THE CANARIES
THE CANARIES
Away from their pockets of mass-tourism development, Spain’s Canaries are an archipelago of endlessly varied landscapes, slow-going villages, lively towns, gastronomic delights and a thriving local culture that is at once firmly Spanish and distinctively Canarian. With two Unesco geoparks and four national parks, these eight sun-baked islands are home to a growing lineup of sustainable tourism initiatives – and you’re never far from a dip in the Atlantic.
WHY SAIL AROUND THE CANARIES…?
Warm weather, island hopping passages and great winds.
Between them, the eight islands of the Canaries provide a surplus of destinations, each bringing their own traditional nautical culture, climate and appeal to the sailing experience, making the Canaries a popular choice for seafaring visitors.
FUERTEVENTURA, LANZAROTE
FUERTEVENTURA
Warm weather, island hopping passages and great winds.
Between them, the eight islands of the Canaries provide a surplus of destinations, each bringing their own traditional nautical culture, climate and appeal to the sailing experience, making the Canaries a popular choice for seafaring visitors.
With its salty breezes, renowned surf, volcanic landscapes and honey-gold coastline, Fuerteventura is the Canaries’ destination for beach bliss and watersports.
Stay in northern Fuerteventura to soak up the surf vibe in El Cotillo, Corralejo and Lajares, hike to tiny, beach-side Majanicho, take a day trip to the near-deserted Isla de Lobos (for snorkelling, paddleboarding and more) and get away from it all in the dune-lined Parque Natural de Corralejo. South of Corralejo, La Oliva is known for its historical architecture and the Centro de Arte Canario Casa Mané, devoted to Canarian greats.
LANZAROTE
Beyond its resort towns, Lanzarote means wild coasts, white-walled villages, rust-red volcanic cones, swirling bougainvillaea and buzzy farmers’ markets. It also has lively arts and gastronomy scenes. The entire island is a Unesco geopark.
Off northern Lanzarote and reachable only by ferry from Órzola, sand-dusted Graciosa is a go-slow, back-to-nature escape (no paved roads here). It became the official eighth Canary Island in 2018.
GRAN CANARIA, TENERIFE,
el Hierro
GRAN CANARIA
Gran Canaria might be famous for its southern resorts, but it’s also a superbly scenic land of forested hills, plunging valleys, intriguing historical sights and seafood restaurants. Stay in Gran Canaria’s leafy north, where you’ll find the lively capital, Las Palmas, Spain’s ninth-largest city, it has a magnificent cathedral, the Columbus-themed Casa-Museo de Colón, the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno and other worthwhile sights.
TENERIFE
Dominated by the snow-dusted Pico del Teide, Tenerife is the most-visited Canary Island – a mix of lively towns, twinkling beaches, remote mountains, cultural delights, evocative villages, and a lava-sculpted, Unesco-listed national park.
EL HIERRO
Distant El Hierro, the Canaries’ westernmost island, is an off-the-beaten-track adventure, with thrilling footpaths, sweeping viewpoints, glinting Atlantic pools and misty forests. A Unesco-listed geopark since 2014, it’s on its way to becoming the first island in the world to run on exclusively renewable energy.
LA PALMA
From its desert-like southern expanses, dotted with volcanoes, to the pine-forested north, “La Isla Bonita” – protected as a Unesco biosphere reserve since 2002 – is a place for escaping into the wild.
LA GOMERA
Walkers travel to lush La Gomera for its outstanding mountain trails, but there’s much more to this bohemian island, where cliff-edged coastlines give way to palm-filled valleys, ancient subtropical forests and eerie volcanic rock formations.