Teide Observatory: Tenerife Stargazing & Cosmic Wonder

It was a very good tour overall. We enjoyed the observatory and telescope visits (‘Carlos Sanchez’ observatory and views of sun through the Lunt Solar Scope 🔭). The Astrophysics workshop was okay. However, the speaker was asking the audience questions in español (- no ingles!). In future, please ask audience questions in English as well, so that we can all be fully engaged in the workshop. Gr8 shout out to Lucas Peirera, our main guide, who was very engaging with the telescopes/observatory tour and observing later in evening (- we saw some amazing views of the night sky!).

The visit to the observatory included lots of interesting information and was a good setup for the second part of the tour. The scenery and views from the top of the volcano are beautiful, particularly the sunset which was spectacular. The tour of the cosmos was amazing, I learned a lot and could have stayed there all night Our guide Lucas was great - knowledgeable, funny, and engaging Thank you for a great evening!

We were picked up from our hotel in Los Cristianos exactly on time at 4pm. Had a number of other pick ups before setting off for Teide which is a long drive but interesting to see how the landscape changes as you drive up the mountain. There was a short stop at the Roques de Garcia viewpoint which was a bonus, and good toilets here as well, then on to the Observatory where we arrived about 6.45pm. We had the opportunity to look at the sun through a special telescope set up outside, followed by a tour of the Observatory with our guide who was exceptionally knowledgeable. He explained all about the research going on and the different countries involved. It's amazing how many projects there are and the guide took us inside one of the domes to see the mechanics close up. The Observatory is situated 2400m up so the sunset was spectacular. There was some cloud around which produced amazing colours. Once it started getting dark we were taken to the base station of the cable car where we had about half an hour to eat and use the facilities. We had pre-purchased the "picnic" which consisted of a ham & cheese baguette, a muffin and a small bottle of water. It was actually very good. If you don't go for the picnic option you really need to bring your own food as nothing was open by that time although there are a couple of vending machines. The final part of the tour was the night sky viewing using 3 telescopes set up in the car park. By then it was about 10pm and we had about an hour there. Luckily the cloud had cleared away and we had an unobstructed view. As well as looking through the telescopes the guide was explaining about the constellations and the stars and planets that were visible. You do have to stand around for the whole time and some of the group were tiring by this point. It was also getting cold. Viewing through the telescopes was a bit underwhelming as they are not hugely powerful and we didn't see any galaxies or planets in detail...but wow there were so many stars! Finally we had the long drive back and we were not back at our hotel until just before 1am, so it was nearly 9 hours out! The tour was very professionally run and quite scientific with a lot of factual information and very detailed explanations . Well worth the price for what you get. Would recommend if you are interested in astronomy but only suitable for older children if they have a real interest.

Very simple process to book through Tripadvisor with links sent and emails confirmingbokking. This was a good organised and well informed tour - picked up almost at the hotel and were a very small inital group of 8. 2 families of 4 both with 2 children. Joined later by a further 6-8 people. Maximillian was very informative and full of interesting pieces of information throughout the trip, not just about astronomy. Unfortunately there was too many clouds to be able to see the stars. Made for a very disappointing end to what was a very good day. Trip on cable car not included as we thought but expect that would have added another couple of hours on to the trip. I can only confirm you really do need winter clothes as the temperature dropped very quickly. Took the kids hats scarves and gloves and were needed. I am hoping I will get an invititaion to return for the star gazing as we visit Tenerife each year in February and considering Tenerife gets 300 days a year of clear skys was unlucky. I'll update with outcome so you know what happens if you miss the stars as this is the main event in my opinion.

This tour involved being taken from close by our hotel with several others on a tour of the Observatory. The tour of the Observatory was well organised informative and enjoyable. The second part involved being taken to the base station of the cable car to Teide. There telescopes were set up to enable us to view the night sky. This was less enjoyable because it was extremely cold. I would advise anybody to go on this tour in the summer. We also felt that there was a fair amount of waiting about and felt that the whole trip would benefit from a tighter schedule. Having said that it was very informative and very reasonably priced for the expertise offered.

If you like astronomy.i really recommend this tour .beautiful sunset view .and visit inside the telescope. The astronomer guide was amazing .

If you are interested in astronomy this is a great trip. The guide was knowledgable and both the trip to see the telescopes and the star gazing were excellent. This would have been a really great trip when my children were studying GCSE Astronomy. When they say take warm clothes you must! It was 28C at the beach but up at the telescopes with the wind blowing is was very chilly. When we finished star gazing at midnight it was 2C. You must also take sufficient food and drink to last the whole trip - we were out from 5pm until 1.45 the following morning. There are some machines with snacks and drinks but remember to take cash for them. I could not see where to tell the tour company where to pick us up and messaged them through trip advisor. They replied quickly. We had to walk to a nearby hotel and they even sent me the link to google maps. They also phoned to let me know they were running late which was very helpful.

Guides had good spoken English, and were actual astronomers. We were shown the many observatories on one side of the mountain and told about the international projects. Fascinating. Beautiful sunset above the clouds. Then taken to base of cable car visitor centre. 30cm reflecting telescopes were set up for viewing. I was surprised at large size of group- not as advertised. This meant less chances to view. I still loved it but you must be prepared for long journey and boring waiting time in the middle.

The tour was in two parts. The first one was thoroughly enjoyable with an expert guide who was very good at explaining things. Despite some minor technical issues he was very patient and professional. I loved looking at the telescope (never seen the sun and the moon 'so close'!). The Teide Observatory space itself is very interesting and the fantastic stuff the people who work there do! Wow! The second part of the tour was less enjoyable for me unfortunately. Another guide took over the stargazing and unfortunately I didn't find his delivery as engaging as the other guide. He was knowledgeable for sure but there was something missing for me :-( I'm sorry to say but I would have preferred the other guide, Edoardo, to stay as guide for this other part. Also, the fact the group became bigger (the first part had 5 of us) meant that each person's time to look into the telescope was much shorter. You could go back but still not long enough, at least compared to other stargazing tours I've had.

Perfectly organized tour to the Teide observatory. The drive itself is very spectacular. The scenery radically changes every few minutes during the ascent. The observatory tour is very informative, as the guide is an actual astronomer herself. Spectacular view of the sunset, as well as a professional presentation of the various telescopes and facilities. After darkness sets in, the tour continues with a magnificent star watching session using a professional telescope specially set up by the guide at the cable-car station. Don't ignore the organizer's advice to bring (very) warm clothing with you, as it can ruin the outdoor sun and star-watching experience! We had 26°C at sea level when we started and 0°C after sunset on the mountain. All in one, a great trip with no efforts spared by the organizers and the guide to make it an unique experience!