A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Hi Leslie,

Around 3 years ago you gave me invaluable info for my journey to Tenerife…this year I’m again heading to Playa Amaricas with my family…

Im doing3 routes…

I’m going up to Satiago Del Teide…then down to Masca…onto Buena Vista Norte then up the hairpins at Garachico and back over the Erjos Pass back to Santiago Del Teide and back through Chip to Las amaricas…I’ve done this in reverse the last time (swine of a climb out of Masca) so know I can get water in stretegic places..

I’m also doing Teide from San Miguel…up through Granadillo and onto the TF21 up to Vilaflor…to Boca Tauce…

Water is the thing thats worrying me…Will I get water in the Las Canadas Crater at the cable car?

My 3rd outing is the most worrying….

Im gonna get dropped off at Guimar by Taxi…then onto Arafo and up the TF523 to Teide…I’ll be heading passed Azana through the Las Canadas crater back down thru Vilaflor to Las Americas…water is worrying me! Will I get water at El Portillo?….is there nowhere else to refuel between Arafo and El Portillo?…its pretty worring me…especially in August heat…

Any help you can offer would be truly appreciated..

Many thanks,

Richard

Hello Richard,

Yep, I’m pretty sure I remember you, from bikeradar forums, right? To answer your questions:

Looks like you know what you’re doing with the Erjos/Masca loop… like you say, it is a difficult one if you do it in reverse!

> Water is the thing thats worrying me…Will I get water in the Las Canadas Crater at the cable car?

Yes you can get water at the base of the cable car; I’m pretty sure there is a restaurant there but I never take much notice as I always bypass it. Before you reach that, you will arrive at a small hotel with restaurant & café called «El Parador». That’s a few kilometres (1 or 2?) before the base of Mt. Teide.

You can also get water in Vilaflor on the way up- that’s the last reliable water source before reaching El Parador.

> Im gonna get dropped off at Guimar by Taxi…then onto Arafo and up the TF523 to Teide…I’ll be heading passed Azana through the Las Canadas crater back down thru Vilaflor to Las Americas…water is worrying me! Will I get water at El Portillo?….is there nowhere else to refuel between Arafo and El Portillo?…its pretty worring me…especially in August heat…

That sounds like a great route and I think you will be rewarded in planning it!

You will definitely get water in both Arafo and then in El Portillo. A few kilometres past El Portillo there are two more restaurant-cafés either side of the road. Then you’ll go past El Parador again (th emost expensive of the lot). Besides those three places (and maybe the base of Mt Teide), you won’t find anywhere else that I’m aware of to refuel between Arafo & Vilaflor. There is one place along road TF24 somewhere but I can’t remember if it’s after the Arafo junction or not… I’ve just tried in vain to find out but I’ve already spent a good 20 minutes searching with no results. It’s like a lodge log cabin thing and I’m pretty sure it’s
closer to La Esperanza.

I would make sure you bring two 750ml bottles (Decathlon even sell 1L versions) or else do like we do in OZ and get a camelback and/or two bottles which hang off the back of your seat like you see in the triathlons…

Currently in Australia (Sydney) on a business trip for vertebrae components so I’m not around to make any phonecalls for you regarding the location of that other unknown restaurant, etc. won’t be back until mid-August & I’m looking forward to tackling all those roads once again…

One more thing: There’s another log-cabin style bar at the top of the climb coming out of Vilaflor [called «Las Lajas»]. It’s on the left, just at the crest of the climb, pretty much right below the treeline. If you start veering to the right and then back down left and down into Boca Tauce (a 200m descent), you’ve past it. I’m not sure of the opening times and it is $$$.

Hope that helps,

Thanks,
Leslie

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