Key details
Tenerife's most impressive route
The Masca gorge is Tenerife's best-known route, and deservedly: five kilometres descending from the village at 600 metres down to the beach, between walls that reach 500 metres high. You walk along the floor of a volcanic gorge with vegetation clinging to the rock, and photos do not convey the scale. It is the excursion people remember most, and also the one their legs complain about most the next day.
It is downhill only, which is misleading: there is nothing to climb, but the ground is uneven, with loose earth, rock and the odd step where you need your hands. In hiking boots and with normal fitness it goes fine; in street trainers or with fragile knees, you suffer. That is why there are three route levels and why we ask first: if you tell us you are going with your parents or a ten-year-old, we will suggest the gentle one, or Anaga instead — greener, easier and almost as beautiful.
At the beach a boat picks you up and you return by sea towards Los Gigantes, seeing from below the cliffs you have just come down. That crossing is the best half hour of the excursion and the reason to do it with a guide rather than alone: without the boat, you would have to walk the five kilometres back up.
Included
- Official certified guide
- Return boat from Masca beach to Los Gigantes
- Return transfer from Los Gigantes to the hotel
- Activity insurance
Not included
- Outbound transfer from the hotel (ask us)
- Food and drinks (bring a snack and at least 2 litres of water)
Frequently asked questions
Is it a difficult route?
Medium, but deceptive. It is all downhill, so there is no cardio effort, and that is why people underestimate it: the problem is your knees and the ground, with loose stone and steps where you need your hands. You need proper hiking boots, not running shoes, and normal fitness. If you have knee problems, this is not your route.
Can you do the ravine without a guide?
Technically yes, but you need a permit from the Cabildo de Tenerife to enter the gorge and the daily quota is limited. We handle that. Beyond the paperwork, the guide solves two things that are a problem alone: the sections where you need to know the way, and the boat back, without which you would have to walk the five kilometres up again.
How much water should I bring?
Two litres of water per person minimum: it is three to four hours walking and there is no breeze in the gorge. Add a cap, sun cream, a snack and quick-drying clothes in case of water or mud. There is a beach at the bottom, so if you fancy a swim before the boat arrives, wear your swimsuit underneath.
Can it be done with children?
From 10 or 12 years old and with some walking habit. Below that, the terrain does not help and you end up carrying the child on the worst section. If you are a family with mixed ages, tell us and we will suggest Anaga: gentler, greener and with almost the same visual payoff.