GR131 | GET INFORMED
Are you captured by the idea of a trekking on an island, crossing amazing diverse landscapes and climbing on top of a vulcano, while also taking your time to visit charming little towns?
If your answer is a YES, the GR131 is the adventure you are looking for. Pick up pen and paper and start realizing this dream of yours!
At first, it can be difficult to gather all the information to plan a long hike.
This post will guide you through the most common questions that usually fill up my brain when I start dreaming about hiking a new trail.
… I know, it can be a bit overwhelming, but if I managed to organize this thru hike, so can you. One step at a time, one question at a time… happy trail planning!
What is the GR131?
The GR131 is a 560 km long island-hopping trail which runs coast-to-coast through the seven Canary Islands: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro.
The trail is therefore very diverse and leads hikers through different breathtaking landscapes, from rugged coastlines, pine forests and mountains, to arid and volcanic slopes. However, it is not amongst the most popular trekkings, mainly because of its fragmented nature, which makes logistics and ferry rides difficult to be organized. Hikers usually take about one month to complete this trekking.
In this blog, we will only talk about the GR131 section in Tenerife, which spans for 94 km between La Esperanza and Arona, therefore crossing the island and its incredibly diverse landscapes. Hikers usually take between 5 and 6 days to complete this trekking in Tenerife.
Which island should I choose?
If you don’t have enough time to hike the whole GR131 or if you just want to hike a section of it, avoiding difficult planning with ferry schedules, then you have to choose between the islands listed above… I know, big dilemma! It took us a long time to figure out where we wanted to hike, and in the end we decided for Tenerife.
I can’t really say much about the Canary islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, since I did not hike on them. The entire length of the GR131 is for sure very beautiful and diverse between the different islands. For example, you will hike on very dry and volcanic terrain on the island of Lanzarote, and through greener landscapes on Gran Canaria.
However, I can say that we definitely did not regret choosing Tenerife! A thru hike on this island is perfect if you only have one week of time, since it can be completed in 5 to 6 days, and the scenery was so diverse and stunning. I think the trail on Tenerife could be considered as a mini-experience of the whole GR131, because you will indeed cross different breathtaking landscapes, from magical laurisilva forests, pine forests and mountains, to arid and volcanic slopes resembling the moon. Moreover, who doesn’t want to see the massive Teide Volcano once in a lifetime?
What kind of experience does it offer?
The GR131 in Tenerife leads hikers through the very diverse landscapes of the island, allowing them to simultaneously experience the wild breeze of mountains and sea, the peace and silence of forests and lunar volcanic terrain. It is not a very popular trail and therefore allows for a nice solitary experience, especially if camping along the way.
I hiked this trail together with my mom Gio’ and my sister Gilda. It was a special experience that allowed us to spend time together in nature, while visiting the stunning island of Tenerife and enjoying the luxury of sleeping in a warm bed at night and tasting local food.
That being said, it is important to note that a thru hike will always provide a different and unique experience to every hiker. In short, Hike Your Own Hike!
Where can I find useful information?
The planning phase of a long-distance hike can easily become tricky and overwhealming. Sometimes, too many information are present on the web, making it hard to choose the right one to start with. Sometimes, too few information are available, making the planning even harder. Here you can find the pages that we used to organize our trip on the GR131 in Tenerife.
The website: we mainly used this website for inspiration about the possible stages and accommodations near the trail.
The book: our trail expert Paddy Dillon never disappoints! His guide book from Cicerone helped us in the planning of the stages and I brought it with me on trail.
The blog: this nice blog post also helped us and gave us a better idea of the stages. It describes the stages in the opposite walking direction as ours, and gives a different perspective, as it is written by someone who wildcamped along the way.
Teide website: this website is particularly useful if you are planning to climb the Teide volcano, as it shows the weather, the status of the cablecar and options for booking rides on it, and whether the trails are open or closed.
Teide permit website: on this website you can book your permit for reaching the summit of the Teide volcano. This permit is only needed if you plan to hike to the very top, above the cablecar stop, between 09:00 and 17:00.
The Trail Chat: feel free to ask me anything about the trail, I am always happy to help and support you during the planning phase of your thru hike!
Which difficulties will I face?
The trail itself is not difficult, but could become tougher in bad weather conditions and with a heavy pack on your back. I think that anyone with some hiking experience, enough planning and a moderate fitness level will be able to thru hike the GR131 in Tenerife.
The most important points to consider for hiking the GR131 are elencated here below:
HEAVY BACKPACK
Your backpack could become quite heavy if you don’t plan your equipment list well, and a lighter backpack is the key for you to enjoy a long distance hike! You can find a list of everything we brought with us in the post EQUIPMENT.
TERRAIN AND WAYMARKS
No need to worry for the terrain and the waymarks along the trail! The GR131 in Tenerife is indeed technically easy and is well marked, either with official red-arrowed signs or with white and red stripes painted on rocks. However, sometimes it could be easy to take a wrong turn and get off the official trail, especially in the forests, where many other paths constantly intersect the GR131. We therefore advise to carry a navigation device (a GPS or a map on your phone) and to know how to use it.
ACCOMMODATION PLANNING
First of all, you have to decide how you want to experience this trekking, whether you want to wildcamp on trail, or sleep in a warm bed at night.
The planning of the stages and respective accommodations on the GR131 in Tenerife was for us the hardest thing to organize. There is indeed a wide range of accommodation options, but the majority of them are not the most suitable for hikers, as they lie far off the trail, requiring a bus or taxi drive to be reached. Furthermore, wildcamping is technically not allowed on the island, especially inside the Teide National Park. However, many hikers manage to camp discreetely, without leaving any trace and without being caught.
You can find out our accommodation options in the post ACCOMMODATIONS.
EL TEIDE LOGISTICS
If you are planning to climb the Teide volcano, you must do a little reaserch beforehand, as there is some planning to do, especially if you want to reach the very top of it. You can find more detailed information about this variant and possible logistics in the post OUR STAGES.
Once in Tenerife, we mainly used this website for checking the status of the cablecar and whether the trails on the volcano were open or closed.
The most important thing you need to know is that you will need a permit if you want to climb to the very top of El Teide (trail no. 10, from the cablecar stop to the summit) between 09:00 and 17:00. We advise to book a pemit online at least 3 months beforehand, if you want to be sure to secure one. This means that you already have to know the date of your adventure on El Teide far in advance.
WEATHER
The weather is a potential issue that you must not underestimate on the GR131. During summer, the temperatures could indeed become too hot for long distance hiking. Although winter months could be warm and sunny, there is a higher chance of rain and cold winds on higher altitudes, and the Teide and surroundings could get covered in snow. Although the weather is usually good for hiking all year round, bad weather and cold temperatures at higher altitudes, especially in the Teide National Park, must not be underestimated.
LEAVE NO TRACE
Although the Leave No Trace principle shouldn’t be considered as a challenge, please make sure to respect the nature you are visiting by picking up and carrying your own trash, including dirty toilet papers, until the next town or hotel.
When is the best time to hike it?
The GR131 is a trail that can be hiked at any time of the year. However, during summer, high temperatures could become unbearable for long distance hiking and, although winter months could be warm and sunny, there is a higher chance of rain and cold winds on higher altitudes, with a possibility of snow on El Teide.
From my personal experience, I would recommend to hike it in Spring, either in March or April.
How do I reach the trail?
If you have read the above information about the GR131 in Tenerife and decided that you want to embark on this special adventure, it is time to start thinking about how to actually reach the trail.
The island of Tenerife can be easily reached by plane, landing at the international Tenerife Sur airport, which is served by many airlines from several countries. To then reach your planned accommodation or starting point of the trail, we advise to either catch a taxi, or to check the bus schedules on Google Maps or TITSA. At the end of the GR131, we advise to do the same for travelling back to the airport.
We have to admit that, in order to avoid further planning and additional stress, we often hired a taxi for getting around the island, either to reach our accommodation or to get back on trail. However, TITSA buses are available at the end of every official GR131 stage, although they could be limited in service hours and might run only once or twice a day, especially in the Teide National Park. For this reason, you always have to make sure to be on time, if you are planning to use them.
In the post OUR TRIP you can find our travel schedule, which might give you some inspiration.
What should I pack?
For hiking the GR131, as for any other long distance hike, we advise to minimize your pack weight as much as possible. You will find a detailed list of the equipment we took along with us in the post EQUIPMENT.
Here I will just try to answer the most frequently asked questions during the planning phase of this thru hike.
What about wildcamping and camping gear?
Wildcamping is not allowed on the island of Tenerife, especially in the Teide National Park. However, many hikers manage to camp discreetely, without leaving any trace and without being caught. If starting the hike from Arona, camping gear and trekking food can be bought in San Cristòbal de La Laguna. Since we decided to enjoy the luxus of warm meals and accommodations provided along the GR131, we did not pack any camping gear, therefore reducing the weight of our packs drastically.
How much food should I carry?
It is possible to resupply in all the villages along or close to the GR131, except in the Teide National Park, where only a few bars and cafeterias are present.
However, if staying in hotels along the way, we recommend to carry snacks and a picknick for the stage only, in order to minimize your pack’s weight. We always managed to prepare and pack our own sandwiches at the hotel we were staying, during breakfast. If you are curious about our food strategy on the GR131, head to our FOOD post.
How much water should I carry?
Every evening we filled our bottles with tap water, and I personally carried 1.5L with me every day and it was more than enough, since we hiked this trail in February, we did not wildcamp, and the temperatures were not super high. Additionally, bottled water can be purchased at every village in shops, bars, or at the hotel. However, if you are planning to hike the GR131 in warmer months, or to wildcamp along the trail, make sure you pack enough water to last until the next town or bar, and to refill it at your first chance! On trail, there are indeed no rivers or fountains to refill your water bottles.
Where can I leave my normal clothes?
You will definitely not need fancy clothes for this adventure. Therefore, make sure to only pack clothes that you REALLY need during the hike. The full list of the clothes I packed can be found in the post EQUIPMENT.
How much money will I spend?
For the entire trip we spent around 1’500 CHF each, including flights.
However, we decided to treat ourselves very well, by sleeping in nice hotels along the way and enjoying good dinners at restaurants. Moreover, we often moved around by taxi and even rented a car for our last day after the trekking, hence spending one additional day as tourists on the island. Therefore, the budget for this trip could strongly vary depending on your accommodation choice, wheter you choose to bring your own tent, and commute from and to the trail by bus or taxi.
If you plan to hike the same stages as we did (described in the post OUR STAGES), I am sure that with a good planning and provided that you’ll find a good deal for the flight, the budget for this trip could be reduced to 1000 CHF, while still enjoying the luxus of sleeping at hotels and eating out at the restaurant. Moreover, if you plan to wildcamp along the the trail, the budget could be easily further reduced to less than 500 CHF.
Long story short, don’t get discouraged and plan your own adventure!
CASH OR CARD?
We mostly payed by credit card all the accommodations and meals on the GR131. However, it is always useful to bring cash (EUR) as well, since small bars, shops and bus drivers often only deal in cash.