The Teide National Park covers the entire central massif of Tenerife, centred on the volcanic caldera Las Cañadas and the summit of Mount Teide at 3,718 metres — Spain's highest point and the world's third-largest volcano by height from its base on the ocean floor. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its extraordinary volcanic landscape: twisted lava formations, fields of black pumice, strange rock pillars called Roques de García, and an almost complete absence of vegetation at altitude that gives it a genuinely lunar quality.
The park is accessible by car via the TF-21 road from both the north and south of the island. The drive up through the forests and into the caldera is dramatic. At the heart of the park, the Visitor Centre at Cañadas del Teide has exhibits on the geology and ecology. The cable car (Teleférico del Teide) lifts visitors to 3,555 metres in eight minutes; to go the final 163 metres to the summit crater you need a free permit booked in advance online. Allow a full day for the park — longer if you want to hike any of the trails.