PNT 18 Chavao Trail

PNT 18 Chavao is a 4.42 km (2.75 mi) one-way walk between Boca Tauce and the Mirador de las Narices del Teide, across the high volcanic plain. It stays above 2,000 m, is mostly level and is rated low difficulty; allow about 1 hour 45 minutes one way. Go for the lava and the open mountain setting rather than a big climb.

Walk it in either direction, but sort out a pickup before you start. This is a point-to-point route, not a loop; walking back over the same line brings the outing to about 8.8 km.

Dark-green PNT 18 markers guide the traverse past Roque del Cedro, with La Cañada del Cedro alongside. Ropy lava and pillow-lava forms are among the route’s most interesting details. The walk is mostly flat, but it is on natural ground: one section is a gravel track, and loose or uneven patches are possible.

The route finishes at Mirador de las Narices del Teide. Look toward Pico Viejo and the eruptive mouths that gave Las Narices its name. Frame Pico Viejo with the volcanic mouths if you want a photo that shows how the features fit together.

The high-country flora includes retama (Teide white broom), alhelí del Teide and codeso. The walk also passes remains of huts used by Spanish Civil War prisoners who were housed here while building the road and planting pine near the summit.

At Boca Tauce, Juan Évora’s restored home is a small museum about herding life in Las Cañadas. Évora was the area’s last inhabitant, so the exhibit adds a human story to a landscape that can otherwise feel entirely volcanic.

Start at the Juan Évora Ethnographic Museum parking area at Boca Tauce and finish at Las Narices on TF-38, or do the route in reverse. Parking is very limited at the museum and the viewpoint has only a small lot. There are no services along the route, so bring the water you need and arrange transport between the ends. No reservation is required.

This is high mountain country, and weather can change quickly even on an easy-grade walk. During the flowering season, apiaries may be placed near the trail; keep clear of marked hives. The route is classified as inaccessible for people with reduced mobility, and pets are not allowed.