You’ve heard of the resorts, of course.
But did you also know that the Canary Islands are home to the highest
mountain in Spain? That they are clad in pine forest and ringed with
volcanic black-sand beaches? That they are not only Europe’s best whale
watching hotspot but also a mecca for surfers, and for hikers?
There is so much more to discover in this sunny archipelago than just
a string of resorts, so pick an island and start exploring.
1. Tenerife
This is the island everyone knows – or thinks they know. The
highlight (literally) is Mount Teide, a lofty volcano that can be
reached by cable car or, more enticingly, on foot. Its steaming slopes
lead down to thick pine forest alive with birds before giving way to the
coastal plains and ultimately the black sand beaches its lava has
created. Teide also created the long-soak-worthy natural rockpools at
Garachico and the bizarre rock formations and teetering stacks around
the Canadas del Teide, while man built the gorgeous ancient towns of La
Laguna and La Orotava, where brightly painted mansion houses are decked
with carved wooden balconies. The channel between Tenerife and La Gomera
is the best place for that whale watching. Board a boat in Los
Cristianos and keep your eyes peeled for sperm, minke and even killer
whales.
2. Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is a self-styled “continent in miniature” and for once
the tourist board cliché rings true. Because the most populated of the
Canary Islands has it all. Here you can stroll the waterfront of vibrant
capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria one day and run full pelt down the
vast, empty sand dunes at Maspalomas the next. Inland you can explore
plunging gorges and lofty peaks, hiking up to the lavascape around
volcanic stack Roque Nublo and crisscrossing the mountains through cool
pine tree forest to reach the picturesque old towns of Teror and Tejeda.
The highest village is Artenara, and should not be missed for its
troglodyte caves (some of which are still inhabited) and far-reaching
views of the island and over to Teide on distant Tenerife.
3. Lanzarote
Lanzarote has a style that is all its own, and this is mostly thanks
to the island’s own Cesar Manrique, an architect and designer who put
the brakes on rampant development. Here all buildings are restricted in
height, there are no advertising billboards and almost every roundabout
centres on a sculpture, many of which move like wind chimes. These high
standards continue in everything from the hotels to the food and wine.
You can stay in a yurt at Finca de Arrieta or on a vineyard at Finca
Malvasia, and spend your days washing down freshly cooked squid and
clams with the Canary Islands’ best wine, cultivated by the volcanic
soil here. Make time to visit the volcanic cavern of Jameos del Agua,
formed by nature but sculpted by Manrique, and the otherworldly
Timanfaya national park, epicentre of one of the worst earthquakes the
world has ever seen, in 1730.
4. Fuerteventura
To some, she is no beauty. To others, her volcanoes appear like
mounds of colourful spices (cumin, perhaps, or saffron) tempting them in
to the interior of an island that is far better know for its beaches.
Fuerteventura is ugly to some because of her astounding dryness, with
barren plains and dusty mountaintops marking out the landscape. But
Fuerteventura is also a waterlovers playground, with some of the best
surf breaks in the Canaries and some of the most holiday brochure worthy
white-sand beaches in Europe. In the north, days can be spent sandy
toed at Parque Natural de Corralejo’s golden sand dunes or sucking the
salt from your fingers after a feast of fresh seafood in El Cotillo
(take a seat at Vaca Azul for the best). Don’t miss Lajares, a laidback
town of bakeries, surf shops and craft markets and consider a trip to
Los Lobos, the uninhabited and truly unspoilt island just offshore of
Corralejo.
5. La Gomera
Don’t like getting sand between your toes? If you don’t like the
beach, head to La Gomera, an island that is more soaring rock walls than
gently shelving sands. This is an island so undulating that the locals
invented their own whistling language (silbo) to communicate across the
ravines and thereby save their legs (and several hours journey time).
Today though visitors want to take their time, and this is an island
that appeals more to hikers than to anyone else, with an exciting range
of trails winding through lush valleys and mist-drenched forests before
reaching out towards the dramatic cliffs, wending down through the
terraces and banana plantations to finally reach the sea. San Sebastian
is the only real town and here you can follow in Christopher Columbus’s
footsteps – he stayed here en route to the new world.
6. La Palma
Few visitors make it to La Palma, but the greenest of the Canary
Islands is a haven for hikers and perhaps the archipelago’s best-kept
secret. A UNESCO biosphere reserve, it is a serene isle of unspoiled
rainforest dripping with moss and water, bowled-out volcanic calderas
blanketed in shady pine forest, and sprawling national park land awash
with streams and waterfalls. Caldera de Taburiente should not be missed
and must be explored on foot. It is well worth the potential blisters
for its bizarrely eroded rockscape and the chance to see bubbling clouds
spilling over the lips of the crater.
7. El Hierro
El Hierro is the last landfall before America – and the last Canarian
island on most people’s lips to boot. Remote and unknown to all but the
most intrepid of visitors, it offers a real chance to escape and the
slow pace of life here is endlessly charming. This is another UNESCO
biosphere reserve and you will find plenty more of those typically
Canarian volcanic badlands here, but the real reason to visit is that
chance to escape, into lush valleys and volcanic amphitheatres with just
the birds and the island’s famous giant lizard for company.
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