Tenerife Mountain Biking

Tenerife is the Canary Islands' big winter-sun riding destination, where the slopes of Mount Teide drop from over 2,000m through Canary pine forest and volcanic badlands to the Atlantic. The island's legal backbone for mountain bikes is its forest track network: the Cabildo de Tenerife puts the cyclable tracks inside its protected natural areas at more than 2,000km, including five waymarked bike and horse routes with thirteen extensions, from the 6.5km Las Raíces to Las Lagunetas loop to the 85km North Route. That makes it excellent gravel and cross country country. Local guiding companies also run van-supported enduro days with big, rocky descents towards the coast, but bikes are banned from footpaths in the island's protected areas and from all but three tracks in Teide National Park, so it pays to know the rules before you plan a trip.

The Trails

Tenerife has no bike park or trail centre. The riding is a mix of forest tracks, old volcanic tracks and, where permitted, rocky singletrack, spread around the flanks of Teide in four broad zones:

• The south: Vilaflor, one of the highest villages in Spain, sits at the foot of the Corona Forestal Natural Park, where long forest tracks run through open Canary pine forest on loose, rocky, pumice-strewn ground. Below the pines the terrain turns to dry, jagged volcanic rock and ravines as it drops towards the south coast.
• The north: the wetter northern slopes above La Orotava, Aguamansa and La Esperanza carry denser pine and laurel forest, with tracks that are greener, looser and often damp under the trade-wind cloud.
• The west: lava fields and pine forest above Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide.
• The northeast: the Anaga mountains above Santa Cruz and La Laguna, steep and heavily wooded.

The Cabildo waymarks five routes for bikes and horses, signed with orange bands and the code BC, all on forest tracks:

• BC-1 North Route: the longest, around 85km in its main section plus about 53km of variants, running across the northern slopes. Advanced.
• BC-2 Las Raíces to Las Lagunetas: 6.5km in the Las Lagunetas Protected Landscape in the north, the easiest of the five.
• BC-3: 9.3km on the Fife and El Jaral forest tracks above Guía de Isora in the west. Intermediate.
• BC-4 South Route: 16.6km through the pine forests of the southern summit, from the El Contador recreation area towards Volcanes Negros in Arico. Intermediate.
• BC-5 Vilaflor Pine Forests: a 13.8km route through the Corona Forestal pines around Vilaflor, reached from the TF-21 above the village.

Route cards, maps and current closures for every BC route are on Tenerife ON, the Cabildo's official outdoor platform, which is also available as an app.

Access Rules for Mountain Bikes

Tenerife's rules are stricter than a UK rider might expect, and the island has a lot of no-bikes signage on its footpaths. The position published by the Cabildo de Tenerife, which manages the island's protected natural areas:

• Forest tracks: in most of the island's 42 protected areas, including the Corona Forestal Natural Park and the Las Lagunetas Protected Landscape, bikes may use all the forest tracks, apart from short closures for works and a few exceptions set by an area's own plan, such as steep firebreaks.
• Footpaths: riding on walking paths inside protected areas is prohibited. The only exceptions are the Siete Lomas Protected Landscape, the Montaña Roja Special Nature Reserve (except the paths up Montaña Roja and Montaña Bocinegro) and the Montaña Colorada Natural Monument.
• Teide National Park: under the park's management plan, approved in December 2025, cycling is allowed on the tarmac roads and only three dirt tracks: the Arico El Viejo track and its branch towards Fasnia, the Corral del Niño to Montaña del Limón track, and the Montaña del Alto (Guamaso) track. All other tracks, every footpath and the rest of the park are closed to bikes.
• Organised activities: guided rides and other organised activities inside protected areas are regulated more tightly than individual riders and can need an authorisation from the Cabildo.

Outside the protected areas, access depends on the land and the path, so check locally. Tracks and paths across the island are subject to periodic closures for wildfire recovery, forestry works and wildlife management, and the forests can be closed at short notice in periods of high fire risk, so always check Tenerife ON for current alerts before you ride.

Gravel Riding

The forest track network is where Tenerife really suits a gravel or cross country bike. The five waymarked BC routes, more than 180km with their extensions, sit on forest tracks through the pine forests of the north and south, and the wider track network inside the protected areas runs to more than 2,000km. The BC-4 and BC-5 routes around Vilaflor and the southern summit and the BC-2 loop at Las Lagunetas are good introductions, while the BC-1 North Route is a big day or more on its own. Expect loose volcanic gravel and sustained climbing at altitude, and download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.

Guides, Shuttles and Hire

Tenerife's reputation as a winter enduro destination is built on guided shuttle days: a guide collects you, drives you up to the pine forest at around 2,000m to 2,200m on the edge of the national park, and leads long descending days of 25km to 30km back towards the coast, often with some climbing along the way. Days are usually graded by technical difficulty and fitness, from forest-track rides for newer riders to loose, rocky, very technical descents.

• Lavatrax: guided cross country and all-mountain or enduro rides with van uplift, based in the south near Tenerife South airport and collecting riders from a pick-up zone around the southern resorts. It runs from mid-September to late July, closing in August because of the heat and fire risk, and hires bikes for its guided rides. Five-day guided and uplifted packages cost around EUR 330 per person.
• Ridebase Tenerife: mountain bike and e-MTB hire, guided rides and multi-day trips from Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast, handy for the northern forests.

Before you book, ask the operator which routes it rides and how they fit the protected-area rules above. Prices are correct as of September 2026 but subject to change, so check current rates with the operator. Bike shops and hire outlets are spread around the island's main resorts and towns.

Getting There from the UK

Tenerife has two airports. Tenerife South, near the south coast resorts, takes most of the flights from the UK and is the closer airport for the southern riding: Vilaflor is roughly 40 minutes' drive away and the Costa Adeje resorts around 20 minutes. Tenerife North, near La Laguna, has fewer UK flights but is handy for the north coast, around 30 minutes from Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava, which are over an hour from Tenerife South by motorway. Bikes can travel as checked sports equipment in a bike bag or box, and need booking in advance with your flight. Many riders on guided trips hire a bike on the island instead. There are no trains on the island, so plan on a hire car, an airport transfer or an operator pick-up.

When to Go

Tenerife rides all year, but it is a winter destination for good reason: from autumn to late spring the coast is warm and dry while the UK is wet, and the high pine forests are cool enough for long days on the bike. The period from around October to May is the main riding season. Summer brings serious heat on the south coast and the highest wildfire risk in the forests, when access can be restricted at short notice. Remember that the riding starts high: at 2,000m and above it can be cold, windy and occasionally snowy in winter, with the roads up to the national park sometimes restricted after snowfall, and the northern slopes often sit in cloud. Pack warm layers and a waterproof even when it is hot at sea level.

If you are making a longer Canary Islands trip, Gran Canaria, a short flight or ferry away, has a similar winter-sun season and its own mapped forest-track network.

Where to Stay

The south coast resorts around Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Las Américas are the easiest base for a guided trip, being close to Tenerife South airport, where several guiding companies collect their riders. For independent riding, the quieter towns and villages on the southern slopes, such as Vilaflor and its neighbours, put you right at the foot of the pine forest tracks. The north coast around Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava suits riders heading for the northern forests, La Esperanza and Anaga, and is closer to Tenerife North airport. Accommodation ranges from resort hotels and apartments on the coast to villas and rural houses in the hills.

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