MONTANA DE LIMON (2103m)

Montana de Limon is a great warm-up hike before tackling higher altitudes in Tenerife. This 5-hour hike is perfect for forest lovers, as the majority of the climb takes place in a pine tree forest. The trail ends in a lunar-like landscape, offering incredible views of Mount Teide and its neighbours.

UPDATE: The trail was closed due to 2023 wildfire, check Tenerifeon.es for see if it’s reopened!

MONTANA DE LIMON FACTS

Distance: The total distance for this hike was 17,25km for loop trail.

Hike duration: This hike’s duration was 5h with a moving time of 4h and 20minutes. Adding a lunch break, this hike should take no more than 6h.

Elevation gain: The total elevation gain for this hike was 916m.

Difficulty: This hike is moderate. There is no real danger on this trail except for one section that goes along the edge of the forest but the total distance and sun exposition can be challenging.

Gear needed: Although Tenerife is warm all year round, you should always remember to check the weather forecast. Sun protection is a must for this hike due to exposition. If you’re unsure on what else to bring for a hike, read this guide.

My Strava map + gpx file can be found here: MONTANA DE LIMON

GETTING TO MONTANA DE LIMON

By car: This hike begins in the same spot as Los Organos Hike in Augamansa and the starting point is in Zona recreativa La Caldera (1192m) right next to the picnic area. Google maps pin can be found here.

By bus: You can take a bus no 354 from Puerto de la Cruz (goes through La Orotava). The current schedule can be found: here

MY EXPERIENCE HIKING MONTANA DE LIMON

I decided to hike Montana Limon as a warm-up for my planned climb of Mount Teide (3715m) the following day. (If you haven’t climbed Teide yet – read my guide). The trail begins at the Zona Recreativa La Caldera car park, which can be a bit crowded and may make it difficult to find the starting point. I recommend using a GPS or a map to make sure you’re following the correct route. The majority of the trail is through a pine tree forest, so if you’re not a fan of forests, you may want to choose a different hike.

Once we reached the first fork we took left till we reached a dirt road. From there you have to turn right and continue through the forest all the way up crossing the same road a few more times. At around 1750m we continued straight on the fork and shortly after were able to see the first ‘peak’.

The more we went up the more flowers appeared, not gonna lie this trail gives a great vibe if you like plants. While getting close to the ridge of the mountain we finally saw that we were above the clouds enjoying some spectacular views of combination of clouds and the ocean.

Following the trail from here was quite obvious so we continued our way up sweating heavily since from this point, there’s absolutely no escape from the sun.

Around 15 minutes later we have arrived to the top of Montana de Limon. It was super interesting to observe Teide from this perspective. We knew this trail is not about spectacular drops or views but nevertheless enjoyed seeing Teide Park and the ocean at the same time.

After spending some time on taking pictures we decided to head back using a different route. The way back was very well marked and was rather pleasant. After around 30 minutes we were back to pine tree forest and just rushed back to the car.

CONCLUSION

Montana de Limon is a quiet trail that is not featured on any of the ‘top 10 hikes’ lists out there. It is a long hike mostly through the pine tree forest and it’s a great workout overall. We were happy with the views we had and enjoyed being alone on the trail. I hope you found this guide useful and will enjoy Montana de Limon as much as we did. If you have any questions – don’t be shy and leave the comment below. Wishing you happy hiking!

HAVE YOU SEEN MY OTHER HIKING GUIDES FOR TENERIFE?

I lived and worked in Tenerife for three months, hiking nearly every day. I’ve explored over 70 trails to bring you an ultimate guide – highlighting the Top 30 Best Hikes in Tenerife. Each guide has a detailed description including the distance, difficulty, gear needed and everything else needed to complete the hike successfully. If you happen to notice any changes on the trail that should be updated – please drop the comment below so I can keep this guide up to date.

If you prefer easier hikes that can be completed under 3 hours, check out Top 12 Short Hikes in Tenerife guide.

Safe and happy hiking my friend!