Stargazing in Las Cañadas del Teide

Starlight Tourism destination with an abundance of stars

Inside the Teide National Park in Las Cañadas in Tenerife you will find an extraordinary natural platform from where you can contemplate the skies. The area is known as a Starlight Tourist Destination, and you can observe constellations and stars from almost any part of the park. It is also possible to view the stars at a professional level using the equipment of the IAC, the Canarian Institute of Astrophysics. Easy to get to by road, visitors can find their own viewpoint or use one of the official ones with parking alongside. There are toilets and a restaurant at the Parador Nacional (part of a national string of tourist hotels) and El Portillo is also close by.

A natural balcony for admiring the constellations

At over 2,700 metres above sea level, on clear moonless nights there is a spectacular star display at any time of the year. If you are here in August you shouldn’t miss the shooting meteor showers of the Perseids and at nightfall towards the north-east you can see the shining star of Vega, the main star of the Lyra constellation. Just beside Vega is Cygnus (also known as the Northern Cross) passing through the Milky Way.

Altitude

2.400 m

Protected sky

Starlight Reserve

Information panels

Observatory

Parking

Protected natural space

Public transport

Restauration

Telescopy

La Orotova

Go to web site

Las Cañadas del Teide. Stargazing in Tenerife

Las Cañadas del Teide. Observación de estrellas en Tenerife

Map of Stargazing in Las Cañadas del Teide

Sustainability

- Never leave waste of any type lying around, including cigarette butts. Leftover food leads to a proliferation of rats and wild cats, which pose a serious threat to the fauna.
- Respect the animals. Do not bother them or feed them. If you see an injured specimen, you can call the emergency number: 112. Do not pick flowers or plants.
- Do not pick up or take away stones or any other item from the natural environment. And do not move them to pile them up into sadly famous 'towers'.
- Turn off car headlights and do not use torches. That will help minimise the light pollution of the sky.
- If you are at an astronomical viewpoint, respect and look after the different items of public furniture (information panels, railings, seats, lighting, binoculars and telescopes, etc.).
- Try and be silent or talk quietly. The experience will be more enjoyable.