VOLCANEX 2026: a volcanic drill in Guía de Isora on 22 October, and what it means if you're in the area
On Thursday 22 October, no volcano is going to erupt on Tenerife. In Guía de Isora, though, they're going to act as if one had. The drill is called VOLCANEX Tenerife 2026, it's organised by the Cabildo de Tenerife, and according to the press it's the Cabildo's second drill of this kind.
If you're on Tenerife that day, especially in the south-west of the island, it's worth knowing about it beforehand. There's one thing that could catch you off guard: your phone might get a message too.
What happens on 22 October
According to the Cabildo's press release, the made-up emergency is set in the Cumbres de Abeque, in Zona 2B Santiago del Teide-Guía de Isora, which the island's volcanic plan lists as an area of very high volcanic hazard.
One of the main parts of the drill is the precautionary evacuation of Chirche and Aripe. According to the press, just over three hundred people live in the two villages combined. The organisers are making it harder on purpose: they'll also play out situations such as a bedridden resident who isn't on the register, or someone who refuses to leave their home.
They'll also test:
evacuating a care home for older people,
looking after and housing the evacuees,
moving animals,
evacuating tourists staying in hotels,
coordinating drones,
how the ES-Alert phone alert system works,
protecting critical infrastructure and keeping essential services running,
and dealing with fake news.
The town council had scheduled information sessions for residents in Chirche, Aripe and Chiguergue on 6 October, together with the Red Cross and the Cabildo.
What it means for you if you're on Tenerife that day
Your phone will go off, and now we know when. ES-Alert is the Spanish authorities' emergency alert system for mobile phones, and the Canary Islands Government has published how the test will work: on Thursday 22, between 9:00 and 14:00, the 112 service will send three messages. The first is aimed at the whole of Tenerife, though it may also reach parts of Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, and simulates the move to the orange volcanic alert level; it does not mean an eruption is starting or that anyone has to evacuate or stay indoors. The second goes to Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide and simulates the preventive evacuation of Chirche and Aripe; it may also reach Adeje, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte and El Tanque. The third announces the end of the drill. The messages carry the word PRUEBA (Spanish for test), with a beep and vibration, and may arrive in English if your phone is set to another language. Just read it and tap "Accept": there is no need to reply or to call 112. If you are driving, pull over somewhere safe before reading it, and if you have elderly relatives, tell them beforehand so they don't get a fright.
If you're staying in Guía de Isora, it's worth asking at reception. According to Cabildo information reported in the press, Las Terrazas de Abama is one of the scenarios, and the island councillor for Safety and Emergencies explained that part of a hotel will be evacuated to rehearse the tourist side. Whether taking part is compulsory for guests hasn't been made public so far. That's our advice, not the organisers'.
No road closures have been announced so far. At the 2025 drill, traffic in Garachico's old town was reorganised between ten in the morning and one o'clock. Whether there'll be anything similar in Guía de Isora isn't known. If you're driving around there that day, check the latest notices from the Cabildo and the town council before you set off.
VOLCANEX now has its final design: after the coordination meeting in early October, preparations moved into the operational phase. According to Cabildo information reported in the press, there will be 28 exercises, with more than 40 organisations and around 400 extras, and the drill won't go as far as an eruption: it rehearses the preventive phase, with simulated earthquakes and rockfalls. Besides Chirche and Aripe, the scenarios include the Hogar Santa Gema care home in Santiago del Teide and the Polideportivo de Los Olivos sports centre in Adeje. Two screens will be set up, one in the square in Garachico and one in the Plaza de la Luz, where you can follow the exercise. The start time and any road closures haven't been published yet (as of 16 October). As soon as they're announced, we'll update this article.
Why Guía de Isora
According to the town's mayor, Guía de Isora is particularly tricky ground: it covers a large area, it has villages both in the midlands and on the coast, people live spread out, and there are lots of tourists.
Citing the island's volcanic plan, the press points out two more things. First, Zone 2B doesn't just cover the summit ridge and the midlands, it reaches all the way down to the sea, and more than twenty thousand people live in the area, not counting tourists. Second, the drill's imaginary eruption sits on the same ridge where Chinyero erupted in 1909. That was Tenerife's most recent eruption.
A drill, not a forecast
VOLCANEX isn't happening because an eruption is expected. According to press reports, volcanologists don't see one as likely in the near future, within a few weeks or months. The drill is there so that if it ever does happen, the organisations involved aren't learning who does what on the day.
Tenerife isn't starting from scratch here. In September 2025, Garachico hosted the EU-MODEX drill, which the Cabildo presented as the first volcanic eruption drill held in Spain. VOLCANEX carries on that work.
If you'd like to know more about what kind of eruption Tenerife could actually have: What kind of eruption could happen on Tenerife?. We've gathered the island's general safety tips here: Safety in Tenerife: what to know before you swim, climb or drive.
Cover photo: Chinyero volcano and its lava field, with Teide and Pico Viejo behind (aerial photo, 2019), dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources: Cabildo de Tenerife, preparing VOLCANEX 2026 · Cabildo de Tenerife, EU-MODEX 2025 in Garachico · Planeta Canario · Diario de Avisos · Atlántico Hoy · LD Canarias
