2 min summary Best time to visit Map & highlights Walking Lanzarote Advice Avoiding resorts Responsible tourism

Canary Islands map & highlights

Once you have walked the cloud forests of La Gomera, surfed at sunset on Lanzarote’s Famara Beach, trekked through volcanic El Hierro or the rich, subtropical laurisilva forests of Tenerife, you will start to see why people keep coming back to the Canary Islands again and again. As do the whales. And people have been listening to their songs for generations, so we should trust their wisdom in such matters.

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Canary Islands map & highlights

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1. El Hierro
2. Fuerteventura
3. Gran Canaria
4. La Gomera
5. La Palma
6. Lanzarote
7. Tenerife

El Hierro

1. El Hierro

The baby of the islands, it would win a Beautiful Baby competition if there still were such things. The capital, Valverde, overlooks the magnificent landscape like an eagle protecting her nest. With volcanic landscapes stretching up to 1,500m, there are cattle and sheep filled meadows, banana plantations and ancient pine forest to shade you from the near Saharan heat. And always the Atlantic to cool down in.

El Hierro

Fuerteventura

2. Fuerteventura

Only 20 percent of this island has been developed, leaving 13 protected natural areas, such as the galloping, gorgeous dunes at Corralejo with the backdrop of Montana Roja, or the volcanic landscape of Malpais Grande. Fuerteventura feels like another planet, outer space even, especially if you star gaze. The island has been awarded Starlight Reserve status, for its constellations, clarity and being generally out of this world.

Gran Canaria

3. Gran Canaria

The island with the largest population, it also has some of the highest number of mountains, so you can easily find solitude and solace hiking here. Las Palmas is a big capital, but los pinos, or pines, are what dominate hikes in the hills, as you follow ancient mountain trails past inhabited cave villages such as Artenara, up to spectacular rocky ridges and down through green valleys such Tejeda and Las Tirajanas.

Gran Canaria

La Gomera

4. La Gomera

A green and luscious Canary, it is also quiet as it’s only accessible by ferry. With superb walking from sea level up to mountains crafted into terraced farmland, hike through banana plantations, rocky valleys and cloud forest. Top views from highest peak, Alto de Garajonay National Park, bring binoculars to look out for whales and dolphins; La Gomera is superb for whale watching trips, too.

La Palma

5. La Palma

La Palma takes the crown as the greenest island in the Canaries. The whole island is an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, so you can hike through pristine tropical forests that plaster the peaks and troughs of the north. Down south, meanwhile, it’s cinematic views along the Route of the Lost Volcanoes. Fair warning: La Palma is also the steepest island in the Canaries, so pack your grippiest hiking shoes.

La Palma

Lanzarote

6. Lanzarote

With the exception of a couple of overdeveloped resorts, the rest of this volcanic island is hiking, cycling and surfing paradise. The north was home to César de Manrique, an artist who fought until his death in 1992 for his beloved island to be sustainable, from architecture to agriculture. His ethos has inspired many local tourism businesses, with fishermen’s cottages or yurts overlooking quiet beaches.

Tenerife

7. Tenerife

A maze of hiking routes spreads out from the iconic, snow capped summit of Mount Teide, such as through the Anaga Mountains, where subtropical 'laurisilva' forest and vine covered terraces proffer beyond pretty perambulations. Or the heady heights of the La Caldera to Los Órganos circuit where dusty, cliff clinging trails awaken the senses. The highlight for many is hiking up into the mar de nubes or sea of clouds.

Tenerife

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Things to do on the Canary Islands...

You can spot the sensible ones on the plane, with hiking boots on instead of flip flops. Just a short hop from the coast of North Africa, you have sunshine all year round here to satisfy your craving for hill walking. Be it through cloud forest of La Gomera, mountainous pine forests of El Hierro, dramatic volcanic valleys of Lanzarote, Tenerife’s subtropical 'laurisilva' forest or the dune-scapes of Fuerteventura, with volcanoes beckoning like mirages up ahead. The water at the bottom of all the hills is never a mirage, however; always have your swimsuit in your backpack. Cetacean swimmers also favour the Canarian shores, with whale and dolphin watching between March and November. Dolphins, fin, sperm and Bryde's whales have all been sighted, particularly off La Gomera. No fool them. This is one of the Atlantic’s most glorious hideaways. Sleep under the stars and study the stars. You can do the former on the north coast of Lanzarote, where a finca of palm enveloped yurts overlook the balmy shores of Arrieta, gateway to traditional villages such as Haria and Orzola. The latter is also gateway to the tiny island of La Graciosa. You can study the stars on Fuerteventura, recently given Starlight Reserve status, for its constellations clarity and being, generally, out of this world.

Things not to do on the Canary Islands...

Don’t ignore the heat factor. Walking and cycling on the islands will take you into another world, but the near Saharan temperatures and arid landscapes can lead to heat exhaustion very quickly, especially in July and August. So, if you want to trek, go early in the morning, or in the evening. Just as the locals do. And drink plenty of water.

Don’t always cool down with beer. Canarian wine is wonderfully refreshing, and given that they are volcanic vintners, they need a huge pat on the back for creating ambrosia out of the ashes. In fact, the Canaries have the highest vineyards in Europe, on the slopes of Tenerife’s El Teide. Lanzarote has 18 vineyards, where the vines are planted into small, aesthetically beautiful cocoons in the black, volcanic soil, then covered by a lava stone called Picon to protect them. Toast that with a glass of chilled Malvasia or Moscatel.

Please learn some Spanish. Local people must get really sick of English speaking visitors walking into a café and saying ‘Two coffees and one tea please’. A few words make all the difference, even if they are simply, ‘Lo siento, no hablo español’ (sorry, I don’t speak Spanish). But really, we can all muster ‘un café por favor’ or simply ‘gracias’. That would, indeed, be gracious.