Anaga is the mountain range at Tenerife's north-eastern tip, with laurel forest (laurisilva) on the ridges and ravines that drop to the sea. You get in from Santa Cruz or La Laguna; from the south, the direct bus to the capital alone takes 55 minutes, so treat it as a full day out.
The big decision is where to walk. Cruz del Carmen is the easy way into the forest, with no permits and a bus to the door. El Pijaral, the famous "enchanted forest", requires a permit for each person that can't be booked months ahead. And there are guided walks from €24, but none of them goes into El Pijaral.
Our picks
1
The cheapest guided walk
A trail through the rural park with a guide, 3 to 6 h depending on the option, from €24.
GetYourGuide3 - 6 hours
Tenerife: Guided hike in the Anaga Rural Park
4.8 (262 reviews)
from €24Check availability
2
Small group in the laurel forest
A 2.5-hour loop with 12 people at most; good for a first visit.
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Tenerife Anaga Mountains: Circular hike in the laurel forest – small group of max. 12
4.8 (134 reviews)
from €28.80Check availability
3
Cruz del Carmen with local produce
A 3.5-hour walk around Cruz del Carmen with local produce.
GetYourGuide3.5 hours
Cruz del Carmen: Hiking in Anaga with Local Food Products
4.9 (206 reviews)
from €55Check availability
4
Full day in the mountains
7 h of guided hiking and one of the most-reviewed routes in Anaga. Despite the "enchanted forest" in the title, it can't go into El Pijaral.
GetYourGuide7 hours
Anaga Mountains & Enchanted Forest, Tenerife Hiking Tour
5.0 (443 reviews)
from €139Check availability
What Anaga is
The Anaga massif has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 9 June 2015, covering 49,948 hectares that include a wide strip of sea. Inside it is Anaga Rural Park (Parque Rural de Anaga), an older and separate designation, which covers about 7% of the island across the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Laguna and Tegueste.
Cruz del Carmen: the forest with no permit
If you only have one day, start here. The Cruz del Carmen visitor centre is on the TF-12 (the Las Mercedes road), km 22.5, with a car park and a bus stop at the door.
- Opening hours: daily from 09:30 to 16:00; from July to September and from 21 December to 9 January, 09:30 to 15:00. Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 and 6 January.
- Phone: 922 633 576.
- Trails from the door: the Sendero de los Sentidos (three short loops, good with children), the Bosque de los Enigmas, the PR-TF 10 towards Punta del Hidalgo and the PR-TF 12 towards Bajamar.
The two long trails run down from the forest to the sea on the north coast, where you'll find the natural rock pools of Bajamar and Punta del Hidalgo. To get back, bus 050 goes up to La Laguna every 20–30 minutes. Tenerife ON suggests Cruz del Carmen as the permit-free alternative to El Pijaral.
El Pijaral: the trail that needs a permit
El Pijaral lies inside a Strict Nature Reserve (Reserva Natural Integral), and you walk it on the La Ensillada – Cabezo del Tejo trail. It's a loop of just over 6 km, moderate, starting from the La Ensillada car park on the TF-123 at km 4.9.
The rules are strict:
- A free permit is required for each person, on the trail's Tenerife ON page.
- No more than 14 days ahead. Every Monday at 07:00 (Canary time, the same as UK time) a new week opens.
- A maximum of 5 people per booking.
- Daylight only, carrying your permit and ID.
- If you don't turn up, you're barred from booking for 3 months.
- Commercial groups and tour companies can't go in.
- Open the trail's page on Tenerife ON on a Monday at 07:00, when the new week within the 14-day window is released.
- Pick a day and add each person in your group (up to 5).
- Download the permit to your phone or print it: there's no signal at La Ensillada.
- Arrive at the La Ensillada car park or the bus 947 stop (code 1487) with your permit and ID card or passport, leaving enough time to finish in daylight.
There's a second trail with the same permit system: La Asomada – Cruz de Afur, in the Monte Aguirre exclusion zone. The conditions for both are in the Tenerife ON FAQs.
Anaga's villages and beaches
Bus 946 crosses the ridge via El Bailadero, drops down to Taganana and carries on to Almáciga and Roque de las Bodegas, where it terminates. Beyond that, Benijo can only be reached on foot or by car. The 947 takes the other road: it passes La Ensillada, the gateway to El Pijaral, and ends at Chamorga.
On the south side of the massif, 20 minutes from Santa Cruz on bus 910, is Las Teresitas, in San Andrés, the handy beach to end the day. You'll find the island's other beaches in Tenerife beaches.
Getting to Anaga: buses and car
Every route starts from Santa Cruz or La Laguna; from the south, you first need to get to the capital (see Santa Cruz, other towns for La Laguna and our TITSA guide).
| Line | Route | Duration | Departures from Santa Cruz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 946 | Santa Cruz – San Andrés – El Bailadero – Taganana – Almáciga | 60 min | weekdays 05:10, 05:50, 10:30, 13:10, 14:25, 17:15, 19:35; weekends 06:45, 09:10, 12:50, 15:35, 18:15, 19:55 |
| 947 | Santa Cruz – San Andrés – El Bailadero – La Ensillada – Chamorga | 80 min | weekdays 05:10, 15:00, 18:25; weekends 07:00, 10:15, 15:00, 18:25 |
| 76 / 275 | La Laguna – Cruz del Carmen | — | from La Laguna; check the day's timetable |
The 947 returns from Chamorga at 06:20, 16:30 and 19:55 on weekdays, and at 08:20, 11:45, 16:30 and 19:55 at weekends. For El Pijaral by bus, weekends win: the 10:15 drops you at La Ensillada mid-morning, whereas on weekdays the first useful one leaves at 15:00. Full timetables on titsa.com.
By car, there's currently no ban on hire cars: La Laguna town council only passed a non-binding motion. But the Cabildo is preparing barriers at Cruz del Carmen and park-and-ride car parks for Taganana and Almáciga, with on-demand transport later on, so the bus is the option with the fewest surprises.
The weather in Anaga
Anaga is on the wet side of the island. The nearest reference with data from Spain's met office (AEMET) is La Laguna, at 632 m and on the doorstep of Cruz del Carmen: 64 days of rain a year against 15 at the airport in the south, and 80 to 82 mm of rain in November, December and January. In January highs are around 16 °C and lows around 10 °C; in July and August it rains one or two days a month. On the ridges, above that height, expect it to be a bit cooler.
Bring a waterproof, a warm layer and shoes that grip on wet ground. Sunshine in the south guarantees nothing here. In storms the protected areas across the whole island close, and in high-risk periods there are fire-prevention measures; both are posted on the Tenerife ON alerts. More on the weather by area in when to go to Tenerife.
Anaga tour or on your own
| On your own | With a tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Item | on your own | on a tour |
| Price | free (permit) + bus | from €24 per person |
| El Pijaral | yes, with a permit | no, banned for companies |
| Transport | buses 946, 947, 76/275 or car | depends on the tour; some with pick-up |
| Route | you choose on Tenerife ON | the guide's, usually around Cruz del Carmen or other laurel forest areas |
| Explanations | Cruz del Carmen visitor centre | the guide's |
| Signal | none at La Ensillada: download everything | the guide knows the ground |
Go on your own if El Pijaral is your goal or if you're staying in Santa Cruz or La Laguna. Take a tour if you're staying in the south without a car or want someone to explain what you're seeing. Other routes on the island in hiking in Tenerife and, with the same booking system, Masca.
More guided walks in Anaga
GetYourGuide7 hours
Anaga Mountains & Enchanted Forest, Tenerife Hiking Tour
5.0 (443 reviews)
from €139Check availability
GetYourGuide5 hours
Tenerife: Hike Above Masca in Enchanted Forest with Pick-up
4.9 (464 reviews)
from €89Check availability
GetYourGuide3 - 6 hours
Tenerife: Guided hike in the Anaga Rural Park
4.8 (262 reviews)
from €24Check availability
Tiqets08:00
Santa Cruz, La Laguna, and Anaga: Guided Tour + Transportation
2.0 (1 reviews)
from €55Check availability
GetYourGuide3.5 hours
Cruz del Carmen: Hiking in Anaga with Local Food Products
4.9 (206 reviews)
from €55Check availability
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Tenerife Anaga Mountains: Circular hike in the laurel forest – small group of max. 12
4.8 (134 reviews)
from €28.80Check availability
GetYourGuide7 hours
Tenerife: Private Anaga Forest, La Laguna & North Villages
5.0 (92 reviews)
from €112Check availability
Tiqets05:00
Parque Rural de Anaga: Guided Forest Tour with Wellness Activities
no reviews yet
from €300Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →
Practical tips
- Set an alarm for Monday at 07:00 if you want El Pijaral: permits for the new week go quickly.
- Download the trail map as well as the permit, and carry water and food for the whole route.
- For Cruz del Carmen, leave the car in La Laguna and go up on the 76 or 275: you avoid hunting for a parking space and the announced barriers.
Do I need a permit to visit Anaga?
Not for the park in general. The trails that need a permit are El Pijaral (La Ensillada – Cabezo del Tejo) and La Asomada – Cruz de Afur. The permit is free and you apply on Tenerife ON.
How do I get the El Pijaral permit?
On the trail's page at tenerifeon.es, no more than 14 days ahead; every Monday at 07:00 a new week opens. Up to 5 people fit on one booking, and you need to carry it downloaded along with your ID card or passport.
Can I go to El Pijaral on a guided tour?
No. Commercial groups and tour companies can't go on that trail; guided walks cover other laurel forest areas, such as Cruz del Carmen.
Which bus goes to Anaga?
The 946 runs from Santa Cruz to Taganana and Almáciga in 60 minutes, the 947 to La Ensillada and Chamorga in 80 minutes, and the 76 and 275 go up from La Laguna to Cruz del Carmen.
Is Benijo beach open?
Santa Cruz town council closed it by decree because of slope instability. Before you go, check with Santa Cruz town council or on Tenerife ON whether it has reopened.
Can I drive to Anaga in a hire car?
Yes, there's currently no ban. The Cabildo has announced barriers at the Cruz del Carmen car park and a shuttle with booking, so check the latest before you set off.
