How to get the access permit for Mount Teide

Teide snow tenerife
Pico del Teide - the highest peak in Spain

Mount Teide is the 3rd highest volcano in the world and the highest peak in Spain, so normally many of the visitors who come to Tenerife wish to go up to the top.

In order to have access to the top of Mount Teide you need a permit, which can be obtained online ahead of time from the Reservas de Parques Nacionales website.

The permit to climb to the peak of Teide is FREE, so there is no cost to be paid, but you need to register online, choose a date and time and fill in a form.

How to climb to the top of Mount Teide

There are several trails inside Teide National Park, and Trail no. 10, also called Telesforo Bravo trail is the path that gives access to the crater at the peak of Mount Teide.

There are 2 ways to climb up to the point where the hike for the peak starts:

  • Go up by cable car and from that point you can make the final climb to the peak. The distance is of 600 m in total, but you go up 170 m in total, so it takes around 40 minutes to hike this trail to the peak.
  • Hike all the way to the peak, without using the cable car. You will still need to have the permit for the peak though.
  • Includes transport from the North and South of the island
  • Official guide
  • Includes Teide cable car ticket
  • Discover the most visited National Park in Spain

Not everyone who goes up by cable car can do the hike all the way to the peak, since access is restricted to just 200 people per day, who have to get their permit online before going up.

Since there is such a small number of permits per day, you should plan ahead of time and make a reservation, especially during the summer months when there are a lot of tourists and the permits get booked quickly.

Very important: Even if you climb all the way by foot, not using the cable car, you still need the Mount Teide permit.

If you spend the night in the Altavista refuge and make the climb early in the morning to see the sunrise from Mount Teide, then you won't need the permit, but you need to go up before 9 am.

If you go up to the top after 9 am you will be required to have the permit for access to the peak of Teide.

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How to get your Mount Teide permit

1. Go to the Reserva de Parques Nacionales website.

2. Click on: Pico del Teide Access Permit

mount teide permit
Select Pico del Teide Access Permit

3. Read the instructions and then click on BOOKINGS as shown in the image below.

volcano teide permit tenerife
Click on Bookings

4. Choose the General Public access and go to the next step.

5. Choose a date from the calendar. The dates shown in light grey are the ones who still have free time slots.

Permits tend to be booked months in advance, so if you know the dates of your trip, don't wait too long to book a date if you plan on going up to the peak.

Select the time slot you wish and complete the number of people in your group, then move to the next step. You can select to book a permit for yourself and up to 9 companions, so 10 people in total.

teide permit tenerife
In this example, the date of 21 September is the first with open slots only in the 15:00-17:00 timeframe

 6. Complete the form with your personal details and you will receive your confirmation.

One thing you need to pay attention to: If you are from the European Union and traveling to Tenerife using only with your national ID document, you need to choose Passport from the list of identification documents in the form and put in the number of your national ID. The first option, meaning DNI/NIE is only available for Spanish citizens and will not work with other ID documents.

There is a limit of maximum 50 people that can be at the top at one given time, so you need to be on time or you will not be granted access.

What happens if all the dates and times are booked and you can't get your permit for Teide?

If you couldn't find an open date online to book for your trip, there is another solution.

The first would be to do the hike the afternoon before and sleep in the Altavista refuge.

From there you can hike to the top of Teide first thing in the morning to see the sunrise from the peak.

The second choice would be to go up with a Tourism Guide who is accredited for Teide National Park.

Tourism guides also have access to access permits for Teide and they will climb with you to the top.

Search online for independent professional trail guides for Teide National Park, as this is your only other option to gain access to the peak of Teide. These guides have access to a number of other permits each day, so if you pay a fee with them, you will still be able to climb to the top of Teide.

What else can you go inside the national park if you don't want or can't climb to the peek of the volcano?

Teide National Park is a MUST for every traveler that comes to Tenerife and you have lots of hiking trails at your disposal if you want to explore the park on your own.

Also, Teide National Park is one of the best places in the world for stargazing, so don't miss this experience if you want to see the beautiful night sky and also admire one if the best sunsets in Tenerife.

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