Best Cycling Routes in Tenerife

Tenerife has become increasingly popular for both professional and amateurs cyclists in the last few years. Professionals visit the island to improve their altitude training; indeed, it is well documented that 2012 Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins, attributes part of his success to the stint he spent in Tenerife the previous winter.

The island is also popular for people who just enjoy cycling, and do not want to go on a training holiday. It has perfect temperatures for cycling throughout the year, relatively low traffic on many roads, and, most importantly of all, magnificent scenery throughout the island.

Here we look at a few of our favourite cycling routes on Tenerife, which are adapted from our cycling holiday on the island.

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1.) El Teide

If you have visited any of the Canary Islands, you will probably be well aware of how much El Teide dominates Tenerife. The volcano, at 3,718 metres in altitude, is the highest mountain in Spain, and one of the highest in Europe.

Teide is at the centre of a superb national park which makes for great cycling and there are several routes up. Most of the roads are in superb condition, and the views differ spectacularly depending on which route you take up the mountain.

Our favourite route, shown in the map above is the hugely enjoyable climb from the south-west coast, particularly the section after Santiago del Teide. But it can also be climbed from El Médano, El Teide - Puerto de la Cruz, El Teide - Santa Cruz and Los Gigantes, all of which are long and challenging.


Although long, the gradients are never too challenging whichever way you climb. It rarely gets above 7%, and so it is an accessible climb for most cyclists with a reasonable level of fitness.

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2.) Anaga Natural Park

The TF-12 road is a hilly route which loops from San Andres to La Laguna and is one of the most enjoyable rides in the whole of the Canary Islands. The road surface is excellent and the road carries relatively little traffic.

The whole length of the road carries superb views of the Anaga mountains, and there are several small side roads that you can follow, taking you deeper into the mountains. This route is ideal for anyone based in Santa Cruz, La Laguna or who is passing by the north-east of the island.

It can be done as an out and back ride, or as a circle, such as in the route above - which takes advantage of the cycle lanes in Santa Cruz to avoid most of the traffic. For an extra challenge, you can also add on the stunning descent and climb to Taganana, which is also included on the map above.

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3.) Punta de Teno

The most westerly point in Tenrife, Punta de Teno can be accessed only by a one way road running from the main road to Buenavista del Norte. The road is not great quality in places, but it is a really enjoyable route to cycle, with fantastic views of the Atlantic on your right hand side.

The highlight is reaching the lighthouse at the end of the road, where a small peninsula juts out into the ocean. This is a great little extension to a route if you are in this part of the island, or can be ridden by itself as a shorter and easier route.

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4.) Mirador de Masca

Along with El Teide, Masca is probably the most spectacular cycling route on the island. The narrow road which runs between the village of Masca and Santiago del Teide is certainly not recommended for beginners. The gradients are steep in places, and the downhill sections are a bit technical, requiring a head for heights.

With the challenge, however, comes truly remarkable scenery, as the route passes by tiny villages, surrounded by steep sided mountains, which loom over them ominously.

The map above shows a possible circular option which first descends to the coast at Garachico. This makes it quite a hard ride though, and the views surrounding Masca are only the final 10km or so of this route.

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More Great Routes

These are just a few examples of some of the many great rides you can do in Tenerife. But there are many more possibilities including those featured on the climbs section of the website.

Many of these routes are partly taken from the rides on our cycling holidays on the island, which you can find more information about below. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like to book a holiday with us or for any other information.