Sendero Montaña Blanca - Pico del Teide (PNT 07)

The PNT 07 path is trail number 7 of Teide National Park and links the foot of Montaña Blanca with La Rambleta, next to the Mirador de La Fortaleza. It covers 8.3 kilometres and around five hours of walking, with 1,194 metres of cumulative ascent and a high point of 3,536 metres, figures that place it in the high difficulty grade. The route crosses young black lava flows that vegetation has not yet colonised, a mineral landscape that changes little as the climb goes on.

The walk demands excellent physical condition and some acclimatisation to altitude, since the hardest part comes at the end, where the air holds less oxygen and loose ground forces a slow pace. Carry enough water, sun protection and warm layers, because conditions at the top bear no relation to those on the coast. Halfway along stands the Refugio de Altavista, where many walkers spend the night in order to split the ascent into two days. Outside the earliest hours of the day, the final section up to the peak of Teide requires a specific national park permit.