Tenerife North/Los Rodeos - Spotting Guide

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Tenerife North/Los Rodeos – Spotting Guide

Published by Clive at October 25, 2017 - last modified on November 5, 2022

Although quieter than the main airport in the south of the island, Tenerife Norte Airport is still well worth a visit. Whilst Tenerife South Airport accommodates most of the tourist traffic, Tenerife Norte mainly operates as an inter-island hub, serving all seven of the main Canary Islands and connecting them to the Iberian peninsula, Rome, Madeira and North Africa, with seasonal flights to Helsinki.

Tenerife Norte is located in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 11km (6.8 Miles) by road from the capital, Santa Cruz. In 2015 it handled over 3.8 million passengers on 53,259 aircraft movements. However, since 2007, cargo tonnage has gradually drifted downwards, and in 2015 it stood at 12,819 tonnes.

Until the south airport was inaugurated in November 1978, Tenerife Norte, or Los Rodeos as it was known then, was the island’s only airport. However, after the horrific crash of two Boeing 747s at the airport in thick fog on March 27, 1977, frantic efforts were made to get the south airport opened as soon as possible, and since then Tenerife Norte has played a secondary role to Tenerife South. Due to its altitude at 633 metres (2,077 ft), poor weather remains a potential issue at Tenerife Norte at any time, and it is not unusual for the rest of the island to be basking in warm sunshine, whilst Tenerife Norte is shrouded in low cloud, rain or fog.

Written by Clive Grant (visited January 2018); public transport details by Backa Erik Eriksson

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
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Airport Information
Runways
12/30	3.500m (9,843ft)
Terminals	One terminal is used for all flights
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not required
Car/Public Transport	A car is useful as most locations are on the opposite side of the airport from the terminal, however most spots are accessible by public transport. See details under each spot. Bus tickets and cards can be purchased at the bus station in La Laguna. All details of Tenerife public transport (Titsa) buses are available here.
Restrooms	In the airport terminal or near some of the spots.
Drinks/Food	In the airport terminal or near some of the spots.
Hotels	The nearest hotels are about five kilometres away in La Laguna.
Season	Tenerife is an all year round destination although it’s busiest during the summer and winter peaks. That said, it is important to keep a close eye on the local weather forecast as Tenerife Norte Airport can be subject to cloud, rain and fog at any time of year.Due to the orientation of the runway, the light is generally better in the winter months.
Runway Usage
12/30	Used in both directions according to the wind direction.

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	Spot #1 – Bar Restaurante Argelio – 30 arrivals and departures
WHERE	From the airport terminal, take the TF-5 motorway one junction eastbound to leave at junction 9. At the roundabout take the second right onto TF-24. Follow the road around the right hand bend alongside the threshold of Runway 30 and take the next left turn which is a sharp 180 degree turn onto Camino del Medio. Once you’ve made this turn, continue straight ahead, past the Bar Restaurante Argelio on the right and park in Pasaje el Desvio in the parking area on the left. From here you have a raised view of the runway threshold and the taxiway beyond. If you’re walking from La Laguna, route south on Avenida Trinidad to the large roundabout over the Autopista del Norte, then take the fourth exit (TF-24, Carretera de la Esperanza), and follow this road to reach the spot; it takes around 20-25 minutes.

WHAT	All arrivals and departures on Runway 30 and the parallel taxiway beyond, although you may get the fence in your photos for departing traffic once it’s on the runway.

TIME	From mid morning onwards in the winter. In the summer, afternoons only until about 6pm.

MISC.	The Bar Restaurante Argelio is adjacent to this spot for food, drink and restrooms.

FOCAL LENGTH	60-300mm will cover everything from here.

	Spot #2 – Perez Ortega – All arrivals and departures
WHERE	From Spot #1, retrace your route onto Camino del Medio, but instead of rejoining TF-24, take the exit opposite onto Camino el Matadero. Follow this road along the perimeter fence until the road bends to the left away from the fence. Park here by the fence opposite the Perez Ortega establishment. This is a quiet road but make sure you leave sufficient room for the lorries which occasionally pass this spot. You have to shoot thru the mesh, which is widened at some spots…

WHAT	Pretty much all inbound or outbound traffic will pass here, either on the runway or the taxiway beyond.

TIME	From mid morning onwards in the winter. In the summer, afternoons only until about 6pm.

MISC.	There are no facilities here so bring what you need.

FOCAL LENGTH	You’re very close to the runway here, so 40-50mm is enough for an A330-200 or 787-8 on the runway. Up to 300mm will cover smaller traffic on the taxiway beyond.

	Spot #3 – Bar Fortuny – 30 departures and fast climbing 12 departures
WHERE	From Spot #2 follow the road westward along the Camino Barranco el Rodeo to Bar Fortuny on the left hand side. Park outside the bar.

WHAT	From outside the Bar Fortuny it’s possible to take photos of aircraft taking off from either end of the runway once they are above the level of the fence, however, much of the jet traffic from Runway 12 will not be high enough at this point. There’s a wall to the left of the Bar Fortuny which you can stand on to improve your position.

TIME	From mid morning onwards in the winter. In the summer, afternoons only until about 6pm.

MISC.	Food, drink and restrooms are available at the Bar Fortuny.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm should cover most things.

	Spot #4 – East of the Red House – 12 arrivals and departures
WHERE	From Spot #3 follow the road westward to the next junction on the right. Turn right onto Camino Alfredo Hernández Canino and follow this road until just before you reach the red house on the right. Park here and stand by the broken fence (see photo), to take landing and departing shots on Runway 12. Photos of traffic on the parallel taxiway beyond are possible but heat haze is likely to be a problem. If coming by public transport, take bus 54 from La Laguna bus station to the stop called ‘Alfredo Hernández’, then walk for about five minutes to the spot.

WHAT	Traffic on Runway 12.

TIME	From mid morning onwards in the winter. In the summer, afternoons only until about 6pm.

MISC.	Food, drink and restrooms are available at Bar Restaurante Las Folías further to the west along the road on the left hand side.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm should cover most things.

	Spot #5 – Camino la Hoya – 12 arrivals and departures
WHERE	From Spot #4, head west past the Urbaser depot and park by the second turning on the right, Camino la Hoya. Walk to the end of Camino la Hoya as it’s not wide enough to park your car on. If coming by public transport, take bus 54 from La Laguna bus station to the stop called ‘Alfredo Hernández’, then walk for about five minutes to the spot.

WHAT	From here it’s possible to take photos of traffic landing or lining up on Runway 12, although heat haze may be a problem for the departures.

TIME	From mid morning onwards in the winter. In the summer, afternoons only until about 6pm.

MISC.	Be aware that this is a quiet residential road so please respect the locals by being quiet and discreet. Food, drink and restrooms are available at Bar Restaurante Las Folías further to the west along Camino Alfredo Hernández Canino.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm should cover most things.

	Spot #6 – Runway 30 Touchdown Point – 30 arrivals and departures
WHERE	From Spot #1, route back past the Bar Restaurante Argelio and cross over TF-24 to join Camino El Matadero. Spot #6 is a little further along on the right, by Crash Gate 6. If walking from La Laguna, follow the same directions as for Spot #1.

WHAT	All arrivals and departures on Runway 30 and the parallel taxiway beyond.

TIME	From mid morning onwards in the winter. In the summer, afternoons only until about 6pm.

MISC.	The Bar Restaurante Argelio is very near this spot for food, drink and restrooms. There are some holes at the bottom of the fence to fit a camera lens through but they’re not in the best locations. Along either side of the crash gate you can take photos through the mesh of the fence if you’re careful, but if you’re agile enough you could also climb onto the wall and balance yourself against the fence to take photos between the top of the fence and the barbed wire. This could obviously attract the attention of the security personnel, so it’s wise to only climb onto the wall for your photo and then climb down again.

FOCAL LENGTH	You’re very close to the runway here, so 40-50mm is enough for an A330-200 or 787-8 on the runway. Up to 300mm will cover smaller traffic on the taxiway beyond.

	Spot #7 – Camino El Yugo – 12 arrivals and departures; slow climbing 30 departures
WHERE	By car from the airport terminal, join TF-5 westbound, but after 300m take exit 11 towards El Portezuelo/TF-152. Go straight ahead at the roundabout and take the next right onto Camino El Yugo, following the sign for Distribuciones Juan Perdomo. After the road bends left at the large white building, park in one of the spaces on the left for the lower location of Spot #7 or continue round the building to the end of the road for Spot #7 upper location. If on foot, walk west from the airport terminal to the roundabout and turn right onto TF-235, taking you over the Autopista del Norte. Turn left onto Carretera General del Norte/TF-152. After the roundabout take the next right onto Camino El Yugo and walk up the hill to spot #7 at the end of the road. It’s about a ten minute walk from the terminal.

WHAT	Traffic taxiing on the adjacent part of the apron and arrivals and departures on Runway 12. Slower climbing departures from Runway 30 are also possible from here.

TIME	Summer mornings only.

MISC.	There is a McDonalds restaurant back at the last roundabout for food, drinks and restrooms.

FOCAL LENGTH	You’re further away from the action at this spot than at the ones on the south side, so you’ll need a 400-500mm lens to catch the action from here.