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.
On 6 October the town council is holding information sessions for residents in Chirche, Aripe and Chiguergue, together with the Red Cross and the Cabildo.
What it means for you if you're on Tenerife that day
Your phone could get an alert. ES-Alert is the Spanish authorities' emergency alert system for mobile phones. According to the Cabildo's press release, the drill will also test how it works. What hasn't been published yet is whether a message will actually go out that day, to which area and at what time. At the previous drill, in Garachico in September 2025, the whole population of Tenerife got a message at nine in the morning marked SIMULACRO (Spanish for drill), asking people not to be alarmed. If you see one like that on 22 October, read it calmly: the drill's message carries that word.
If you're staying in Guía de Isora, it's worth asking at reception. Evacuating hotel guests is part of the drill, but which hotels are taking part, and whether it's 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.
The details are still taking shape. The organisers sign off the final plan on 6 October, so the times, routes and meeting points may only become clear after that. As soon as they're published, 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
