Man In The Park
Though the Guanches divided the rest of Tenerife into kingdoms, the area around Pico del Teide was communally used for summer pasturing. The daring adventures of goatherds on the slopes of the volcano are solely the stuff of legend, however, as the slim pickings on the slopes themselves kept the goats away and the goatherds steered clear too, believing Guayote , the devil, lived inside, his foul moods leading him to spit out fire and lava. Superstitions concerning the peak appear to have been passed on to Spanish settlers on Tenerife who continued to pasture goats, but avoid the peak, so it wasn't until the nineteenth century that the first documented ascent of Teide was made, by visiting scientists and the earliest tourists. By the early twentieth century ascending the peak had become an important part of the tour of Tenerife. From around the same time, successive scientific surveys of the area revealed that alongside the many striking geological features a rare and delicate ecosystem existed and in 1954 the area was awarded national-park status , the remaining goatherds were banished and visitor freedom was regulated. Despite the protection that the area is now afforded, it is still a major draw to tourists , and the greatest strain on the park's fragile ecology is the rising numbers of visitors that come to the park each year. Today, access is strictly controlled, with only 150 visitors a day permitted onto the summit of Teide.
Your Tip for Parque Nacional Las Canadas del Teide
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Parque Nacional Las Canadas del Teide - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Parque Nacional Las Canadas del Teide - visit the main Parque Nacional Las Canadas del Teide forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Parque Nacional Las Canadas del Teide webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
