Holds, harnesses and degrees with a Canarian accent, come on it's Climbing in Tenerife!
The island of Tenerife is known worldwide for several reasons, and surely the main one is that it is home to one of the highest volcanoes in the world, Mount Teide. It is not a complicated mountain for mountaineers, but climbers know that where there is a mountain there are usually walls. Thus a new opportunity is discovered. Welcome to the world of climbing in Tenerife!
Climbing, Teide, Tenerife, are intimately linked concepts.
Climbing is a simple sports discipline on principle: climbing walls using one’s own strength. Its purity and the way it tests our body and especially our mind has made it an increasingly popular activity that has enormously passionate practitioners. Let’s say that it is one of those things that, once you try it, there is no going back.
Climbing in Tenerife has particular characteristics, given the geomorphological conformation of the island. Here there is rock that is not always compact, of volcanic origin, and lovers of classic climbing enjoy the self-protection mode. Little by little, new avenues are opening up, especially in the sports modality, and Tenerife is still open to new discoveries.
In any case, here you will find walls for all climbing levels. Whether you’ve never seen a grigri or if you’re a perfect master of the most unorthodox grips, Tenerife allows you to test yourself throughout the year, experience rare rocks and combine climbing with other leisure activities, whether adventure and outdoor or not.
Where to climb in Tenerife?
There are plenty of areas for rock climbing in Tenerife; here we will mention a few privileged areas and let you discover the rest on your own…
Cañadas del Teide: Climbing in Tenerife wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t done around Mount Teide, right? At more than 2000 meters and on abrasive rock, between towers and more or less marked corridors, exciting falls await you in the Capricho (a great place for bouldering), or the classic routes of La Catedral and the Roques de García. There’s room for everyone, and the setting is fantastic.
Arico: In the high areas of this municipality and its surroundings (especially around Chimiche) there are several spots with varied characteristics, but where continuity climbing predominates: the most popular of Los Naranjos, the apparently chaotic Las Vegas, the Zona Zero del Río technique… La Galería (to the north, on the hamlet of Icor) offers good power strips in a collapsed jump.
Vistamar: Guaría (to the south, next to Acojeja) is famous for its long routes, Tabares (to the north in El Toscal) is known for being perfect for free climbing, but we stayed with Vistamar because… well, for its spectacular surroundings and views. This little corner in Santa Úrsula offers about thirty routes of medium distance and of varying degrees almost over the ocean; priceless for those who come from the interior.
- Exciting and Different
- Hobby
- Single
- Various locations
- Difficulty Level: Medium
- More than 3 Hours
- Cheap
Climbing schools, clubs and guided tours in Tenerife
To practice climbing in Tenerife you have numerous options, depending on your circumstances. You can find various clubs, schools and tourism companies.
The Eight Climb: The reference par excellence on the island, and more specifically in the area of Arico. School, traditional and sport climbing, bouldering, psicobloc, guided outings, hostel (the famous Tenerife Climbing House), in short, everything that climbing enthusiasts in any of its modalities are looking for. Experience and technical preparation are the starting points of these people.
Tenerife Island Mountaineering Federation: The obligatory starting point if you are looking for clubs and climbing walls, group activities and outings, references about a shop, information on licenses or equipment, guides on routes etc. Based in Los Majuelos, halfway between La Laguna and Santa Cruz, you will surely visit them if you stay for a while and like to go on your own.
El Cardón Naturexperience: A good example, perhaps the best, of a tourism company that includes escalation in its product offer. The good thing about using them is that all equipment and licensing issues are solved beforehand, and of course you will have qualified and certified instructors who know the terrain perfectly. You will find them in Buenavista del Norte.
"The true art of climbing is that of survival and difficulty, which consists of always wanting to go beyond what we master." – Reinhold Messner
The authorities do not warn it, but climbing is addictive
Masters of climbing, novices of the carabiner, get ready. After your time in Tenerife, nothing will ever be the same again. For the latter, because you will have felt the addiction caused by this sport, this way of life, and surely you will never be able to forget it. For the former, because climbing in Tenerife does not offer the most complex routes or the most extreme climbs, but it offers quality of life; you will not be the first to stay forever…
If climbing is one of those experiences that you have always wanted to live and have never found the ideal time for it, no more excuses: very close to your accommodation you will find the route where you are going to be baptized, in the hands of experts and within the framework of a greater experience: getting to know Tenerife’s nature very closely.
The doyens of art do not need to be encouraged; I’m sure that long before coming they have already been well informed, and that they have gotten hold of the book of roads rather than a hotel. In any case, remember that, between ascents, you can take a dip on the beach or in a puddle, try gastronomic specialties in any city or farmhouse, or recover with a massage in a local wellness center.
After a couple of climbs you will see Tenerife in a different way. The island of cozy beaches and wrinkled potatoes will also be forever associated in your head with that demanding wall with those phenomenal views…