Canary Islands · Spain
Best Viewpoints (Miradores) in Tenerife
Tenerife stacks its best views by altitude. Up top, the Teide National Park miradores sit above 2,000 m among the 1798 lava flows; the north-coast ones catch the "sea of clouds" that spills toward the coast at sunset; and down at the shore you get black-sand beaches, sea stacks and the Los Gigantes cliffs. This list mixes roadside stops you can reach in seconds with a couple that need a short walk, and it spreads across the island so you're not just looping the same corner. Each entry says which side of the island you're facing, what you actually see, and how to get there.
Canary Islands · SpainViewpoint La Ruleta
ViewpointThe most photographed spot in Teide National Park, right in the middle of the island: from the car park on the TF-21 (opposite the Parador) you look straight at Roque Cinchado — the wind-eroded pillar that used to be on the 1,000-peseta note — with Teide behind it and the 200 m rock wall of La Catedral to the side. Step out of the car and it's there; for more, the flat 3.5 km Roques de García loop starts here.
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Canary Islands · SpainBoca Tauce Viewpoint
ViewpointAt the TF-21 / TF-38 junction on the south-western edge of the caldera, around 2,000 m, this is where you take in Teide and the cone of Pico Viejo together, above the black lava fields that poured out in the 1798 eruption and ran down towards Chío. It's a roadside stop — pull in, and the whole southern slope opens up in front of you.
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Canary Islands · SpainMirador de las Narices del Teide Viewpoint
ViewpointA few kilometres west of Boca Tauce on the TF-38, this mirador looks onto the "nostrils of Teide" — the vents on Pico Viejo's flank that erupted in 1798 — and the raw river of dark lava that spread across the plain below. It's the most vivid recent-eruption landscape you can see from a car in the park, with the Atlantic haze on the horizon behind it.
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Canary Islands · SpainMirador de Chipeque
ViewpointOn the TF-24 above Santa Úrsula, at about 1,800 m, Chipeque is the classic sunset spot: you stand above the "sea of clouds" that pools over the north coast, with Teide rising out of it like a dark pyramid. Come well before sunset — the small roadside parking fills up fast — and bring a jacket, because it gets cold once the sun drops.
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Canary Islands · SpainCherfe Viewpoint
ViewpointIn the north-west, on the TF-436 pass at about 1,000 m just before the road plunges into the gorge, Cherfe gives you the postcard shot of Masca: the tiny village strung along its ravine, the terraced slopes of the Teno massif, and on a clear day Teide and even La Gomera on the horizon. Parking is limited, so arrive early; there's a small café at the pass.
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Canary Islands · SpainPunta de Teno Viewpoint
ViewpointThe north-western tip of the island, marked by a red-and-white striped lighthouse, with the Los Gigantes cliffs dropping sheer into the ocean to the south — a view you don't get from the resort side. Note the access: private cars are barred during daytime hours (roughly 10:00–19:00 in winter, 09:00–20:00 in summer), so take bus 369 from Buenavista del Norte or drive out early or late.
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Canary Islands · SpainMirador Cruz del Carmen Viewpoint
ViewpointThe gateway to the Anaga massif in the north-east, at about 920 m, beside the Cruz del Carmen visitor centre and a small chapel. On clear days you look down over La Laguna and the valley to Teide; more often the laurel forest around you is wrapped in drifting mist. It's the natural place to start Anaga walks — the Sendero de los Sentidos begins right here.
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Canary Islands · SpainBenijo Beach Viewpoint
ViewpointAt the far end of the Anaga coast road past Taganana, this mirador looks down on the black-sand beach of Benijo and the sea stacks (roques) standing offshore in the Atlantic surf. It's one of the island's best sunsets — the sun drops behind the Roques de Anaga — and the viewpoint saves you the steep footpath down to the sand if you just want the panorama.
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Canary Islands · SpainRisco Amogoje Viewpoint
ViewpointA quieter roadside stop on the TF-134 above Taganana, on the same north-eastern coast but with a different angle: the Roques de Anaga off to the right, the village and its terraced ravine below on the left, and the wild green cliffs falling to the sea all around. There's limited parking right at the mirador, so it's an easy few-minute pause between the bigger stops.
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Canary Islands · SpainViewpoint of La Corona
ViewpointAbove Los Realejos on the north coast, at about 750 m, La Corona spreads the whole Orotava Valley and Puerto de la Cruz below you, with Teide behind on clear days. It's a proper platform with a gazebo and easy parking, and doubles as one of Europe's top paragliding launches — so you'll often watch canopies peel off and drift down toward the coast.
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Canary Islands · SpainEl Guincho Viewpoint
ViewpointJust above Garachico on the north-west coast, this mirador gives you the whole historic town at a glance — the fishing port, the marina, the rock of El Roque offshore and the dark lava that the 1706 eruption poured into the sea, now the El Caletón natural pools. A short roadside stop with the classic overhead view of one of Tenerife's prettiest towns.
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Canary Islands · SpainEl Lance Viewpoint
ViewpointAlso above Los Realejos, at about 700 m, El Lance pairs a wide Orotava Valley panorama toward Puerto de la Cruz — La Palma sometimes on the horizon — with a piece of local history: the bronze statue of the Guanche leader Mencey Bentor, who by legend threw himself from this spot rather than surrender in 1496 (hence "El Lance," the leap). There's a café and terrace if you want to linger.
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For the clearest air and the emptiest car parks, come at either end of the day: sunrise at the Teide miradores before the tour coaches arrive, sunset over the sea of clouds at Chipeque or over the Roques de Anaga at Benijo. Pack a layer for the high park — it can be 15–20 °C colder up there than on the coast — and check the Punta de Teno road hours, since private cars are barred during the day and you'll need bus 369 from Buenavista.
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