca19Roques de García20La Ruleta
- 1Teide summit
The highest peak in Spain, 3,715 m; the site tour stays at public viewpoints below it.4
In Google Maps ↗ - 2Puerto de la Cruz
The north-coast town where bus 348 starts its climb to the Parador.5
In Google Maps ↗ - 3La Orotava
The TF-21 runs 31 km from here up to El Portillo.1
In Google Maps ↗ - 4El Portillo
Visitor centre at the north gate of the caldera, open 9:00 to 16:15.6
In Google Maps ↗ - 5Teide Observatory
The IAC observatory at Izaña, 2,390 m, mainly a solar observatory.78
In Google Maps ↗ - 6Los Cristianos
The VIP option of the site tour drops guests back here and along the south coast.
In Google Maps ↗ - 7Costa Adeje
Inside the pickup zone of the site tour, which runs from El Médano to Los Gigantes.
In Google Maps ↗ - 8El Médano
The eastern end of the site tour's pickup coast.
In Google Maps ↗ - 9Los Gigantes
The western end of the site tour's pickup coast.
In Google Maps ↗ - 10Vilaflor
The TF-21 from the south climbs through Vilaflor to Boca de Tauce.1
In Google Maps ↗ - 11Mirador de Samara
Sunset viewpoint used by small-group picnic tours, 80 minutes on one listing.
In Google Maps ↗ - 12Parador de Las Cañadas
The only hotel in the park, with a public coffee shop; the Ermita de las Nieves stands beside it.9
In Google Maps ↗ - 13Cable car base station
The cable car climbs from 2,356 m to 3,555 m in roughly 8 minutes.10
In Google Maps ↗ - 14Llano de Ucanca
A viewpoint at the foot of the TF-21 on the caldera floor.11
In Google Maps ↗ - 15Minas de San José
Meeting point for an 80-minute telescope session; come by car.
In Google Maps ↗ - 16Guajara
The third highest point in the park, 2,715 m, where Mascart watched Halley's comet in 1910.1213
In Google Maps ↗ - 17Boca de Tauce
Where the TF-21 from the south and the TF-38 from Chío meet.1
In Google Maps ↗ - 19Roques de García
Rock towers beside the Parador; a picnic tour stops here.9
In Google Maps ↗ - 20La Ruleta
Viewpoint next to the Roques de García with room for a telescope.14
In Google Maps ↗
Checklist
Before you set off from either coast
01
If you drive
- A rental car, not a taxi
- Drive the road once by day
- Park only in marked areas
02
If you are collected
- Your hotel is on the pickup list
- WhatsApp on for the time
- Meet at the agreed corner
Cost calculator
Price the trip for your group
Starting totals for evenings from the north and south.
People
Total from$182
from, per person $91
Check availabilityfree cancellationStarting prices from each GetYourGuide listing, turned into your currency with the European Central Bank rate; the booking page shows what you will actually pay.
Video
Driving up Mount Teide on Tenerife
No video data loads before you press play.
Self-drive Teide stargazing: how it works
Driving yourself opens up almost every option, from either coast. Several listings sell a self-drive ticket: you get the guide, the telescope and the sunset, and you bring yourself. On the evening booked on this site's homepage, self-drive guests need their own car, a rental is fine, but not a taxi or public transport, and they follow the guides between viewpoints.
Other operators use fixed meeting points in the park. Self-drive guests on the Restaurante 7 Cañadas dinner evening meet at the restaurant at 7.45 PM. The small-group minivan tour meets its self-drive guests next to the Ermita de las Nieves, near the Parador. A long sunset evening offers self-drive with or without a three-course dinner.
The shortest sessions are self-drive by nature. The astrophysicist session meets at the Parador's entrance patio, and you come by car or taxi. Another meets in the car park in front of Minas de San José. Self-drive Teide stargazing is the most flexible way to go, as long as you are happy driving a mountain road in the dark.
The roads and buses up to the park
The park lists its access roads. From the north, the TF-21 climbs 31 km from La Orotava to El Portillo; from the east, the TF-24 runs 30 km from La Laguna through La Esperanza to the same junction.1 From the south, the TF-21 rises from Granadilla de Abona through Vilaflor to Boca de Tauce, and from the west the TF-38 comes up from Chío.1
Public buses reach the park too. TITSA line 348 runs from Puerto de la Cruz through La Orotava and El Portillo to the Parador, and line 342 runs from Costa Adeje through Los Cristianos and Vilaflor to the Parador.515 They are useful for a day visit, but check the timetable carefully before planning a night out around one.
Whichever road you take, drive the route once in daylight if you can. The bends are easier to judge, you see where the viewpoints and car parks are, and you know what to expect on the way down after midnight. In the park itself, park only in designated areas.16
North or south: what changes on the night
Once you are up in the caldera, it makes no difference where you started: the viewpoints, the sky and the cold are the same. What changes is the length of the evening. From the far south or the far north, the drive takes a large share of the time, and pickups spread across many hotels add more.
The sunset spot changes with the operator, not with the coast. The picnic tour uses Mirador de Samara on the western side of the park, and the day from La Paz uses Mirador El Retamar. The evening on our homepage uses a viewpoint given at 1,400 m that faces La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
The cold is the same from both sides. AEMET's normals for Izaña, at 2,369 m, give an average low of 1.1 °C in January and 14 °C in July.1718 Whether you start on a warm southern beach or in the greener north, pack the same warm layers.
Choosing from where you are staying
Staying in the south without a car, choose a pickup evening and compare dinner, length and price; our comparison page sets them side by side. Staying in the south with a car, a self-drive ticket or a short session in the park gives you more time at the telescope for less money.
Staying in Puerto de la Cruz without a car, the picnic tour booked here or the longer day from La Paz are the realistic choices, along with the dinner evening on its northern pickup days. Staying in the north with a car, you are only 31 km of road from El Portillo by the TF-21 from La Orotava.1
Whatever you choose, keep your phone reachable on the day. Several operators send the exact time by WhatsApp, and on our homepage evening a guest who cannot be reached counts as a no-show, without a refund. Ask your hotel reception about the pickup point the day before, so nobody is waiting at the wrong corner. And if you are driving, agree with your group who stays sober for the road down: the Cava at sunset is part of the fun, but the mountain road back is not the place for it.
Your night on Teide
Sunset with Cava, then the stars.
Hotel pickup in the south or your own car; choose an evening, and change your mind free until 24 hours ahead.
You ask,we answer.
Do stargazing tours pick up in Puerto de la Cruz?
A few do. The picnic tour meets there, and one dinner evening collects there on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Does the site's sunset evening collect in the north?
No. Its pickup runs only along the south coast, between El Médano and Los Gigantes.
Can I drive myself to a stargazing tour?
Yes, on many listings. Self-drive guests bring their own car, a rental is fine, but not a taxi.
How far is Teide from La Orotava?
31 km by the TF-21. That is the park's figure for the road from La Orotava to El Portillo.1
Is there a bus from Puerto de la Cruz to Teide?
Yes, line 348. TITSA line 348 runs via La Orotava and El Portillo to the Parador.5
What time does the picnic tour return?
At 23:15. Pickup is at 17:30 and drop-off at 23:15, from Puerto de la Cruz or Los Cristianos.
Where do self-drive guests meet?
It depends on the listing. At 7 Cañadas at 7.45 PM, by the Ermita de las Nieves, or the Parador patio.
Sources
Sources and evidence
- 1Parque Nacional del Teide (Gobierno de Canarias)Accesos↩
- 2Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)Blanket of cloud↩
- 3Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)Blanket of cloud↩
- 4Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica (Red de Parques Nacionales)Parque Nacional del Teide↩
- 5Parque Nacional del Teide (Gobierno de Canarias)Accesos↩
- 6Parque Nacional del Teide (Gobierno de Canarias)Centros y horarios↩
- 7Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)Teide Observatory↩
- 8Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)Teide Observatory↩
- 9Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)The best places for stargazing in Tenerife↩
- 10Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)Teide National Park↩
- 11Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)The best places for stargazing in Tenerife↩
- 12Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)The best places for stargazing in Tenerife↩
- 13Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)The best places for stargazing in Tenerife↩
- 14Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.co.uk, official tourism site)The best places for stargazing in Tenerife↩
- 15Parque Nacional del Teide (Gobierno de Canarias)Accesos↩
- 16Parque Nacional del Teide (Gobierno de Canarias)Normas de visita↩
- 17AEMET (Spanish State Meteorological Agency)Standard climate values: Izaña (C430E), 1981-2010↩
- 18↩
