La Orotava: the valley by bike

Why La Orotava works on a bike

The La Orotava valley drops from the 2,000 metres at the edge of the national park down to the sea in little more than ten kilometres. That gradient, punishing on foot and just tarmac by car, turns on an electric bike into the best continuous viewpoint on the island: banana terraces below, houses with pine balconies in the old town and Teide in the background most of the way.

The three routes by difficulty

• La Orotava by electric bike, 3.5 hours: the gentlest, focused on the old town and its surroundings.
• Half day through the valley, 4 hours: down the slope between crops and hamlets.
• Corral del Niño from Izaña, 5 hours: the high one, starting near the observatory, with the ridge and the sea of clouds.

Worth knowing

• All three are on electric bikes: the assist eats the climbs, but you do need to know how to ride.
• Guide in English, Italian, Danish and Spanish on the bike routes.
• Up at Izaña it is far colder than down on the coast: bring a windproof layer even in beach weather.
• We currently have no guachinche routes or private driver-guide tours in the valley.

More on Tenerife

See departures in the north of Tenerife, what is on in Puerto de la Cruz, ten minutes away, and all Tenerife excursions.