Tenerife · Teno, north-west Tenerife (Buenavista del Norte)
Masca
A ridge-top hamlet, once reached only on foot
Masca’s houses cling to ridges above the deepest ravines on Tenerife, at about 650 m in the Teno Rural Park, and for years its only link to the outside world was a footpath, the Camino de los Guanches. Today it is line 355, between Santiago del Teide and Buenavista del Norte.
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Come for
- Mountain views, a historic hamlet and short walks
- Make time for
- A full day including the bus journeys
- By bus
- Reached by a published TITSA line
The journey is part of the day
Getting to Masca
TITSA line 355 runs from Buenavista Station through El Palmar, Las Portelas and El Carrizal to Masca and on to Santiago del Teide; its tables are for Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays, and for Wednesday to Saturday, and some trips go only as far as Masca. Line 365 also runs between Buenavista and Masca. To reach Buenavista, line 363 runs from Puerto de la Cruz station. From the south, lines 460 and 464 run every day from Costa Adeje Station to Santiago del Teide, where line 355 continues to Masca.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Bus guides
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Line 355’s day-type tables differ, so open the one for your day before you set out, and check whether your trip back starts at Masca or passes through it. WebTenerife also says the frequency can vary by day and season.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know Masca.
Masca is a small hamlet in the north-west of Tenerife, in the municipality of Buenavista del Norte and inside the Teno Rural Park. Its houses line the mountain ridges, and the hamlet is a listed Historic Ensemble (Bien de Interés Cultural) with a tiny 18th-century church. WebTenerife notes that the area has conditions and restrictions on its use, and links the rules.
Why go
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Traditional Canarian architecture, unspoilt
The hamlet is a Bien de Interés Cultural as a Historic Ensemble: stone and timber houses adapted to the slope, a tiny eighteenth-century church, a museum and a craft centre in one of the houses.
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The Mirador de Cherfe view
On the road from Santiago del Teide, the Mirador de Cherfe gives the panorama of the whole hamlet against its valley.
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Other hamlets within reach
El Palmar, Las Portelas and Teno Alto are the neighbouring hamlets WebTenerife suggests for extending the visit; the PR-TF 59 from Las Portelas to Masca is 3.7 km.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: WebTenerife
Make a day of it
What to do in Masca
- Sight Don’t miss
The hamlet on the ridges
The houses sit along the crests above the gorge. The Mirador de Cherfe, on the road from Santiago del Teide, gives a panorama of the whole hamlet.
- Walk Don’t miss
A walk from Las Portelas
WebTenerife lists the PR-TF 59 from Las Portelas to Masca, 3.7 km, among the paths in the area.
- Walk Don’t miss
The gorge and the beach
The best-known walk is the descent of the Barranco de Masca: booked in advance, descent only, about four hours at high difficulty with closed mountain boots, reached by line 355 from Santiago del Teide and left by the boat booked for Los Gigantes. The pebble beach at its end is closed to the public.
- Walk
Short paths to the viewpoints
From the hamlet, short paths lead to valley viewpoints; the Mirador de Masca looks over the ravine, the ridges and, on clear days, the west coast.
Show all 5 Show fewer
- Culture
The museum and craft centre
Set up inside one of the houses of the hamlet, alongside the Casa de los Avinculados in the Caserío de Piedra.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: WebTenerife, Camino del Barranco de Masca (Cabildo de Tenerife)
A day here
How a day in Masca feels
A plan built on the buses this guide already names. The departure times are in the board on this page; choose your bus back before you set out.
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Morning
Two legs to the ridge
From Costa Adeje Station, lines 460 and 464 run every day to Santiago del Teide; from Puerto de la Cruz, line 363 runs to Buenavista. Line 355 then climbs to Masca from either end, with tables for Monday, Tuesday and Sunday and for Wednesday to Saturday.
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Middle of the day
The hamlet and a viewpoint
Walk the lanes between the stone houses to the church and the museum, then one of the short paths to a viewpoint over the ravine.
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Afternoon
The 355 back, checked twice
Line 355’s day-type tables differ and some trips end at Masca rather than passing through: read the table for your day before you leave, and know which direction and change you are making.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about Masca
Is there a bus to Masca?
Yes, TITSA line 355 between Buenavista del Norte and Santiago del Teide calls at Masca, with one table for Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays and another for Wednesday to Saturday; some trips run only as far as Masca. Line 365 is a short Buenavista–Masca line. Reach Santiago del Teide from Costa Adeje on 460 or 464, or Buenavista from Puerto de la Cruz on 363.
Can I hike the Masca gorge and get back by bus?
Only on the gorge operator’s terms, and the bus is part of them: the Camino del Barranco de Masca is a booked, descent-only walk (about four hours, difficulty high, closed mountain boots compulsory) that starts at the Masca visitor centre and ends at the sea, where a pre-booked boat to Los Gigantes is the way out — the boat ticket, for at most four hours after your session, is checked at the entrance, and the beach itself is closed to the public by the Buenavista council. Since December 2025 you must reach the start from Santiago del Teide on TITSA line 355 and show that ticket: be at stop 4692 at least an hour before your session and at the access control half an hour before it. From Los Gigantes, lines 462 or 325 return you to Santiago del Teide. The operator names one exception: sudden changes in the sea can close the boat landing without warning, and then you must walk back up to the Masca visitor centre from wherever you are when told, which is why it asks for good fitness; line 355 then takes you back to Santiago del Teide. The emergency-location plates along the path are for a 112 call: give the number of the nearest one so rescuers know where you are.
Is Masca worth it without doing the gorge?
Yes: the hamlet is a listed Historic Ensemble with a museum, a craft centre, an eighteenth-century church and short paths to viewpoints, and WebTenerife suggests extending the day to El Palmar, Las Portelas and Teno Alto. The road is narrow with sharp bends and parking is scarce, which is why the bus suits it.
Checked Sources: TITSA, Camino del Barranco de Masca (Cabildo de Tenerife), WebTenerife
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
Show 2 local tips Show fewer
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Gorge walkers board first
On the trips its Wednesday-to-Saturday table marks, TITSA’s line 355 page gives priority boarding to passengers who show the driver their ticket for the Barranco de Masca path.
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The road is narrow
WebTenerife advises care on the narrow, sharply bending road and says parking in the hamlet is limited, one reason the bus is worth planning around.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: Camino del Barranco de Masca (Cabildo de Tenerife), Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud, Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias +3
Photos and film
Masca in pictures
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Watch before you go
Ross Angell Plays through YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player; nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. -
The gorge descent needs a booking, fitness and equipment, and ends at a beach you leave only on foot or by authorised boat; the hamlet above it is the bus stop on line 355. Photo: Spaccafito, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
Masca’s houses line the ridge at about 650 m; line 355 between Santiago del Teide and Buenavista is the bus, with tables that differ by day of the week. Photo: Falk2, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around Masca
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There’s more around the corner
Where next?
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Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Isla Baja, north-west Tenerife
Garachico
Volcanic coast, historic squares and an unhurried small-town day
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Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Marc Ryckaert / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
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Guide checked · How we check · Suggest a correction
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
TITSA
- Line 355: Buenavista–Masca–Santiago del Teide Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 365: Buenavista–Masca Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 363 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 460 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 464 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
WebTenerife
- Masca Checked – Oct 2026
Camino del Barranco de Masca (Cabildo de Tenerife)
- Camino del Barranco de Masca: booking and access rules Checked – Oct 2026
Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud
Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias
Gobierno de Canarias, Dirección General de Emergencias
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