Short answer: the Lunar Landscape, or Paisaje Lunar, is the pale, wind-and-water-shaped tuff at Los Escurriales above Vilaflor. It is worth the effort if you want a proper pine-forest mountain day from the south. It is not a quick stop from the beach, and the full PR-TF 72 loop asks much more than the old “easy walk” stories suggest.
If you are looking for hiking in Tenerife south, this is one of the island’s strange, satisfying answers: climb out of Vilaflor, pass through the old Camino de Chasna and look down at white formations from their signed viewpoint. The reward is real. So is the climb.
Quick verdict: is the Lunar Landscape worth it?
Yes, for walkers who want a half-day-plus mountain route with forest, volcanic ground and one very unusual finish. I would skip it if you only have a couple of hours, dislike sustained uphill, are relying on an improvised bus return, or need a guaranteed clear, warm beach-day forecast.
My honest verdict: Paisaje Lunar is more satisfying than the photographs promise because the approach has a real landscape of its own. But the pale cliffs are seen from a lookout, not explored like a playground. Beautiful, yes. Effortless, no.
| Choose it if… | Choose something else if… |
|---|---|
| You enjoy a five-hour hill day and can manage a long steady climb. | You need a short stroll, pushchair access or a low-commitment family stop. |
| You have a car, or a carefully checked transport plan, and can start early. | You are trying to squeeze it between pool time and a south-coast dinner. |
| You want forest, geology and a quiet change from the resort strip. | You mainly want Teide’s wide volcanic plateau; use the Teide National Park guide instead. |
What the Lunar Landscape actually is
The name is not a promise of a giant moon set. Los Escurriales is a fragile pale tuff formation cut into a dark volcanic slope, which is why it looks so startling after the pines. You see it from the Mirador de Los Escurriales on the route, and that distance is part of the point.
The route is not a Teide summit hike and it is not an Anaga forest walk wearing a clever name. It is a high, dry pine-forest route above Vilaflor, with old path history, changing light and a viewpoint rather than a place to scramble around in the formations.
The route that makes sense: PR-TF 72 from Vilaflor
Use the signed PR-TF 72 circular route from Plaza de San Pedro in Vilaflor. It follows the Camino del Atajo and the old Camino Real de Chasna through the pines, passes Casa Galindo and the Barranco de las Mesas, then reaches the Los Escurriales viewpoint on the descent before returning through Casa de Los Llanitos.
That is the version I would plan. Old tracks can make a forest-road approach look like a clever shortcut; it can also turn a simple day into a bad road decision or leave you dependent on a closure. A rental car is useful for reaching Vilaflor, not a licence to drive wherever a fading line on a map points.
PR-TF 72 at a glance
The current route card puts the start and finish at Plaza de San Pedro in Vilaflor, around 1,420 metres above sea level. The important number is not just the distance: the route keeps climbing through its first seven kilometres before the return feels easier.
| Official route | PR-TF 72, circular Vilaflor – Paisaje Lunar – Vilaflor |
|---|---|
| Start and finish | Plaza de San Pedro, Vilaflor |
| Distance | 12.9 km |
| Estimated time | About 5 hours |
| Ascent and descent | About 780 m each way |
| Practical difficulty | Medium-high: sustained climbing, uneven ground and a long return |
Do not plan by the old 2–4 hour, 7 km version. That shorter figure belongs to a different way of approaching the landscape and is not the current full signed loop from Vilaflor. Leave enough daylight for a slow group, photo stops and a sensible turnaround.
Difficulty, footing and the real fitness test
The route is not technical mountaineering, but it is not a promenade either. Expect rocky and uneven forest paths, a long uphill rhythm and enough altitude that someone who felt fine in Los Cristianos can suddenly move much more slowly.
Wear proper walking shoes with grip, take more water than your coastal morning suggests, bring food and carry a warm or waterproof layer. Shade comes and goes; there is no reason to assume water, phone coverage or a handy rescue from the next bend.
The older video below is from nearby Arona mountains, not a navigation guide for PR-TF 72. Keep it for the atmosphere, then follow the current signs and the route information you checked that morning.
Starting in Vilaflor: driving, parking and no-car reality
From the south coast, Vilaflor is a change of world, not a quick detour. Start in the village at Plaza de San Pedro, build in time for the mountain road and treat parking as something to arrive early for rather than a space you have booked by optimism.
Without a car, the relevant question is not “does a bus exist?” but “can I reach Vilaflor early enough and still get back if the walk runs long?” Check the live TITSA journey for your date. If the timings make you rush the trail or force a dark return, choose a lower-commitment day from Los Cristianos or south Tenerife instead.
Altitude, weather and the morning check
Vilaflor is already high before the route climbs higher. A cloudless, hot coast can become cool cloud, wind, rain or strong sun among the pines; the reverse can happen too. Do not let a hotel balcony decide what you pack.
Before leaving, open the current PR-TF 72 route page, the Vilaflor forecast and the Canary Islands emergency alerts. A fire restriction, road problem, heat alert, wind, low cloud or heavy rain changes the plan; it is not a detail to negotiate with in the car.
Turn around early if cloud takes away your confidence with the signs, the surface gets too slippery for your group, wind makes the ridge feel wrong, heat is burning through your water, or the slowest person is already working much harder than planned. The white cliffs will still be there on a better day.
Families, photographers and people who should skip it
For active older children and teenagers who already enjoy a long uphill route, this can be a memorable day with patient pacing. For toddlers, pushchairs, reluctant walkers and anyone newly acclimatising after a beach holiday, I would not sell it as an “easy family hike”. Choose a shorter, clearer outing and save this one for the right group.
| Traveller | My practical answer |
|---|---|
| First-time hiker | Possible only with decent fitness, shoes, water and an early start; do not confuse signed with effortless. |
| Regular walker | A rewarding south-side forest day if conditions are settled and you respect the five-hour scale. |
| Photographer | Good for forest texture and the white cliffs; use the marked lookout and leave time for the return. |
| South-coast guest | Make it your one main activity, not an extra after the beach. |
| No-car visitor | Only with a live transport plan that leaves a safe margin on both ends. |
How to enjoy a fragile place without ruining it
Stay on the marked trail and view Los Escurriales from the lookout. Do not climb, touch or step into the pale formations for a closer photograph; they are soft, eroded material, and every shortcut becomes a little new path for the next person. Leave no rubbish, keep noise low, do not fly a drone and never treat a forest or weather closure as optional.
This is the kind of Tenerife landscape that improves when everybody accepts one small disappointment: you do not get to stand inside the best photograph. You get to leave it looking like it did for the next walker.
Want the mountain day to make sense with the rest of your trip? My free Tenerife map helps you keep Vilaflor, a south-coast base and the next sensible stop in one calm plan instead of turning one hike into a lot of driving.
If this is not your day, choose a better Tenerife walk
Do not force Lunar Landscape because it is famous. For a wider shortlist, use my best hikes in Tenerife guide. If you want a gentler south-coast reset after a mountain day, the island-wide Tenerife guide will help you choose without pretending Teide, Anaga, Vilaflor and a beach belong in one afternoon.
Lunar Landscape Tenerife FAQ
Four useful answers before you commit to the full loop.
