Anaga Mountains Tenerife: 12km Hiking Tour & Laurel Forest

Five hours in Tenerife's oldest forest, where the ground still remembers the Tertiary Period

You hike 12km through protected nature reserves in Anaga, climbing 600 meters through ravines, remote villages, and a 60-million-year-old laurel forest. Your guide explains the geology and ecology while you navigate moderate-to-hard terrain over 5 hours. Hotel pickup and full insurance are included, so you only need to show up fit enough to walk.

Step-by-step itinerary

Hiking in Anaga Mountains

• Start hike in Anaga Mountains
• Walk through coastline and ravines
• Explore ancient laurel forest
• Observe native fauna and flora
• Complete 12 km moderate to hard hike

The experience

You've just landed in Tenerife, or maybe you're staying nearby with an afternoon free. The Anaga Mountains sit in the northeast corner of the island: close enough to reach by car, remote enough that you'll forget you're in Spain. The 12km hike here isn't a casual stroll. It's 5 hours of climbing and descending through ravines, past villages so isolated they feel like they've been left behind on purpose, and into one of the world's last surviving laurel forests. The terrain is moderate to hard, which means you'll feel your legs, but the payoff is something most tourists never see.

The walk takes you through Anaga Rural Park, which got its protected status back in 1994 and has only gotten stricter about conservation since. You're moving through three separate nature reserves (Ijuana, El Pijaral, and Los Roques de Anaga) each with its own ecosystem. The laurel forest itself is the thing that stops people mid-stride. It's a Tertiary Period relic, meaning it's been here since before the ice ages, and it only survives now in a handful of places: the Canaries, Madeira, and a few islands in the Azores. The forest is so dense it traps moisture from the air, feeds the island's aquifers, and keeps the soil alive. You walk under trees that have been doing this job for millions of years. The geology shifts as you go (the rock formations, the way the ravines cut, the sudden views of coastline), and your guide Andy points out how the island's isolation created all this botanical strangeness. Native plants and animals that exist nowhere else on earth.

The hike includes pickup from your hotel, so you don't navigate the winding roads yourself. You get full insurance coverage (public liability and rescue), which matters when you're on terrain with real elevation change and no cell signal in some spots. Andy brings the history and geology with him. He's not just walking ahead, he's explaining why the landscape looks the way it does and what you're actually standing in. The 600 meters of ascent and descent is real work, especially in the middle hours when the sun is direct, but the contrasts are what make it stick with you: moving from open ridge to dense forest to a sudden drop to the sea.

What’s included

Private hotel pickup and return transportation, a guide (Andy) for the full 5 hours, complete public liability and rescue insurance, and detailed information about the geology, geography and history of Anaga Rural Park and its three nature reserves.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 3 Jan 2027

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (14 to 75 years) · Child (8 to 13 years) · Under 8: can't be booked

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortStroller-friendly

Operated by Tenerife guided walks

Is this one for you?Book this if you're fit enough for sustained climbing and want to see a forest that has survived 60 million years without a crowded trail: the small-group format and remote location are what keep it that way.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (8 to 13 years). Children under 8 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How difficult is the Anaga hike?

It's rated moderate to hard with 600 meters of ascent and descent over 12km in 5 hours. You need a moderate level of fitness and should be comfortable on uneven terrain.

What's included in the tour?

Private transportation from your hotel, a guide (Andy), full public liability and rescue insurance, and information about the geology, geography and history of the area.

What is the laurel forest?

It's a Tertiary Period forest that has survived for 60 million years. It only exists now in the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores. The dense canopy traps moisture and feeds the island's water supply.

How long does the hike take?

The full experience is 5 hours, covering 12km with up to 600 meters of elevation gain and loss.

When was Anaga protected?

The area became Anaga Rural Park on December 19, 1994, and was divided into three integral nature reserves with the highest environmental protection status.