6-Hour Tour with Observation of the Stars 1242 with Lunch

Tenerife’s high country gives this outing a fine one-two punch: a sunset with a glass of wine, followed by galaxies viewed through a 12-inch Dobsonian telescope. You also stop at El Pino Gordo, a huge pine said to be 700 to 800 years old, before settling in at 2,100 meters for solar and night-sky viewing.

I like the mix of food, scenery, and science. The organic wine tasting with homemade tapas gives the evening a local flavor, while the professional astronomers add real substance to the telescope session. The main caution is group size: it is advertised for no more than eight people, but one booking was combined with other vans, so the small-group promise may not always hold.

Key points to know before booking

• Sunset and stargazing share the same mountain stop: El Retamar covers solar viewing, sunset, wine, and night observation in one long visit.
• The telescope session has serious equipment: A 12-inch Dobsonian telescope and real-time astrophotography are included.
• The evening begins with an old Canary Island pine: El Pino Gordo is a quick but memorable photo stop.
• Food is part of the experience: You get an organic wine tasting and homemade tapas at Finca Tres Roques.
• The advertised group limit is eight: Ask about the exact group arrangement if a quiet, personal tour matters to you.
• Bad weather can change the plan: The experience may be rescheduled or refunded if conditions are poor.

Why this Tenerife evening works so well

Many Tenerife outings ask you to choose between food and astronomy. This one joins the two without making either feel like a token add-on. You spend the evening moving from a natural landmark to a high viewpoint, then finish with wine, tapas, and a long telescope session.

The timing is the real appeal. The afternoon departure at 5:00 PM lets you reach the high country while there is still daylight. You begin with the oldest part of the evening, the ancient pine, then arrive at El Retamar for solar viewing and sunset. As the sky darkens, the focus shifts to stars, galaxies, and distant objects.

I also like that the astronomy is not limited to simply looking through a telescope. The program includes real-time astrophotography, which gives you a way to see objects that can be difficult to appreciate through an eyepiece alone. The astronomers can help connect the view in the telescope with the image appearing in real time.

The experience lasts about five to six hours, so you should treat it as your main evening plan. It is not a quick stop at a viewpoint. You will spend roughly three hours at El Retamar and another hour and a half at the restaurant, with driving time and the brief pine stop between them.

El Pino Gordo, a five-minute stop with a big character

The first stop is El Pino Gordo, described as the oldest and largest pine in the Canary Islands. Its estimated age is 700 to 800 years, which gives the stop more weight than a routine roadside photo break.

You only spend about 15 minutes here, and the actual walk to the point of interest takes roughly five minutes. That makes this an easy introduction to the evening. You are not committing to a long hike before the main activities begin.

I would keep your expectations in check. This is a short visit, not a nature walk or a guided forest excursion. Its value comes from seeing a remarkable old tree in person and getting a sense of the island’s high-country setting before the astronomy starts.

The stop also breaks up the drive. Instead of sitting in a vehicle until the main viewpoint, you get a chance to stretch, take photos, and see one of Tenerife’s unusual natural sights. If you enjoy small details that give a place a sense of age, this is a worthwhile opening stop.

El Retamar at 2,100 meters, from sunlight to starlight

El Retamar is the heart of the tour. At 2,100 meters above sea level, the viewpoint is high enough to frame the sunset and provide a suitable setting for night observation. You spend about three hours here, so this is where the tour earns most of its price.

The first astronomy activity happens before dark. Coronado H-Alpha telescopes are used for solar observation, allowing you to look at the Sun through equipment designed for that purpose. This is a useful touch because it turns the waiting period before sunset into part of the program.

You then watch the sunset with a chilled glass of wine. The tour also includes photos as a gift, giving you a record of the evening beyond the images you take yourself. Since the exact conditions will affect the sunset, the experience will naturally vary from one Thursday to the next.

As night arrives, the equipment changes. The session uses 12-inch Dobsonian telescopes for viewing stars, galaxies, and other distant objects. These are large amateur astronomy telescopes, and their inclusion gives the night-sky portion more weight than a simple naked-eye constellation talk.

The real-time astrophotography is another useful feature. You can see distant objects represented on a screen as the equipment captures them, which may help you appreciate faint galaxies and other targets more clearly. I would still think of this as a guided observation rather than a formal astronomy course. The supplied details promise access to professional astronomers, but they do not name the individual guides or list a fixed set of objects.

The high altitude is important, but you should also plan for changing conditions. The experience requires good weather, and the operator may offer another date or a full refund if poor weather forces cancellation. That policy makes sense for astronomy, since clouds can turn an expensive telescope setup into a very long wait for nothing.

Wine, tapas, and the final stop at Finca Tres Roques

The final stop is Restaurante Finca Tres Roques, where the evening moves from the sky to the table. You get an organic wine tasting with homemade tapas, and the scheduled visit lasts about an hour and a half.

This is more than a convenient meal after the telescope session. The food gives the tour a local, relaxed finish, and it keeps the evening from feeling like a sequence of technical demonstrations. The tasting also pairs naturally with the sunset portion, even though the restaurant visit comes later in the published schedule.

The available feedback gives the tapas and wine a particularly strong mark. One booking described both as very tasty, while another praised the experience from the tasting through the sunset and astronomy. That matches the design of the tour: the food is not an afterthought, and the astronomy is not just a reason to sell dinner.

You should note that the supplied details do not list the number of wines, the exact labels, or the tapas menu. If you have dietary needs, ask before booking rather than assuming the homemade dishes will suit you. Service animals are allowed, and most people can participate, but the meal details themselves are not specified.

What $75 gets you

At $75, the tour is priced as a bundled evening rather than a single attraction. You are paying for pickup, transportation between stops, a pine-tree visit, solar observation, sunset viewing, wine, gifted photos, a long night-sky session, professional astronomers, and a tapas-and-wine tasting.

The value is strongest if you would otherwise pay separately for an astronomy session and a wine experience. You also avoid planning the route to the high viewpoint yourself, which matters after dark and makes the evening simpler.

The price is less compelling if you only want stargazing. Nearly half the experience is tied to the wine, food, sunset, and scenic stops. I would not book this for a pure astronomy lesson unless you are happy to pay for the social and culinary parts as well.

The advertised maximum of eight people should make the astronomy session easier to follow and less crowded around the telescope. Still, one booking found that vans were combined despite the small-group description. That is the clearest issue to clarify before paying. A larger combined group could mean more waiting at the telescope and less direct time with the astronomers.

Pickup, timing, and the Thursday schedule

Pickup is offered, and the experience uses a mobile ticket. The scheduled opening period runs from July 22, 2023, through June 17, 2026, with departures on Thursdays from 5:00 PM to 11:30 PM.

The listed hours describe the operating window, not necessarily a fixed six-and-a-half-hour tour. The experience itself is described as lasting about five to six hours, so confirm the exact pickup time and meeting instructions after booking.

The Thursday-only schedule is worth considering. It works well if you are building a week around a fixed evening, but it gives you little flexibility if the weather is poor or your itinerary changes. Confirmation arrives within 48 hours of booking and depends on availability, so do not treat the reservation as fully settled until that confirmation arrives.

Because the tour ends late, I would keep the rest of your evening open. The telescope session depends on darkness, and the restaurant portion adds time after the sunset and astronomy. You will get more from the experience if you are not watching the clock.

Who will enjoy this most

I would recommend this tour to you if you want several Tenerife experiences in one outing. It suits couples, small groups, and curious visitors who like the idea of pairing local wine with a clear explanation of what they are seeing overhead.

It is also a good fit if you enjoy a guided experience but do not want a full-day excursion. The five to six-hour length leaves your daytime free, while the evening has enough structure to feel substantial.

Families may also find it appealing, especially if children are interested in space. The solar telescope gives them something to see before dark, and the large Dobsonian telescope adds a sense of occasion. Still, the late finish and long three-hour stop at El Retamar may not suit very young children.

I would be more cautious if you dislike group tours, need a tightly fixed schedule, or want an intimate astronomy session with guaranteed one-on-one time. The maximum group size sounds appealing, but the combined-van report means you should confirm how the operator is handling group numbers for your date.

Practical details that affect your decision

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Inside that window, the payment is not refunded and changes are not accepted, with cut-off times based on local time.

Weather is not a minor detail here. The tour depends on clear enough conditions for solar and night-sky viewing, so poor weather can lead to a new date or a full refund. The operator also requires a minimum number of people, and if that minimum is not reached, you can receive an alternative date or experience, or a full refund.

Most people can participate, and service animals are allowed. The supplied information does not give detailed mobility notes, so ask the provider directly if you need specific help with the vehicle, viewpoint, restaurant, or telescope area.

Bring a phone with enough battery for the mobile ticket and photos. You may also want an extra layer for the high viewpoint, but the provided information does not state a temperature range or list required clothing. The safe advice is to prepare for an evening at 2,100 meters rather than assuming it will feel like the coast.

Should you book this stargazing and wine tour?

Book it if you want a well-packed Tenerife evening with food, wine, sunset, and astronomy in one plan. The strongest parts are the long stay at El Retamar, the H-Alpha solar viewing, the 12-inch telescope, real-time astrophotography, and the homemade tapas at Finca Tres Roques.

I would pause only if the group size is crucial to you. Ask whether your date will stay at eight people or fewer, since one booking was combined with other vans despite the advertised limit. If the answer is clear and the weather looks promising, $75 is a reasonable price for the range of included activities.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately five to six hours. The listed activities include a 15-minute stop at El Pino Gordo, about three hours at El Retamar, and about one hour and 30 minutes at Finca Tres Roques, plus travel time.

What days and times is the tour available?

The stated operating schedule is Thursday from 5:00 PM to 11:30 PM, during the period from July 22, 2023, through June 17, 2026.

Is pickup available?

Yes. Pickup is offered, and the experience also provides a mobile ticket.

How many people can join the tour?

The stated maximum is eight people. However, one booking found that groups from different vans were combined, so you should confirm the group arrangement for your date if this matters to you.

What telescopes are used?

Solar viewing uses Coronado H-Alpha telescopes. Night observation uses 12-inch Dobsonian telescopes, along with real-time astrophotography of galaxies and distant objects.

What happens if the weather is poor?

The experience requires good weather. If it is canceled because of poor conditions, you will be offered a different date or a full refund. A full refund is also available when you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time.