TEIDE & THE NATIONAL PARK
The National Park
A network of national parks in the Canary Islands attempts to
conserve their most characteristic ecosystems. Hence, the Mt.
Teide National Park, in the centre of the island of Tenerife,
shelters the best examples of the supra-Mediterranean vegetation
level.
On the other hand, with an average altitude of over 2,000 metres, the Mt. Teide National Park offers one of the most spectacular examples of vulcanism in the world and represents the best example of alpine volcanic ecosystem in the Canary Islands. From a geo-morphological point of view, the structure of the caldera and the Teide-Pico Viejo strato-volcano are among the most spectacular geological monuments in the world, apart from the wide variety of volcanic cones and domes, lava flows, tors and caves that form a range of colours and forms that increase the scientific and scenic interest of the area.
With regard to the enormous biological wealth of the area, the outstanding flora includes a large percentage of endemic species and the invertebrate fauna a large number of exclusive species. This National Park, created in 1954 in recognition of its volcanic and biological singularity, is the largest and the oldest of the National Parks of the Canary Islands, covering an area of 18,990 hectares, and the fifth largest of the thirteen National Parks in the network. Apart from its Peripheral Protection Zone, this natural area is surrounded by the Corona Forestal Nature Park, the largest protected natural area of the Canary Islands with 46,612.9 hectares.
In 1989, it was awarded a class A European Diploma by the Council of Europe. This European Diploma was extended in 1994 and in 1999. The Teide National Park Board and the Joint Canary Island National Parks Commission held several meeting in 2002 to have the Mt. Teide National Park declared a World Heritage Site. The proposed declaration is currently being studied.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PARK
Creation: Decree of the 22nd of January 1954
Re-classification: Law 5/81, of the 25th of March
Legal instruments: Use and management master plan
(PRUG, Royal Decree 153/2002)
Area of the Park: 18,990 ha
Co-ordinates: Latitude 28º09´00´´ - 28º20´00´´ North
Longitude 16º29´00´´ - 16º44´00´´ West
Supra-national Networks: European Diploma
(Council of Europe) in 1989, renewed in 1994 and 1999.
Maximum altitude: 3,718 m (Pico del Teide)
Minimum altitude: 1,600 m.
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VISITS TO THE NATIONAL PARK
The Mt. Teide National Park has links with different areas of the island with its four access roads:
To the North: TF-21 road from La Orotava to Las Cañadas (Portillo de la Villa) (33 km.)
To the East: TF-24 road, which runs from La Laguna to El Portillo de la Villa (43 km)
To the South: TF-21 road from Vilaflor to Las Cañadas (Boca de Tauce) (16 km)
To the West: TF-38 road from Chio to Las Cañadas (Boca de Tauce) (30 km)
The following are the public bus routes (guaguas):
Bus number 348 from Puerto de la Cruz and
Bus number 342 from Playa de las Americas.
There are two Visitors´ Centres, which open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering detailed information on the most important aspects of the Park.
El Portillo de la Villa Visitors´ Centre, at km 32.1 on the TF-21 road.
Cañada Blanca Visitors´ Centre (in a wing of the National Tourist "Parador" Hotel), at Km 46.5 on the TF-21 road.
Guided tours are available, but you need to book a place on one in the Park office, or ask for information in the Visitors´ Centres. There are some restricted zones, where public access and the number of visitors are regulated for conservation reasons, pursuant to Park´s Use and Management Master Plan. One of these restricted areas is La Rambleta - Pico del Teide; to climb to the summit, you have to apply personally for an access permit from the Park Management. You can walk up Montaña Blanca as far as La Rambleta, or you can take the cable car.
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STAY OVER NIGHT IN THE PARK
National Tourism "Parador" Hotel Las Cañadas del Teide, at Km 46.5 on the TF-21 road.
Altavista Refuge, run by the Tenerife Cabildo (Island Government), situated at 3270 metres. The only access to the refuge is on foot.
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GEOLOGY
With an altitude of 3,718 metres above sea level, Mt. Teide is the highest mountain in Spain and in all of the Atlantic archipelagos. The steep slopes of the mountain reach this altitude in a mere thirteen kilometres from the coastline. This is a strato-volcano type edifice sitting on an ancient and gigantic cauldron-shaped depression made up of two semi-calderas separated by the Roques de Garcia. Mt. Teide is crowned by the Pilon de Azucar (Sugar Loaf), which is still residually active in the form of fumaroles of steam
and sulphur at 86º C.
The Caldera, known as Las Cañadas, takes its name from the most typical feature of the park, the Cañada, a sedimentary plain that is normally situated at the foot of the walls or amphitheatre of the caldera. This entire spectacular geological landscape is derived from a grand volcanic structure, called the Cañadas Edifice, which originally encompassed the central sector of Tenerife. This edifice, with its enormously complex structure, grew in height over the millennia due to the accumulation of large quantities lava flows and layers of pyroclasts, spewed out in many successive eruptions that occurred over a period of 3.5 million years, with alternating periods of construction and destruction. The composition of the material expelled in these eruptions varies enormously: basalts, basanite, trachy-basalt, phonolites, trachytes, etc.
There are two key geological events concerning the Cañadas Edifice and the depression or caldera. On the one hand, the disappearance of the highest part of the Edifice, the internal structure of which is exposed on the wall of the Circus, and the consequent formation of the aforesaid depression. On the other hand, the existence of the Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic complex, a strato-volcano that developed inside the caldera, which later partially filled in this depression.
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LANDSLIP HYPOTHESIS
The Las Cañadas Circus still arouses controversy among geologists as there are several hypotheses about how it was formed, such as an explosion, erosion, collapse and major land slips.
The most widely accepted theory until the early nineties was the hypothesis of a collapse as the fundamental cause, which assumes that this is a caldera with two sub-calderas; an eastern one and a western one, separated by the Roques de Garcia and formed by subsidence and collapses. The current impressive edifice of the Teide – Pico Viejo strato-volcano was later formed in the northern part of the Las Cañadas caldera. This strato-volcano and the caldera are now the two largest features of the National Park..
Research of the island sub-soil, however, and studies of the sea bed and its relief, in the final years of the 20th century, have confirmed the hypothesis maintained by Tenerife geologist and geographer Telesforo Bravo since 1962, against the general opinion of the scientific community of the time; i.e. that both Las Cañadas del Teide and the Orotava and Güimar Valleys are depressions formed by massive gravitational landslides, of over 100 cubic Km of earth, of a part of the island. The tests that have been done date these episodes at 0.8 million years ago for the Güimar Valley, about 0.5 million years ago for the Orotava Valley and 0.17 million years ago for Las Cañadas.
The partial destruction of the Cañadas Edifice, therefore, was due to a sudden process of gravitational slip of a large part of the former volcanic edifice, sliding down to the north of the island. In this event, which occurred 170,000 years ago, over 100 km3 of the high mountain area of the island disappeared almost instantaneously.
The massive landslide theory was corroborated in 1995, when large deposits of submarine material or deposits of avalanches from the original Cañadas Edifice were discovered on the sea bed to the north of Tenerife. These initial data were provided by the British group of Watts and Mason. The Spanish Teide Group later confirmed this interpretation of the sea beds of the north of Tenerife in 1997. They also investigated the sea beds of the south, where they also found similar deposits originating from the Güimar Valley that, like the Orotava Valley, has similar origins.
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ROQUES DE GARCIA
The most striking of the Roques de García is the Cinchado rock. From the look-out spot, one can glimpse the spectacular rock formation and the Ucanca Valley, the largest plain in the National Park. The saw-tooth profile of the Roques is due to the varying resistance to erosion of the materials that make up the rocks: highly resistant dikes and phonolitic towers and rocks that have been eroded by rain and temperature changes that are easily sculpted by the erosive action of water, wind and ice.
Nearby is the National Tourist Parador hotel and another formation, Los Azulejos, with its striking greenish colour due to iron hydrate deposits.
The last recorded eruption that took place within the current boundaries of the national park occurred on the slopes of Pico Viejo, or Chahorra, in 1798, over a period of three months. This was the longest of all the eruptions that have occurred in recorded history in Tenerife: the lava spewed out of a fissure almost one kilometre long covered an area of almost 5 square kilometres and almost spilled over the wall of Las Cañadas through Boca de Tauce, one of the lowest points of the amphitheatre.
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LAS CAÑADAS
Between the base of the strato-volcano and the foot of the amphitheatre, there is an extensive field of recent lava and pyroclasts, not just from Teide – Pico Viejo, but also from other existing volcanic craters in the zone. The environment is completed by the endorheic plains or flats of sedimentary material all along the base of the wall. These enclaves were called "cañadas" (passes or trails in Spanish) because they were important routes for guiding livestock through a genuine sea of lava, and this name lives on today. This explains the origin of the entire mountain peak area of the island, known in general terms as "Las Cañadas del Teide", or the Mt. Teide Passes.
This vast natural cut or amphitheatre reveals the internal structure of the old volcanic edifice (Cañadas Edifice), forged by layers being laid down, one on top of another, recording the history of the eruptions of over a period of 3 million years. Las Cañadas circus is one of the largest calderas in the world. It is elliptical in shape, 16 km across at the widest point, 10 km across at the narrowest and with a perimeter of 45 km, of which, the part that is currently visible covers some 23 km, as the north wall was buried by later eruptions, which have led to the formation of Mt. Teide, whose lavas run down to the base of the cliff, as can be seen in the picture.
The lava from different eruptions has filled in extensive areas of the former caldera with volcanic material of all kinds, sculpting a spectacular landscape of apparent chaos. So, more rounded volcanoes can be seen with yellowish and whitish tones due to the accumulation of pumice stone, like Montaña Blanca, or cones of ash and cinder, ranging in colour from reddish to black, due to the varying processes of oxidation over time, almost perfectly shaped structures like Montaña Mostaza.
The lava flows sometime form slag fields known as "malpaises" or "badlands", others fall down the slopes or run over older volcanoes, forming tongues, and others break up into enormous blocks, such as the "Valle de las Piedras Arrancadas" (Valley of the Broken Stones), near Montaña Rajada, where obsidian, shiny black volcanic glass, abounds. Obsidian was the raw material for the stone industry of the Guanches, who used it to make cutting tools that they called "tabonas".
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FLORA
The plant world is another of the outstanding features of the Mt. Teide National Park, where plant species are fully adapted to the tough living conditions of high altitude, intense sunlight, extreme temperature variations and lack of moisture. The vegetation has colonized this world of lava step by step, putting down roots in the almost inexistent, but nutrient and mineral rich soil, where lichens usually form the only vegetation cover of non-vascular flora that covers the recent lava flows of the Park. Hence, the diversity of plant species in the Mt. Teide National Park has a striking wealth, including an abundance of species that are endemic either to the island, regionally or even locally endemic.
Over the centuries, these plants have evolved to adapt to the extremely tough environmental conditions, acquiring semi-spherical forms, reducing the exposed leaf area, the acquisition of a downy or waxy cover, high flower production, etc.
Flowering takes place in the late spring or early summer, in the months of May and June.
So far, the vascular flora of the Mt. Teide National Park is comprised of 168 plant species, 58 of which are endemic to the Canary Islands and 33 are endemic to Tenerife, giving a level of over 50% of endemic species. Furthermore, 12 species are found exclusively in the National Park.
Plant formations
The most frequent formation of vegetation in this area is the Alpine broom scrub, with the Teide broom as the leading player. The wall or amphitheatre of Las Cañadas acts as a refuge for many species like the different houseleeks of he Aeonium genus, and the occasional isolated specimen of Canary Island cedar (Juniperus cedrus) and Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis).
At the foot of the slopes, we can find suitable places for the Teide bugloss, whereas the populations of dwarf Teide bugloss are very localised, growing preferentially on pumice stone soils.
The Teide Violet (Viola cheirantifolia) is an endemic species that is found exclusively in the Park and, together with the Teide bugloss and the Teide broom, forms the trio of the most striking or outstanding species of the National Park.
Even in a habitat as dry as this, there are springs and moist zones where water loving species grow, like the aromatic mint (Mentha longifolia) and the Canary island hair grass.
Some of these species are endemic species found exclusively in the National Park, where their populations barely reach a hundred specimens. Thus, several of these species are undergoing genetic recovery trials to guarantee their survival, as is the case of the Cañadas rockrose (Helianthemum juliae), Stemmacantha cynaroides, Teide Edelweiss (Gnapalium teydeum) and the Teide burnet (Bencomia exstipulata); this latter member of the rose family is endemic to Tenerife and La Palma.
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ENDEMIC CANARY SPECIES
Teide white broom (Spartocytisus supranubius). This is the most characteristic and dominant plant of the park; its white and pink flower with their penetrating and aromatic smell, attract large numbers of bees, so in the areas around the park, you can get excellent honey.
Canary Island wall flower ( Erysimum scoparium). White and violet flowers.
Teide cat mint (Nepeta teydea Var. teydea). With purple coloured flowers, it was used as a medicinal plant by the local population.
Canary Island wall lettuce (Tolpis webbii). With yellow flowers, it grows in old badlands.
Teide bugloss (Echium wildpretii). Boraginaceae with a pyramid-shaped inflorescence of red flowers that can grow to a height of 3 metres, making it one of the most striking plants during the flowering season. It blooms after two years and it is a honey producing plant.
Teide Daisy (Argyranthemum teneriffae). Yellow and white flowers. Its range reaches altitudes of closet o 3600 m above sea level.
Flixweed (Descurainia bourgaeana). With yellow flowers, the inflorescences form when the striking straw coloured shrubs dry out.
Shrubby scabious (Pterocephalus lasiospermus). With pinkish flowers, it was almost wiped out by grazing, but is now highly abundant.
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ENDEMIC SPECIES TEIDE NATIONAL PARK
The following are some of the endemic species found exclusively in the Mt. Teide National Park:
Teide Violet (Viola cheiranthifolia). A plant described by Alexander von Humboldt, it is the most delicate and fragile species in the park. It is found in the Guajara highlands and on the slopes of Mt. Teide, almost right up to the very summit, where it holds the title of the highest flowering plant in Spain.
Dwarf bugloss (Echium auberianium). Not as tall as the Teide bugloss, it is only found in the eastern half of the park.
Teide cat mint (nepeta teydea var. albiflora). This is an albino variety of the cat mint.
Teide Edelweiss (Gnaphalium teydeum). This is one of the rarest endemic species of the Park, where it grows at an altitude of 3500 m above sea level.
"Cardo de plata" (Stemmacantha cynaroides). This species is still in danger of becoming extinct.
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FAUNA
The vertebrate fauna of the Mt. Teide National Park is limited and far from striking. The total inventory for the Park barely numbers 30 species, although some of these are endemic to the Canary Islands, either as species (3) or as sub-species (13).
REPTILES
There are three endemic reptile species in the Park: a lizard, a gecko and a skink. The Canary Island Lizard (Gallotia galloti galloti) is perhaps the most emblematic animal of the Park. Males can grow to a length of over 30 cm and they have striking violet blue gills on either side of the neck. They feed on the invertebrates of the Park and they, in turn, form part of the diet of many of the birds that fly over the Park.
The Canary Island wall gecko (Tarentola delalandii), a gecko that is endemic to Tenerife and La Palma, and the Canary Island skink (Chalcides viridanus viridanus) are relatively rare in the Park.
BIRDS
The inventory of birds in the Park numbers some twenty species, but only half of these nest in the Park. The most frequent of these are:
The blue chaffinch (Fringilla teydea teydea) is a chaffinch that lives mainly in the pine forests, but it can be seen relatively frequently in the Park, where is a genuine symbol of the park birds. The male is a striking grey blue colour.
Berthelot´s pipit (Anthus berthelotii berthelotii) is the commonest bird of the Park. It spends almost all of its time on the ground and only occasionally perches on the plants.
The wild canary (Serinus canaria) is endemic to the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores, being more abundant in the El Portillo area. Its harmonious song has made it one of the most famous song birds in the world.
The kestrel (Falco tinnunculus canariensis) is the most widespread bird of prey on the island.
Other species include:
The great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor); the blue tit (Parus caeruleus teneriffae); the chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita); the plain swift (Apus unicolor unicolor); the long eared owl (Asio otus canariensis); the barbary partridge and the rock dove.
MAMMALS
The five species of bats are the only native mammals of the Park. The Canary Island long eared bat (Plecotus teneriffae) is endemic to the Canary Island, while the Madeira Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus maderensis) is endemic to Madeira and Canaries. Leisler´s bat (Nyctalus leisleri) is the most frequent species.
The remaining mammal species have all been introduced: the mouflon, rabbit, the house mouse, the black rat, the feral cat and the Algerian hedgehog The Corsica mouflon (Ovis musimon) was brought to the island for hunting in 1970. The current mouflon population in the Park is estimated at around 500 specimens.
Invertebrate Fauna
In contrast to the poor vertebrate biodiversity, there is an enormous wealth of invertebrate species, in particular insect species, with over 700 species – most of which are endemic and of great scientific interest.
The groups with the most species are spiders, beetles, dipterans, hemipterans and himenopterae. In all these groups, there is a large percentage of endemic species, giving an overall rate of endemic species of over 40%, including 70 species that are found only in the National Park.
The exuberant blossoming of many plant species in spring attracts swarms of flower feeding insects, including bugs, beetles, butterflies, wasps, etc. The flowers also attract large numbers of predator arthropods, including several spider species.
One of the commonest species in spring and summer is the honey bee, Apis mellifera, when bee-keepers take their hives up to the El Portillo area, attracted by the excellent quality of the honey obtained from the broom flowers.
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TEIDE CABLE CAR
Cable car services up to La Rambleta run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., unless bad weather or high winds make the service impossible. Restrictive measures have currently been established, and access from the Terminal to the highest point of the summit is NOT allowed without a special permit. Access is open to La Fortaleza and Pico Viejo lookout spots.
In order to use the "Telesforo Bravo" trail from La Rambleta or Cable Car Terminal (3550 m) to the summit of Mt. Teide (3718 m), you first have to apply for a written permit in person in the National Park office. Said permit will be valid for ONE given date:
National Park Office
C/ Emilio Calzadilla, nº 5 - 4th floor
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tel. 922 290129 - 922 290183
Fax: 922 244788
E-mail: teide@oapn.mma.es
Open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., from Monday to Friday (you need a photocopy of your I.D. card or passport).
There is no access to the crater under any circumstances. The other two trails that leave from La Rambleta - to the lookout spots of Pico Viejo and La Fortaleza - can be used freely. These offer excellent views of Las Cañadas, Tenerife and the other islands.
The cable car station has a bar and restaurant - buffet.
For further information:
Cable Car Station
Tel. 922 010 445 ; 922 694 038
Web site: www.telefericoteide.com
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CABLE CAR TECHNICAL DETAILS
Length of the run 2,482 metres
Climb 1,199 metres
Departure altitude 2,356 metres
Arrival altitude 3,555 metres
Maximum speed 8 metres/sec.
Car capacity 35 people
Duration of the ride 8-10 minutes
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TEIDE OBSERVATORY
Historic origins
The study of astronomy has always been closely associated iwith Mt. Teide. Its advantages as an observation post were well known by naturalists and astronomers centuries ago. Piazzi Smyth set up an observation post at 3,300 metres in the mid 19th century, taking advantage of the unbeatable potential of the skies of Las Cañadas. Lunar features were named Teide and Tenerife as a tribute to his work.
This astronomic tradition was continued in the early 20th century, with studies made of Halley´s Comet by French astronomer Jean Mascart in 1910 in Alto de Guajara, at an altitude of 2,718 metres. The importance of Las Cañadas as an outstanding platform for astronomic studies is reflected by the fact that the Mt. Teide Astrophysics Observatory was built at Izaña, where there has also been a weather station since 1916. The Mt. Teide Observatory - together with the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, on the island of La Palma - belong to the CANARY ISLAND ASTROPHYSICS INSTITUTE (IAC, from its initials in Spanish), which has its head offices in La Laguna.
Modern Astrophysics took its first steps in the Canary Islands in this Observatory, in the early sixties, in the area of Izaña, at an altitude of 2,400 m, where the municipal boundaries of La Orotava, Fasnia and Güimar converge. The first telescope started to operate in 1964, to study zodiacal light, the light scattered by inter-planetary matter.
Area: 50 hectares
Altitude: 2.400 metres
Longitude: 16º30´5"West
Latitude: 28º18´00" North
Telescope Facilities
There are currently telescopes and other astronomic instruments from over 60 institutions of 19 different countries installed in the Mt. Teide Observatory (Island of Tenerife) and the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory (Island of La Palma). These observation facilities, plus the scientific and technical facilities available in the IAC´s Astrophysics Institute in La Laguna (Tenerife) and in the IAC´s La Palm Common Astrophysics Centre in Breña Baja (La Palma), make up the European Northern Observatory (ENO).
Their geographic location, between the solar observatories of the east and the west, together with the transparency and excellent astronomic quality of the skies, have meant that the Mt. Teide Observatory gives priority to studying the Sun, concentrating the best European solar telescopes at these sites.
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