The Santa Cruz de Tenerife cruise port is located in the northeast of Tenerife and offers ideal conditions for challenging active shore excursions. This 27 km trail run combines road, mountains, and coast, leading deep into the impressive Parque Rural de Anaga nature reserve with over 900 meters of elevation gain. As a reward, stunning views of the mountains and the north coast of Tenerife await, as well as Playa de las Teresitas on the way back.
**Important note on the start:**
Most of the elevation gain occurs on the outbound journey between km 3.5 and km 11. If you want to save the last 8 km along the road, you can take a bus back to Santa Cruz from Playa de las Teresitas, shortening the route to about 19 km.
The route starts directly at the promenade by the cruise port. Depending on which port exit is open, the distance may be slightly shorter or longer. The first approximately 3 km run along the coastal road before the route turns left into the village of María Jimenéz.
Here the actual ascent begins. First, the route leads uphill for about 4 km on a paved road, then continues on beautiful hiking trails into the Parque Rural de Anaga. It gets steeper in places, and some sections are more comfortably managed by walking. Occasionally, the terrain is a bit more alpine, but without presenting any particular technical difficulties.
After about 11 km, the highest point of the route is reached near Pico de los Pasos. After crossing a larger road, the path leads back onto a beautiful trail and on to the Roque Suárez viewpoint. Here awaits one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the entire route, with views of mountains, sea, and the island's north coast.
Now the descent begins. In places, the path becomes a bit more technical and leads over larger rocks, further down the route becomes much more runnable again. Through a beautiful laurel forest, it goes back into inhabited areas and finally to San Andrés to Playa de las Teresitas, which is ideal for a quick cool-down.
From here, you can either take the bus back to Santa Cruz or run the last approximately 8 km along the road to the cruise port. The larger road has a well-maintained sidewalk, but it sometimes ends for a few meters at intersections, so some caution is required.
This route is the most athletically demanding route around Santa Cruz de Tenerife and at the same time one of the most beautiful running experiences directly from the cruise port. The combination of long ascents, true trail sections, impressive viewpoints, and the finish at Playa de las Teresitas makes it particularly varied.
The return journey along the road from the playa is significantly less spectacular. If you are satisfied with 19 km, you should consider taking the bus back from there to save energy and then explore Santa Cruz.
For anyone on a cruise looking for a real trail run instead of a classic city run, this route is the clear recommendation in Tenerife.
This route leads directly into the impressive Parque Rural de Anaga and combines athletic challenge with one of Tenerife's most beautiful natural areas. If you love trail running or hiking, you'll find a great active shore excursion directly from the ship.
The trail can also be combined with a guided hike in Anaga Rural Park.
Alternatively, a relaxed afternoon in Santa Cruz is perfect after the run. The city can be explored excellently on foot, and the excursion links also offer walking or e-bike tours to get to know Santa Cruz even more intimately.
Another highlight remains Teide National Park with its impressive volcanic landscapes. Due to the distance, however, a longer hike there during a cruise stop is usually difficult to combine with this long trail. If you prefer this excursion, you should combine it with a route through Santa Cruz instead.
The route starts directly at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife cruise port. Depending on the open port exit, the distance may change slightly, but a transfer is not necessary.
You can either follow the route directly on the map on this page or import the GPX file into a navigation app like Komoot. We recommend navigation via the GPX file, as it is significantly more precise and gives you clear guidance via GPS while running. After saving the GPX file in your app, you can usually use the map offline. We recommend testing navigation in airplane mode without active Wi-Fi beforehand to ensure it works without an internet connection.
Tip: For safety, it's still useful to have internet while on the go. If your mobile provider doesn't offer data roaming in Tenerife, or only at high costs, a global data plan that works in many countries is suitable for cruises – for example, from eSIM.sm (advertisement).
The route partly runs along busy roads, but mostly on well-maintained paths. The trail is more technical in some places, but does not present any high alpine difficulties. Overall, the route is safe to complete.
Especially for long runs, plan enough time buffer. If time is running short, you should consider ending the route at Playa de las Teresitas and taking the bus back from there. For emergencies, it is also advisable to save the ship's phone number, usually indicated in the daily program, beforehand. Additionally, you should have apps like Uber or Bolt on your phone and be familiar with their use. In Tenerife, you can use Uber in addition to classic taxis.
Public restrooms are available at Playa de las Teresitas. Public water dispensers are not known along the route. Therefore, sufficient water should definitely be carried for this long and strenuous route.
The route mainly runs over hiking trails and paved roads. Trail running shoes are helpful, but normal road running shoes are also possible in dry conditions. We also recommend sun protection (ad), sufficient water, a cell phone or running watch for navigation, and a payment method for bus or provisions.