PNT 28 Chafarí Trail

PNT 28 Chafarí is a linear 6.6 km (4.1 mi) ascent one way from Boca Tauce to the PNT 09 junction at Las Narices del Teide. The climb takes about 3 hours 5 minutes, gaining roughly 756 m and ending above 2,700 m. It’s a proper high-mountain route to Pico Viejo’s volcanic vents, not a quick viewpoint walk. The upper end has no road access. If you return to Boca Tauce on foot, you’ll cover about 13.2 km round trip; otherwise, plan a continuation via PNT 09 before setting out.

Start at the Boca Tauce viewpoint on TF-21, km 53.1. Parking is limited, and bus 342 serves the nearby stop. Advance authorization is required for every hiker, and the reservation allows the route in either direction on the selected day. The finish is only accessible on foot via PNT 09; that trail also requires advance authorization. You can continue toward La Rambleta or descend toward the roadside Narices viewpoint, but both are beyond PNT 28 and need their own plan.

The required kit includes mountain footwear, long trousers, warm clothing, a thermal blanket, hat and gloves, water, a charged phone and a torch. Ice or snow adds crampons and an ice axe. Pets are prohibited except guide dogs; children under three can’t go, and anyone under 16 must be with an adult.

The lower section follows the dirt track called Los Chircheros through Teide broom growing over lava flows from Pico Viejo. When the track ends, a marked path climbs steeply over loose picón from the 1798 eruption. The surface shifts underfoot, and the higher, thinner air adds to the effort. The upper climb is the slow, demanding part, especially if you plan to descend the same way.

Las Narices del Teide means “Teide’s Nostrils”: the paired craters formed on Pico Viejo during the 1798 eruption. Lava flowed for three months, in millions of cubic metres. At the route’s high finish, the nearer crater and its dark, red-streaked volcanic slopes make the destination clear; frame some of that loose slope below the rim to show the crater’s shape.