Nublo Rural Park

From the rim of the Caldera de Tejeda the ground falls away in cliffs, ridges and gorges, and on a clear day Teide stands above the sea on Tenerife. Fourteen million years of eruptions and erosion built this landscape and then tore it down, leaving Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga standing out of it as bare volcanic rock.

People live here too. Nearly thirty hamlets sit among terraced slopes, almond trees fill the Tejeda basin, and the cave dwellings of the island's aboriginal people at Bentayga, Risco Caído and Acusa are part of the World Heritage site. Pine forest covers the summits above 1,500 m, home to the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch. By the Cueva de las Niñas reservoir stands Casandra's Pine (Pino de Casandra), under 20 m tall with a crown 20 m across, tied in local legend to a woman burned there as a witch.

• The park spans eight municipalities and has no gate: pick one sector, such as the Caldera de Tejeda or Roque Nublo, before setting out.
• Cars parked illegally along the roadside get fined or towed; use marked car parks or come by bus.
• The summits reach 1,948 m at Pico de las Nieves and run colder and windier than the coast: bring a warm layer, even in summer.
• Teide on Tenerife shows from the summits only on clear days; when cloud sits on the tops, the view is gone.

Nublo Rural Park has no single gate. Roads and footpaths run through it between the hamlets, viewpoints and trailheads, so the last stretch depends on which sector you choose.

At the busy spots, the car is the problem: cars parked illegally along the roadside get fined or towed. Leave the car in a marked car park and walk the rest, or come by bus — Las Moradas is one of the stops.

Best: clear weekday mornings, and late winter if you want the almond trees of the Tejeda basin in flower.

Avoid: weekends at the best-known viewpoints, and days when cloud sits on the summits.

Car parks are quieter during the week, and low morning sun throws the ridges of the caldera into relief; once cloud covers the tops, the view to Teide and down into the gorges disappears.