GR131 | OUR STAGES
The GR131 spans between La Esperanza and Arona, crossing magical pine tree forests, scenic volcanic grounds and lunar landscapes.
On average, hikers usually take 5 to 6 days to complete this trekking, depending on fitness level and pace.
Here you’ll find a description of the stages we hiked along the GR131. Since we strongly believe in the HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike) principle, we also provide more information about thru hike direction and possible variants along the trail.
Our GR131 Stages
We thru hiked the GR131 in 6 stages, elencated here below. You will find a short stage overview in terms of distance, elevation gain and loss. Additionally, we wrote down some important remarks for each stage and some memories for us to remember.
STAGE 1: La Esperanza - El Gaitero
Distance: 16 km
Elevation Gain: 900 m
Elevation Loss: 345 m
Walking Time: 4h 45min
IMPORTANT REMARKS
The official first stage of the GR131 in Tenerife runs for 30km from La Esperanza to La Caldera. However, since we wanted to train our legs and get used to our backpacks during our first hiking day, we decided to split the stage into two. We therefore hiked only half of the stage, until El Gaitero, where we could join the main road and call a taxi that drove us back to San Cristobal de La Laguna. If you also decide to split this stage into two and walk until El Gaitero, take into consideration that El Gaitero is not served by buses, so a transfer by taxi must be arranged to reach your accommodation.
Make sure to pay attention and follow the red and white signs of the GR131, since the official path is crossed by many other trails along this stage. The trail follows easy paths and dirt roads, first through mystic laurisilva “cloud forests” and then between tall Canary pines.
MEMORIES
After having an amazing breakfast at La Laguna Gran Hotel, where we “stole” some bread, cheese and cold cuts to prepare our sandwiches, we catched a taxi to La Esperanza, and started our adventure on the GR131. Although no amazing views were present along this stage, as we walked the whole time into a green tunnel, the forested landscapes changed from a mystical laurisilva forest, covered in green moss, to huge Canary pine trees.
STAGE 2: El Gaitero - La Caldera
Distance: 18 km
Elevation Gain: 500 m
Elevation Loss: 1100 m
Walking Time: 5h
IMPORTANT REMARKS
This is the second half of the first official stage of the GR131, from La Esperanza to La Caldera. If you also decide to split this stage into two and start walking from El Gaitero on the second day, take into consideration that El Gaitero is not served by buses, and a transfer by taxi must be arranged. As you reach La Caldera at the end of the stage, we advise to walk down to the Restaurant Aguamansa for a water refill, or to head to La Orotava to find accommodations, either by bus or by taxi.
MEMORIES
We walked the whole day through a forest of tall Canary pine trees. The athmosphere was very quiet, the ground was covered in green moss and Spanish moss was hanging from the trees… it seemed as if the forest was inhabited by gentle magical spirits.
STAGE 3: La Caldera - El Portillo
Distance: 13.5 km
Elevation Gain: 1090 m
Elevation Loss: 240 m
Walking Time: 4h 30min
IMPORTANT REMARKS
This stage starts with gentle paths in the woods near Aguamansa. During the second half of the stage, the trail climbs up to El Portillo, therefore entering the Teide National Park after a long ascent. Make sure to check the bus schedules at El Portillo beforehand, to avoid bad surprises when you reach the top of the climb. From El Portillo, you can catch a bus either to the Parador, or back to La Orotava.
MEMORIES
We climbed through the forest with a slow but steady pace, looking forward to finally leaving the trees behind us and entering the Teide National Park. We stayed at the Hotel Parador, and we witnessed a magical and warm sunset at the Roques de García.
STAGE 4: El Portillo - Parador
Distance: 17 km (we did 21 km)
Elevation Gain: 260 m (we did 850 m)
Elevation Loss: 150 m (we did 550 m)
Walking Time: 5h (we did 5h 30min)
IMPORTANT REMARKS
If you are sleeping at the Hotel Parador, make sure to check in advance the schedule of the bus driving to El Portillo. In our case, the first bus was too late in the morning, so we had to arrange a very expensive taxi drive to the start of the stage.
This is an easy stage along a dirt road at the outer edge of the volcano’s crater. However, since we were staying only one full day in the Teide National Park, we decided to make the most out of it and walk along different trails in the park, therefore lengthening the stage until Parador. We did not regret this decision, since the breathtaking landscapes along the stage varied a lot. If you are curious about the path of our stage, head down to the section Variants.
MEMORIES
The day started with some bad news: due to strong winds, the cablecar to the top of El Teide was closed, and the trails on the volcano were also closed due to snow and ice. Our initial plan of reaching the top of Teide by cablecar and then hike down on the side of Pico Viejo was suddenly not an option anymore. We therefore headed to El Portillo and started hiking along the official GR131 path. The volcanic landscapes were impressive as we walked through fog and rain during the first hour. As we reached a junction to another trail of the national park (heading to Las Minas de San José), we started seeing some sunlight on the horizon, and decided to vary our path and follow the light. During this stage, we therefore followed different trails of the park until Parador and lengthen our stage, but it was stunning!
STAGE 5: Parador - Vilaflor
Distance: 16 km
Elevation Gain: 500 m
Elevation Loss: 1200 m
Walking Time: 5h 30min
IMPORTANT REMARKS
The change of scenery during this stage is impressive. You will climb up behind the mountain Guajara, leaving the crater of the Teide National Park with its beautiful volcanic views. During the descent towards Vilaflor, you will cross a hill covered in black sand and walk through lunar landscapes. At lower altitudes, sparse pine trees will accompany your arrival at Vilaflor.
MEMORIES
As we reached the highest point of the trail, the Alto the Guajara, the fog suddenly climbed up the mountain and surrounded us. Nevertheless, the landscapes we were crossing were special and breathtaking. We spent the day chitchatting and loughing. As we were finally approaching Vilaflor, my mom Gio’ injured her knee on the descent and our smiles vanished… my sister and I took turns to carry her backpack for the last 3 km, not a “passeggiata”.
STAGE 6: Vilaflor - Arona
Distance: 17.km
Elevation Gain: 450 m
Elevation Loss: 1260 m
Walking Time: 5h 30min
IMPORTANT REMARKS
We advise to keep an eye on your GPS during the first part of the stage, as the paths are very convoluted between sparse trees and it is easy to make a wrong turn.
MEMORIES
Gio’ wisely decided not to stress her knee and to skip this stage... it was strange walking without her. My favorite part of the day was towards the end of the stage, as we passed Roque Imoque and suddenly a green impressive valley opened up in front of us. The landscapes reminded us of Jurassic Park and were breathtaking! We then spent the last kilometers on trail singing the soundtrack of the movie.
Walking Direction
The GR131 in Tenerife, as any other thru hike, can be walked in both directions, starting either from La Esperanza or from Arona. Hikers usually choose to start their adventure from the North, in La Esperanza, and walk towards the South, to Arona, as indicated by most of the guides.
We also hiked North to South and we really enjoyed the way the landscapes were changing along the way. We also liked the fact that the temperatures were getting warmer as we were approaching the southern part of the island. Moreover, the last stage to Arona was amazing!
Variants
In Tenerife, hikers can start or end their adventure in most of the towns along or near the GR131, provided that they are served by public transports.
Possible variants worth mentioning comprise hiking trails in the Teide National Park, described here below.
CLIMB EL TEIDE
If you are planning to experience a special day on top of El Teide volcano and to reach its summit at 3718 m, you must do a little reaserch beforehand, as there is some planning to do.
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.
There are two main options for reaching the top of El Teide: you could either climb up and descend in two days, with an overnight stop at the Refugio Altavista, or climb and descend in one day only. Additionally, if you feel like resting, you could even plan to use the cablecar to go up and/or down the volcano.
Here is a map with the different trails on El Teide and some recommended options for a special adventure on the volcano. If you don’t plan on following the below described options, the most important thing to bear in mind is that you’ll need a permit for hiking trail no. 10 to the summit between 09:00 and 17:00. The permit has to be booked far in advance (we recomment at least 3 months beforehand) on this website.
OPTION A - Two days hike (no permit needed):
Distance: 11.5 km (day 1), 13 km (day 2)
Elevation Gain: 1250 m (day 1), 450 m (day 2)
Elevation Loss: 0 m (day 1), 1570 m (day 2)
Walking Time: 5h (day 1), 5h (day 2)
This option allows hikers to include a summit of El Teide while still linking it with the course of the GR131. During the first day, you would hike from El Portillo to the unattended Refugio Altavista (trail no. 6 and 7). The overnight stay at the refuge allows to climb to the summit (trail no. 11 and 10) without the need for a permit, in time to see a spectacular sunrise, and then descend to the Hotel Parador (trail no. 12 and 23).
If you plan to go ahead with this option, make sure that the refuge is open (it was temporarily closed when we were in Tenerife). You can book a spot for sleeping at the refuge on this website. You will not need to secure a permit for summitting El Teide, ensured that you will leave trail no.10 before 09:00 on the second day.
Depending on your fitness level and stamina, you could also choose to complete this traverse in one day only, but you have to bear in mind that some sections will be steep and rocky, and that there is a possibility to experience mild altitude sickness symptoms.
OPTION B - One day hike (no permit needed):
Distance: 17 km
Elevation Gain: 1400 m
Elevation Loss: 1500 m
Walking Time: 8h
This option allows hikers to climb to the summit of El Teide and descend in one day. You would start hiking at the parking lot or bus stop Montaña Blanca, reach the summit of the volcano, and descend towards Pico Viejo, to finally arrive at the Hotel Parador (trail no. 7, 11, 10, 12 and 23).
For this option, you will need a permit only if you want to hike trail no. 10 to the summit of the volcano between 09:00 and 17:00.
In case you want to reach the summit of El Teide in time for sunrise, you will need to be at the start of the trail Montaña Blanca (trail no. 7) very early in the morning, and there will be no public transport or taxi at that time. The ascend will take approximately 4 hours. However, you will not need any permit to reach the very top of El Teide (trail no. 10), ensured that you’ll leave the peak before 09:00.
CABLECAR
The cablecar could be used is case you don’t want to walk at all, or if you just want to either climb or descend El Teide by foot, hence doing half of the effort. We also advise to purchase your cablacar ticket in advance. Bear in mind that it is not guaranteed that the cablecar will be functioning, either due to freezing temperatures, strong wind, or bad weather. If so, you will however get your money back but, if you already hiked all the way up, you have to make sure you have enough energy spared for the descent. We recommend to visit this website for checking status of the cablecar and buying a ticket.
ALTERNATIVE NATIONAL PARK TRAILS
There are plenty of trails in the Teide National Park, which could offer an alternative to the official stage of the GR131 from El Portillo to the Parador.
The official stage runs on the trail no. 4, all the way on the outer edge of the crater. As already mentioned, since we were not able to climb El Teide due to snow and icy conditions, we decided to hike this stage and including some variants along the way. We first followed trail no. 4 from El Portillo, then trail no. 30 and 39 (not on the map) to visit the Minas de San José, and we finally reached the Parador by following trail no. 19.
Trail Map and GPX File
Here you can find a map that I customized using AllTrails, showing an overview of our planned stages along the GR131. In case the view of the map is not optimal, you can try to re-select the display mode. You can click on the first map title to head to the AllTrails website, where all the waypoints are described.
Additionally, here you can download the GPX file that we used on the trail for our navigation device.