Description

A beautiful path through a gorge, starting at the village of Masca and taking you all the way down to the sea. You follow the same route there and back; it is about 10 km in total. On the 5 km leading from the sea, you will climb 750 altitude meters. But both the walk down and the walk back up are challenging. Entry is possible only after prior online booking, which you must do well in advance! Before entering the trail, you have to go to the info centre where they will check your shoes, issue helmets which are compulsory for the whole trek, and give you safety information. You need to bring plenty of water and a snack, you can’t buy anything once on the trail. There is a beautiful beach down at the sea, so bring your swimsuit; swimming is not recommended but not forbidden. Children under 8 years old are not allowed on the trail. Good hiking shoes are a must, my wife had to change from her sneakers, otherwise they wouldn’t let her in. Finding parking spaces in Masca village may be a problem. There aren’t many spots, and the parking is limited to a maximum of 2 hours. Start as early as possible in the morning, preferably before 9am, when the parking spaces are still free. In case you’re afraid of getting a fine or simply don’t want to leave your car here for most of the day and the break the 2-hour rule, opt for bus service. You can easily leave your car at the Cruz de Hilda bus stop (28.3133528N, 16.8457047W) and use the bus (beware it doesn’t run very often) or try to hitchhike from there.