At Tenerife’s western tip the island turns vertical. The Teno massif, like Anaga at the other end, is among the oldest parts of the island: ravines dropping to the sea, hamlets on the ridges, palms in the damp valley floors and, at the very end, a lighthouse facing the Atlantic. For years two of its corners, Masca and Punta de Teno, suffered from their own success: queues of cars on single-lane roads, impossible parking, worn-out trails.

Today both are reached by booking. And that is precisely why they have recovered what made them special.

The essentials

  • Masca gorge: it requires advance booking (and a fee for non-residents) through the official channel, caminobarrancodemasca.com; check it before you go. Entry is in your name, with ID card or passport.
  • Compulsory shuttle: you reach the start of the trail on the Cabildo’s shuttle bus, not by private car.
  • One way only: you walk down to the sea and leave by boat, which is booked separately.
  • Punta de Teno: private car access is restricted; you get there on the TITSA bus from Buenavista del Norte.
  • Information as of October 2026. Conditions have changed several times in recent years: always confirm them on the official channel.

Masca, the hamlet

The hamlet of Masca, in the municipality of Buenavista del Norte, is perched on ridges between walls of rock, with stone houses, palms and terraces. It is one of Tenerife’s best-known images, and the road leading to it is a lesson in patience: narrow, full of hairpins and with little room to pass. Drive slowly, give way calmly and park only where it is permitted.

The gorge: by booking, with a helmet

Walking down the Masca gorge to the sea is one of the great hikes of the Canary Islands, and for some years it has been regulated by the Cabildo de Tenerife together with the councils of Buenavista del Norte and Santiago del Teide. This is how it works:

  • Named booking. It requires advance booking (and a fee for non-residents) through the official channel; check it before you go. The name on the booking must match the document you show at the checkpoint.
  • Compulsory shuttle. Since April 2025, access to the start of the trail has been by shuttle bus, with no private cars. The departure point and conditions are on the official website.
  • Helmet and footwear. A helmet is provided at the checkpoint, and suitable footwear and certain minimum conditions (including a minimum age) are required; read them before booking.
  • Out by sea. The route runs one way: it ends at Masca beach and you leave by boat towards the Los Gigantes coast. The boat is not included in the entry; book it at the same time.

It is a demanding descent, over loose stone and constant changes of level, between walls that close in over the path. Without the crowds of the past, the gorge sounds once more of water, birds and wind.

Punta de Teno

Punta de Teno is Tenerife’s westernmost cape: a lighthouse, a tongue of black lava and, to the south, the cliffs of Los Gigantes falling into the sea. On a clear day La Gomera appears on the horizon.

Private car access is restricted: you get there on the TITSA bus from Buenavista del Norte. The road, the TF-445, can be affected by roadworks, and the Cabildo can close access to the Teno Rural Park during weather alerts, so check TITSA and Cabildo timetables and notices before you go. The bus ride is part of the plan: the coast on one side, the cliff on the other, and nobody at the wheel worrying about where to park.

At the point, swimming is possible when the sea is flat, but the Atlantic here is open and changes quickly: watch the swell for a good while before going in, and if in doubt, stay out. And no taking lava stones or beach pebbles as souvenirs.

How to combine them

Masca and Teno cannot be done calmly on the same day. Give one day to the gorge, with the boat out, and another to Punta de Teno and Buenavista del Norte. For the island’s green, humid counterpoint, at the other end lies Anaga, the cloud forest, and in the centre Teide, with its own permit for the summit.

Our view

Some regret that you can no longer go to Masca and Teno whenever you like. We welcome it. The booking is what gives the gorge back its silence and the lighthouse its horizon. Book in good time, take the bus instead of battling for a parking space and leave by sea: it is the most elegant way to take your leave of the island.

Information as of October 2026, checked against the trail’s official website, the Canary Islands press and guides. Prices, places, shuttle and boat timetables and road conditions are published on the official channels of the Cabildo, the town councils and TITSA: confirm everything before you go.