SENDERO DE BARACAN
Welcome to Teno Mountain Range in Tenerife! This guide is for a challenging route that combines a few different trails around the area. The trail winds its way up the steep slopes of the Teno Mountains, reaching an elevation of 1,350 meters. Starting from Buenavista del Norte, it goes through a beautiful town of Teno Alto, the magnificent Sendero de Baracan and the town of El Palmar. It’s full of diversified views of the Atlantic Ocean, the neighbouring islands of La Palma and La Gomera. Despite its challenging terrain, and the total distance, this route is a great choice for fit and experienced hikers that love to spend a full day adventuring in the mountains.
SENDERO DE BARACAN FACTS
Distance: The total distance for this hike was 19km for a loop trail.
Hike duration: This hike’s duration was a little over 6h. Adding a lunch break, this hike should take no more than 8-9h.
Elevation gain: The total elevation gain for this hike was 1390m.
Difficulty: This hike is moderately difficult. There is no real danger on the trail but almost 20km of distance and 1390m of elevation gain requires a lot of endurance and an excellent fitness level.
Gear needed: Proper hiking shoes or boots, windbreaker as it gets quite windy up there, sun protection and perhaps a little speaker to cheer you up on the way back 😀 If you’re unsure on what else to bring for a hike, read this guide.
My strava upload can be found here: Teno Alto Hike
GPS route to follow on your watch or a smartphone: Teno Alto Hike.gpx
GETTING TO SENDERO DE BARACAN
By car: This hike begins in Buenavista Del Norte. Parking should be possible here. Make sure to arrive early as spaces fill up quickly as people tend to walk to Punta del Teno from there.
By bus: You can take a bus 369 and get off at this Camino el Risco stop. You can check current bus schedules: here.
MY EXPERIENCE HIKING SENDERO DE BARACAN
The trail begins with a steep incline on a rocky terrain. There’s a really cool cave on the way where you can take a short break and appreciate the views. If you’re lucky, you might even see some mountain goats around. This part of the climb is basically a zig-zag path full of stairs all the way towards the top.
As we got to the top of the section, we were immediately rewarded with some awesome views of the Teno Mountain Range as well as the majestic Teide (3715m). (wanna climb the highest point of Spain? check out my Hiking Teide post), and the surrounding islands. I really loved how the landscape became way more diverse, with colourful rock formations, and unique flora around us.
PS! Make sure to take a short detour to the top of the hill for even more views of La Gomera and La Palma!
Teno Alto
After taking some photos, we then hike our way down to Teno Alto. This small mountain town is famous for its cheese and there are a few bars offering some food and refreshments to hikers. We decided to make a short stop at the cute little place called “Bar Las Bailaderos” right at the entrance to Teno Alto. They offer beverages and some basic local dishes including the famous grilled cheese which was very yummy!
From Teno Alto, the trail continues towards Sendero de Baracan. On the way, we passed by a beautiful forest with stunning light play and adventure-like vibe. Once we passed the forest, up next was a mountain ridge walk with some beautiful views of the neighbourhood village of El Palmar and La Gomera island.
Sendero de Baracan
Sendero de Baracan is the biggest highlight of this challenging route. Most of the time, the views are just spectacular. As we made our way along the trail, we came across a variety of plants and animals, including many species that are native to Tenerife. The sound of birds! It was such a magical experience hearing them along the way!
El Palmar & return via Teno Alto
The last part of the trail consists of two parts: a flat and peaceful walk towards along the village of El Palmar. That’s gonna be a few kilometres walking on a flat ground. Afterwards, you’ll have to keep an eye on PRTF-57 sign – that’s where the final climb towards Teno Alto will begin. It will be a bit tough and boring, but once you make it to Teno Alto, there’ll be nothing else than descending!
CONCLUSION
Sendero de Baracan route is a must-do hike for all hikers that like to challenge themselves. We had a lot of fun combining a few different trails into this one, longer route and I sincerely hope that you’ll enjoy hiking it as much as we did! if you have any questions or comments please don’t be shy and leave the comment below. Safe 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!
