Jeep Safari in Tenerife: Seven Hours, Two Landmarks and Less Off-Road Than the Name Suggests

A Tenerife jeep safari solves a real problem: Teide and Masca sit at opposite ends of the island's interior, both are slow drives on mountain roads, and doing them yourself in one day means seven hours behind the wheel instead of looking out of the window. The tour costs €68 per person for a seven-hour day, checked on 19 August 2026.

One honest caveat before you book, because the name oversells it. This is a convoy of jeeps following public mountain roads between named stops, not open off-road driving across terrain. If you are picturing dune bashing, this is not that day out. If you are picturing the island's two best landscapes without driving them, it is exactly right.

What the day actually covers

The route climbs from the southern coast through pine forest and works across the island's spine before dropping to the north-west. The stops are the point rather than the driving.

Vilaflor comes first, a village at around 1,400 to 1,500m surrounded by pine forest, with an economy built on potatoes, vines and almonds rather than tourism. It has long been one of the main walking trailheads in southern Tenerife because of how close it sits to the volcano.

Then Teide National Park, where the jeeps stop at the viewpoints and the Roques de García rock formations. Finally Masca, the hamlet in the Teno massif, reached by one of the more demanding mountain roads on the island, which is a large part of why letting somebody else drive it appeals.

Lunch is not included, and nobody mentions it

This is the cost that surprises people. Food and drink are not in the ticket price. The tour stops at a restaurant, where you can order a set menu of local food, and you pay for it there.

It is not an expensive addition, but it is an addition, and it is worth carrying cash rather than assuming a card works in a mountain village. Budget for a meal on top of the €68 when you compare this against tours that do include one.

One correction worth making

You will see Vilaflor described as the highest village in Spain, including in tour marketing. That is not accurate.

Vilaflor is the highest village on Tenerife, and the Tenerife tourism board describes it more carefully as one of the highest municipalities in Spain. Mainland Spain has several settlements above it, with Valdelinares and Pradollano both considerably higher. The village is remarkable enough at 1,500m without the inflated claim.

Jeep or quad?

Both tours end up on the same volcanic terrain, and the choice comes down to one thing: whether anyone in your party wants to drive.

A quad requires a full category B licence and an 18-year-old at the controls, and it covers a shorter route in three to four hours. A jeep requires nothing of you at all beyond turning up, runs seven hours, and reaches Masca as well as Teide. Our quad biking guide sets out the paperwork.

Take the jeep if you want distance, a guide and no responsibility. Take the quad if the driving is the activity rather than the transport. Families with young children, anyone without a licence, and anyone who would rather look at the landscape than watch the road are all better served by the jeep.

Practical notes

Groups are capped at eight per jeep, and several jeeps travel together as a convoy, so the experience is small-group in your vehicle and larger at every stop.

Dress for altitude, not for the resort. Teide National Park sits high enough that the temperature is nothing like the coast, and the Mount Teide guide is blunt about needing a jacket in every month of the year. Dust, sun and wind are all stronger up there than the forecast for your hotel suggests.

Seven hours with a fixed itinerary is a long day for very young children. It is a genuinely good one for anyone who wants the island's interior explained rather than merely driven through.

FAQ – Tenerife jeep safaris