4 km canyon between 400m basaltic walls, from the village of Masca to a black pebble beach accessible only by sea. One-way descent: 2h30 to 3h30.
⚠️ Access restructured since December 2025: Mandatory permit (from approximately 40.66 € (caminobarrancodemasca.com), helmet provided + insurance included), booking on caminobarrancodemasca.com. Trail open Wednesday to Saturday only, 30-minute time slots from 8:30am (25 places per slot). Private vehicle access prohibited, bus 355 from Santiago del Teide mandatory (proof of journey required at entrance). Return boat (~25€) to be booked separately.
The cliffs are 400 meters high, basalt stacked on basalt. Each black, ochre or red layer tells a different eruption story, over millions of years. You walk and you read the history: the black is fluid lava that flowed calmly, the ochre is tuff ejected during more violent explosions. The canyon was carved here because a tectonic fault opened the passage and water did the rest, year after year.
At the bottom, Phoenix canariensis palms, endemic species, and giant euphorbias growing like candelabras. It's crossing seven million years of Canarian volcanism in four hours.
The tip: Look at the strata as you climb along the walls at the start of the descent. You'll see the colors better when the sun is still low.
From the village of Masca, perched at 650 m altitude, the trail plunges into a narrow gorge sculpted by millions of years of volcanic erosion. The walls change color every hour: black, ochre, dark red.
Vegetation is dense in the bottom of the ravine, palms, laurels, giant euphorbias. In places, the trail runs along the bed of a dry stream.