Boca Tauce Viewpoint

The view arrives on the last bend of the climb from Vilaflor. The road slips through the caldera wall, and Teide stands straight ahead above lava fields that look like the surface of the moon, with the broad crater of Pico Viejo beside it.

The lookout faces the peak head-on, which makes it one of the standard places to photograph Teide. The air is cold, and fog often drifts across the caldera floor, so the mountain comes and goes behind it. Wait a few minutes when it hides. On a clear day the lava runs in black and rust-brown flows right up to the edge of the car park.

• The car park beside the viewpoint fills up often; coming by bus or motorbike saves the hunt for a space.
• It is far colder and foggier here than on the coast. Bring warm layers whatever the weather was when you set off.
• There is no drinking water nearby — fill up before you drive into the park.
• Public toilets stand about 400 m away.
• Planning a hike from here? Ask the park rangers at a visitor centre about trail conditions first.

The road from Vilaflor climbs through pine forest and out onto bare volcanic ground, and the caldera opens up on the final bend. The viewpoint sits right at that point.

The car park is beside the lookout, paved in setts, and the bus stops at the roadside a few metres away, so from either the view is a step off. Coaches pull into a separate park about 300 m away. Cyclists ride up from the coast as well; the climb is long, and the temperature drops steadily on the way, so carry a jacket.

Best: a clear morning or late afternoon.

Avoid: days when cloud sits over the caldera, and winter days after snow, when ice can reach the road.

Fog can hide the peak entirely, and low sun at either end of the day gives the lava its texture where midday light flattens it.

The viewpoint lies inside Teide National Park, a protected area. Keep to the road, the lookout and marked paths, and do not drive off the road onto the lava. Rocks, volcanic stones and the plants that grow among them are protected: leave them where they are.