Teno Rural Park at a glance
The Teno Rural Park is a protected area in the northwest of Tenerife and part of Natura 2000. Its landscape is made of ravines, cliffs, farming hamlets and forest. The Masca Gorge lies inside it. The official tourism page also places the cliffs of Los Gigantes in the park, with drops of up to 600 meters in places.
Most of the park lies outside the municipality of Santiago del Teide. Masca and the road to Punta de Teno belong to Buenavista del Norte, and the rules for them come from that town. For a visitor staying in Los Gigantes, Teno is a day trip, and the cliffs are the part you can see from your own doorstep.
Punta de Teno access rules
Punta de Teno is the headland with the red and white lighthouse at the end of the TF-445. The road is regulated all year. Because of road works that began on 19 January 2026, the municipality of Buenavista del Norte currently prohibits ordinary private vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists on every day of the week. Buses, taxis and expressly authorized vehicles can use it. No end date for the works is confirmed.
That is why this guide does not suggest driving there. The municipal tourism page also lists daily bus and taxi windows: from 1 October to 20 June, 10:00 to 19:00, and from 21 June to 30 September, 08:00 to 20:00. The same page repeats the ban on private vehicles, so do not read these windows as an invitation to drive. Taxis and authorized vehicles may face waiting times while the works go on.
Tours to Teno, Masca and the west coast
Boat trips along the cliffs, Masca excursions and Teide day trips from Los Gigantes, with live prices and availability.
Getting to Punta de Teno by bus
TITSA line 369 runs from the Buenavista station to Punta de Teno in about 20 minutes. The municipality lists a special fare of €1 per person and direction, payable in cash or by card. TITSA states that tourist day and week tickets are valid on this line.
TITSA lists the first weekday departure from Buenavista at 08:20 and the last at 19:30, and on weekends and public holidays from 08:00 to 19:30. These times do not match the tourist windows above, and the works have changed bus operation since 19 January 2026. Check the current timetable before you go. If the road is closed because of weather, the line can be cancelled.
For parking, TITSA points to spaces around the Buenavista bus station and at Cruz de Toledo. No parking rates are quoted here. To reach Buenavista from the coast around Los Gigantes, see the getting there page.
Hikes in the Teno Rural Park
The best-documented walk in the park is the Masca Gorge descent. It needs an online reservation and a personal ticket with a date and start time. It is about 5 km one way and about 4 hours downhill, from a start at 750 meters, and the difficulty is high. The route ends at the sea, where a boat ticket is part of the plan. Bus 355 to Masca is no longer included in the gorge ticket since December 2025. Read the Masca Gorge guide for fees, time slots and equipment.
For other trails around the municipality, the hiking page lists routes, permit rules and dated closures. Check the state of any trail on the day. A published length and duration is not a clearance notice.
The sea side of Teno
Off the coast lies the marine area called Teno-Rasca, a protected zone of about 69,490 hectares along the shores of Buenavista del Norte, Santiago del Teide, Guía de Isora, Adeje and Arona. It is where the whale and dolphin boats work. Rules for watching animals include a minimum distance of 60 meters and a maximum of 30 minutes. Our whale watching page explains them.
You can also see the cliffs from the water on a boat trip from the marina. See boat trips from Los Gigantes and the page on Los Gigantes itself for the viewpoint called Archipenque.
Teno Rural Park and Punta de Teno: frequently asked questions
Can I drive to Punta de Teno?
Not at present. Since 19 January 2026 the municipality prohibits ordinary private vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists on the access road every day, while buses, taxis and authorized vehicles can use it. No end of the works is confirmed.
How do I get to Punta de Teno without a car?
Take TITSA line 369 from the Buenavista station. It takes about 20 minutes and costs €1 per person and direction. Check the current timetable.
Are tourist bus tickets valid on line 369?
TITSA states that its tourist day and week tickets are valid on this line.
Is Masca part of the Teno Rural Park?
The Masca Gorge lies in the Teno Rural Park, a Natura 2000 site. Masca itself belongs to Buenavista del Norte, not Santiago del Teide.
How high are the cliffs of Los Gigantes?
The official tourism page says up to 600 meters in places and places them in the Teno Rural Park.
Is there a bus if the road is closed for weather?
Not necessarily. When the road is closed because of weather, line 369 can be cancelled.