Los Poleos Viewpoint

Stay after the sun goes down. The sunset comes first, then the sky over the lava fills with stars, and the darkness up here makes the second half of the evening as good as the first.

In daylight it works as a quick stop on the drive. The car park sits right at the viewpoint, so there is no walk: step out of the car and the view is in front of you, running up to Teide and out across the broken, dark lava of the island's west.

• Valuables: bags have been taken from cars parked here, even on short stops. Leave nothing in the car.
• Parking: the viewpoint is popular and the car park fills with cars; a second paved area sits about 36 m away.
• No facilities: there are no toilets or drinking water at the viewpoint, and none nearby. Bring water with you.
• After dark: the air cools quickly at altitude once the sun is down. Bring a warm layer if you are staying for the stars.

You arrive by car. The paved car park is at the viewpoint itself, with a second paved area about 36 m away, so once you have parked there is nothing left to walk.

No bus stops at the viewpoint. The nearest stop, El Pino, lies about 3.3 km away in a straight line, and the distance on foot is longer than that, which makes a car the practical way to come.

Best: late afternoon into the evening, staying for the sunset and then the stars. Avoid: days when cloud sits on the mountain.

A clear evening gives the full sequence, the light going down in the west and then a dark sky over the lava; when cloud settles on the slopes, the view disappears with it.