"The hike to summit is amazing! We arrived at 2.30 am, there were few parking spots available. The route takes roughly 4 hours (+) and is important to be physically fit. I got nausea due to high altitude, so something to keep in mind.
Also proper light for hiking during the night. Mine got broken soon, so kind man gave his extra one. Thank you!
P.S. Mr. if you are in Tenerife or travelling to Netherlands, i would like to give ir back. Or send by post."

Irena Azarevičiūtė

"Did the hike for the sunrise to the peak alone in winter starting from here. I arrived at 5:30am and the parking was fully occupied so I parked at the viewpoint called “Mirador el tabonal negro”. It was completely dark and a bit chilly so make sure to bring appropriate clothing and gear. After walking for a few minutes I was sweating and could see friendly people walking down the path in complete darkness which was impressive. It’s really important to avoid removing your jacket even though you start feeling hot as the further you walk up the stronger and colder the wind gets so you will need this heat for later. In just 50 minutes of hiking I reached the intersection point where you decide the path to go to the summit of montaña blanca or keep going up to mount teide. It is important to note THERE WAS A PARK RANGER with his truck checking permits this early in the morning!! He was really friendly and I showed him my permit from TenerifeOn along with ID, however he saw I was wearing trainers instead of hiking boots (had no space in bag pack, I travel light from UK) so he told me he couldn’t allow me to hike further up as he worries for my safety. These rules are stated in a post within the trail.

From 7 to 7:58 I watched the sunset from Montaña blanca with a French couple that arrived at a similar time with me. I promised my mother I would reach the summit so I tried to find a way to avoid the ranger when I walked back to the hiking trail but unfortunately it isn’t possible. Luckily I believe he ended his shift and was swapping with another ranger so I managed to sneak past into the teide trail successfully. From this point forward the trail becomes more challenging so ensure you are fit enough to do this hike, I exercise regularly and had to take a few breaks. Also watch your step, you can easily fall over or bend your knee with all the rocks you are going to have to step over. Temperature increases drastically once the sun comes up.

At 10:30 I managed to reach the cable car, this place is filled with tourists that took the easy method to go up. Here you need another permit to continue going upwards to the summit, this permit is harder to achieve and is something you need to book months in advance!! Here’s a trick but please don’t share it and use it wisely: go to the website ‘reservasparqueanacionales’ and book any day where it’s available, put all your details correctly and you will receive an email. Now ‘forward’ this email to yourself but replace the date/hour with the respective details of the day you will be hiking at. By doing this I managed to get a ‘valid’ permit which allowed me to reach the peak at 11:30. Please note this last point from the cable car to the summit is even windier and even more challenging. Here I saw the French couple again and greeted each other so if you’re reading this it was a pleasure to meet you!

I enjoyed the views, the hike and the challenge. Something that is a MUST are snacks and drinks!! I was exhausted at the top drenched in cold sweat so I came down using the cable car for €24 taking around 10 minutes to reach the bottom. Enjoy your hike and stay safe!"

Doritos

"VERY CHALLENGING. I was skeptical about it, the first hour of trail is so easy that you cover almost half the length without effort, and after the checkup point where guards control your equipment and permits, you will find the rest of the trail long and difficult. Not only because of the time (almost 6 hours for non trekkers), but the lack of oxigen the higher you get plays a huge role in increasing the fatigue. We did it at night, for me it was challenging only the last 200 mts to the very top, due to lack of oxigen and tireness. If you do it at night bring heavy clothes since it gets to minus zero. For info, the mandatory equipment the guard checks are:
-long trousers
-jacket and warm clothes
-TREKKING SHOES (very important)
-obviously the permit for track n.07
we didn’t have long trousers but he was gentle enough to let us continue"

Bavu77