Top 10 Viewpoints in Tenerife
Tenerife is built around Mount Teide, the volcano whose 3,715-metre summit makes it the highest point in Spain and the third-tallest volcano on earth measured from its ocean base. The island's viewpoints — miradores — range from that summit, often poking above a sea of cloud, to laurel-forest balconies and sea cliffs that drop hundreds of metres straight into the Atlantic. These ten capture the volcanic and coastal extremes of the largest Canary Island.
Mount Teide summit
The summit of Teide, reached by cable car to 3,555 metres and then a permit-only final trail, gives a view over the entire island and, on clear days, the neighbouring Canary Islands of La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro and Gran Canaria. The summit often rises above a temperature inversion, leaving the volcano islanded in a white sea of cloud. A permit is required for the final 200 metres to the crater.
Mirador de la Roques de García
Within the Teide National Park, the Roques de García are eroded volcanic rock formations on the floor of the Las Cañadas caldera. The mirador frames the twisted rock pinnacles against the cone of Teide behind, one of the most photographed compositions on the island. A short loop trail explores the rocks at around 2,000 metres, in stark high-altitude desert light.
Mirador de Los Gigantes
On the west coast, the cliffs of Los Gigantes ("the Giants") rise as much as 600 metres sheer from the sea. The clifftop mirador and the harbour viewpoints below frame the immense basalt wall, its dark rock plunging into deep blue water. Boat trips run along the base, but the land-based view at sunset, when the cliffs glow, is unforgettable.
Mirador de Pico del Inglés
In the Anaga massif, the ancient laurel-forest mountains of north-east Tenerife, the Mirador de Pico del Inglés at around 990 metres gives a panorama across the green ridges and, on clear days, all the way to Teide. The Anaga is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and the view captures its tangle of forested peaks and deep ravines.
Mirador de Garachico
The old town of Garachico on the north coast was largely buried by a 1706 lava flow, which created the dramatic coastline of black rock pools below. The mirador above the town frames the rebuilt port, the lava-formed swimming pools and the sea. It is one of the island's most historic and atmospheric coastal viewpoints.
Mirador de la Centinela
In the south of the island, the Mirador de la Centinela looks out over the volcanic badlands and the southern coast, with terraced fields and small villages set against the dry, eroded landscape. The view sweeps down to the sea and, on the horizon, the outline of the neighbouring islands.
Mirador de Jardina
Above La Laguna in the Anaga foothills, the Mirador de Jardina looks back over the city, the airport and the northern plain, often with a layer of cloud spilling over the ridge above — the local phenomenon known as the "mar de nubes" or sea of clouds. Sunset, when the city lights come on below the cloud, is the prime time.
Mirador de Masca
The mountain village of Masca clings to a steep ravine in the Teno massif of western Tenerife, long one of the island's most remote settlements. The miradores along the winding road above frame the village's houses scattered on knife-edge ridges, with the ravine plunging toward the sea. The famous Masca gorge hike descends from here to the coast.
Mirador de Chipeque
On the road climbing toward the Teide park, the Mirador de Chipeque at around 1,900 metres is one of the best places to witness the sea of clouds rolling against the mountains, with Teide rising clear above. It is a favourite spot for photographers at sunset, when the cloud layer turns gold and pink below the volcano.
Mirador de Don Martín
Near Güímar on the eastern slope, the Mirador de Don Martín gives a wide view over the Güímar valley, its banana plantations and the coast, with the volcanic mountains rising behind. It captures the agricultural, settled side of the island, a contrast to the high desert of the national park.
Explore on the map
From the summit of Teide above the clouds to the cliffs of Los Gigantes and the laurel forests of Anaga, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which are reached by cable car, mountain road or short trail, and plan a route that links the volcanic summit, the coast and the green north of Tenerife.