El Portillo to Degollada de Guajara

GR 131 Tenerife · Stage 3

13kmStage distance
225mMapped ascent
3Stage number

Closed on set dates: Closed 07:00–14:00 for mouflon control on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 October to 3 November 2026, and on 14 and 15 December 2026: the national park's Siete Cañadas sector south of the TF-21, except the El Portillo and Parador areas. The GR 131.1 path to the Parador is inside the sector. Source, read 19 September 2026

This map ends the stretch at the junction with the GR 131.1 to the Parador; the official stretch continues about 1 km up to the Degollada de Guajara pass, which the map adds to the next stretch.

Best season: All year, with care in winter. The Las Cañadas stretches reach about 2,400 m: winter nights are near freezing and snow or ice is possible from January to March. The forest and southern stretches are mild all year. Before you go

El Portillo to Degollada de Guajara

Loading topographic map…
2,050m2,075m2,100m2,125m2,150m2,175m02 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km2,180m2,047m
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)
Green: El Portillo to Degollada de Guajara. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.

El Portillo to Degollada de Guajara

3 / 5
GPX

Where this stage starts and ends

Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 18 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.

Stage start

El Portillo visitor centre

Trailhead

A visitor centre and restaurants; no accommodation, and camping is not allowed in the national park. TITSA line 348 leaves El Portillo at about 16:30 for La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz, and comes back up the next morning (09:30 from Puerto de la Cruz, at El Portillo about 10:40); line 342 serves the south coast (titsa.com, lines 348 and 342).

La Orotava · Town

OpenStreetMap Wikidata

Stage end

Degollada de Guajara junction

Mountain pass

For the Parador, leave the GR 131 here on the GR 131.1 (about 3.6 km, Cabildo relation 2602966). The official stretch continues about 1 km up to the Degollada de Guajara pass.

Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide · Hotel

Official site Book online

OpenStreetMap

Walking time for this leg

  • El Portillo visitor centre to Degollada de Guajara junction: 4 hoursvia Turismo de Tenerife stretch 3· graded intermediate. Our estimate for this stage is 3 h. Turismo de Tenerife stretch 3: 13.1 km, +494 m / -140 m. webtenerife.co.uk, read 18 September 2026

Make it your trip

Choose your nights

Five official stretches from La Esperanza to Arona; most of the first is closed since the 2023 fire. Book the Parador first: it is the only hotel inside the national park.

La Caldera to Arona

The open route: from the forest above La Orotava up to El Portillo, across Las Cañadas below Teide to the Parador, then down to Vilaflor and Arona. Most of stretch 1 is closed since the 2023 fire.

Plan this journey

La Esperanza stretch

Only the first 14.6 km are open, to Cuatro Tiempos on the TF-24 (taxi, no bus); the rest of the stretch is closed since the 2023 fire.

Plan this journey

El Portillo to Vilaflor

Across Las Cañadas below Teide, with a night at the Parador by the GR 131.1, then down to Vilaflor.

Plan this journey

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for on the trail (2,115 m)…

Weather by month

Typical weather on this stage, around 2,045–2,184 m. Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.

Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
WeatherGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGood
Day / night10°/2°10°/2°12°/2°14°/3°18°/5°22°/9°25°/13°25°/13°21°/9°17°/7°13°/5°11°/3°
Rain, mm586448301621517464977
Snow at high pointFrostFrostFrost–––––––––
Daylight10 h 3211 h 1111 h 5712 h 4913 h 3213 h 5613 h 4713 h 1112 h 2211 h 3210 h 4610 h 22

Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.

Before you go

Prepare for the Teide caldera

Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.

Book the Parador first

The Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide is the only hotel inside the national park, 3.6 km off the route by the GR 131.1. Without it, the caldera stretches need a bus or a taxi to reach a bed.

Paradores: Las Cañadas del Teide

Stay on the marked trail, and no camping

The national park does not permit camping, and visitors must keep to the marked trails. Check the park's notices before you go.

Teide National Park: rules for visitors

Cold nights, snow and ice up high

Las Cañadas lies above 2,000 m: nights near freezing in winter, and snow or ice possible from January to March. Check the forecast and the Cabildo's trail alerts each morning.

Tenerife ON: trail alerts and incidents

Mouflon control days, October to December 2026

The Cabildo shuts parts of the high ground for mouflon culling. Las Cañadas, south of the TF-21 (stretch 3 and the GR 131.1 to the Parador), is closed 07:00–14:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 October to 3 November and on 14 and 15 December. Vilaflor to the Degollada de Guajara (stretch 4) is closed 07:00–16:00 on 21 and 28 October, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 to 18 November, and on 23 and 24 November and 9–10 December. Plan those stretches for other days: the day planner flags them on your dates.

BOC notice 944 of 2026 (Spanish)

Most of stretch 1 is closed

The Cabildo's trail map shows km 15.3 to 27.8 of La Esperanza to La Caldera closed since the forest fire of summer 2023 and for rockfall, with no signed way round. Entering a closed section is not allowed. Walk La Esperanza to Cuatro Tiempos as a day on its own (book a taxi for the TF-24, where there is no bus), and start the through-walk at La Caldera.

Tenerife ON: GR 131 closures

Getting there

Connect your journey

Travel around El Portillo to Degollada de Guajara.

Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.

Fly to Tenerife North or South

Tenerife North is closest to La Esperanza; Tenerife South is closest to Arona and Vilaflor.

Aena: Tenerife airports

Island buses

TITSA line 345 links La Caldera with La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. Each stage page lists the bus stops near its start and finish; check lines and timetables with TITSA.

TITSA: lines and timetables

Take your trip with you

Offline maps

Prepare each stretch while you still have a connection; mobile coverage is patchy in the forest and the caldera.

Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.

  1. Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
  2. Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
  3. Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.

Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.

Route & sources

About this map

The map follows the OpenStreetMap relation of the GR 131 (Camino Natural Anaga-Chasna, relation 1122328, operated by the Cabildo de Tenerife), cut at the five stretch ends Turismo de Tenerife publishes. It measures 84.4 km; the official stretches add up to 85.0 km. Turismo de Tenerife lists the official approval of all five stretches as in progress. The Cabildo's Tenerife ON map shows most of stretch 1 closed since the 2023 forest fire (read 18 September 2026); the plans here keep to the open route.

Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 18 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.

Turismo de Tenerife: GR 131 Anaga-Chasna

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation