Masca Ravine — Guided route

Medium, but deceptive. It is all downhill, so there is no cardiovascular effort, and that is why people underestimate it: the problem is the knees and the terrain, with loose stone and passages where you need your hands. You need real hiking boots, not running shoes, and normal fitness. If you have knee problems, this is not your route.

With delicate knees, with vertigo on passages where you need your hands, or if you are only on the island for three or four days: between the early start, the descent and the boat, it takes most of the day. And in midsummer, at midday, there is no air moving in the gorge: that is why you leave early and why we do not advise it for anyone who copes badly with heat.

The gorge descent is €49 per adult and €24.50 per child aged 8 to 11, with the coach out, the boat back to Los Gigantes and the transfer to your accommodation included. It runs Tuesdays and Fridays at 08:20. The village visit without walking is €28 and €18, daily. And here is what you will not be told elsewhere: if you do not walk fairly regularly, the gorge is not worth it. It is hours of descent over loose rock and it drags; with the village visit you get the place and the views without being wrecked.

Masca is the spectacular one and the punishing one; Anaga is the gentle, green one that almost nobody regrets doing. If you are with children, with your parents or with someone who does not walk often, Anaga. If you want the photo of the gorge and have the legs, Masca. And if you have two days, both: they are nothing alike.

Technically yes, but you need a permit from the Tenerife Cabildo to enter the gorge and the daily quota is limited. We handle it. Beyond the paperwork, the guide solves two things that are a problem on your own: the sections where you need to know which way to go, and the boat back, without which you would have to climb the five kilometres again.

Early in the morning, when the gorge is cool and empty. Between the descent, 3 to 4 hours, the wait on the beach and the boat to Los Gigantes, count 4 to 6 hours of activity; adding the journeys from the south, almost the whole day. The meeting point is set according to the route, with the option of pickup in the south.

Two litres of water per person at the very least: it is three to four hours of walking and there is no breeze in the gorge. Add a cap, sunscreen, a snack and quick-drying clothes in case of water or mud crossings. There is a beach at the bottom, so if you fancy a swim before the boat arrives, wear your swimsuit underneath.

From 10 or 12 and with some walking habit. Below that, the terrain does not help and you end up carrying the child on the worst stretch. If you are a family with mixed ages, tell us and we suggest Anaga: gentler, greener and with almost the same visual reward.

With rain or risk of rockfall the Cabildo closes the gorge, and if the sea does not let the boat dock there is no descent: in both cases the date is changed or another route is proposed, usually Anaga. For any other reason, free cancellation up to 48 hours before. It is an excursion worth booking for the first days of your trip, in case it needs moving.

Spanish, English or French depending on the departure. Tell us which one you need and we confirm whether there is a guide in your language that day before you book: in the gorge, understanding the instructions matters more than on a bus.

Naventia Trips checks availability, provider conditions and the traveller's level before confirming the experience.

Yes, and it is what we get asked most. Tell us which days you have free and where you are staying, and we will say what pairs well with this excursion and what should not go on the same day.