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Mount Teide
The peak of Tenerife, the
highest point in Spanish territory, and a "must see"
for any visitor to the island. Coming to Tenerife without
visiting this natural wonder is a bit like going to New York
without seeing the Statue of Liberty, or visiting Paris without
going to the Eiffel Tower!
Make sure you get there early
if you want to ascend right to the peak, as the cable-car
is subject to the weather conditions, and often only runs
for a couple of hours a day, especially in the winter months.
Also, wrap up warm! You may be in the Tropics, but it can
still get bl**dy cold above 5000ft! It is possible to walk
to the summit, and I'm told you don't need to be a mountaineer
to do it, as there is a well-worn path. I still wouldn't advise
you to try it without some experience, the right hiking gear,
including a sturdy tent, a couple of days supplies and a compass,
and a GPS phone. OK, so it's not Everest, but you are still
going to be rising high enough for altitude sickness, it can
still be prey to freak weather conditions, and you can easily
find yourself still on the mountain-side after dark. |
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The easy way to "do the volcano"
is with an organised tour. As with all of these excursions
(see the Saving Money section of this site), unless your name
is Rockafeller or Bill Gates, DO NOT buy it from your rep!
You'll find the kiosks around your resort will do excursions
for about half the price that your tour company will. If you
want to get up to Mt Teide the really cheap way, there is
a public bus which goes up in the morning and returns in the
late afternoon. Also, as it is a service bus for all the villages
along the way, you'll get to experience a lot of the "real
Tenerife" that the tourists don't often see. If you do
it this way, remember to be waiting at the bus-stop in plenty
of time for the return journey. There are only two buses a
day, and if you miss the last one, you'll be stuck up there
for the night! Don't worry too much, though... There is a
lovely hotel right by the bus-stop if the worst happens!
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