Canary Islands – The Land of Eternal Spring

The Canary Islands are a constitution of seven incredible islands considered as a part of Spain, but situated closer to Africa. Located in the Atlantic Ocean south of the Iberian Peninsula, the archipelago’s five main tourist islands are La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote. On the other hand, the remaining two are the miniature unblemished islands of Hierro and Gomera. Amazingly, these islands are the pinnacles of a huge volcanic mountain range that is under the ocean and are home to seven national reserves of Spain.

Irrespective of whether you have come with your friends or family and with young or old, these islands will make up you holidays. Beaches, water sports, land sports, museums, art galleries, gardens, monuments, mountains, and volcanoes, theme parks, water parks – what else one needs to enjoy some memorable days!

Canary Islands Tourist Attractions

• Tenerife:
  This is the largest island and the most varied landscape with volcanic mountains, cultivated areas of delicious bananas and tomatoes, rocky coasts, and attractive beaches. Here, the two main cities to visit are Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz.
• Parks of Tenerife:
  Here, we visited the Agua Sur and Ocean Park and the Camel Safari park where we took a camel ride. In addition, we also went to the Aqua land to watch a live dolphin show.
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife:
  Holding many beautiful parks, this is the busiest port here. We visited the three museums – the Museo de la Naturaleza y El Hombre offering the oldest inhabitants, mummies, and skulls; the Museo de Bellas Artes with the paintings of Canarian and Flemish artists; and a military museum. Lastly, we visited the ancient famous church of La Iglesia de San Francisco.
• Puerto de la Cruz:
  Here, we soaked ourselves in sun and waters at one of its good beaches. Then, we visited the Loro Park that houses many parrots and the navigation museum of the Museo Naval de la Casa Iriarte.
• Mount Teide:
  Designated as a national reserve, this is third highest volcano on the planet located outside Tenerife. We meander around this huge wonder and discovered many calderas and rock formations that played an important role in the creation of the island.

• The Pyramids of Tenerife:
  It is believed that these pyramids are somewhat related to the civilizations of Egypt and Mexico.
• Gran Canaria:
  This is an island that pulls 1.5 million visitors each year and is full of beaches, horticulture sites, desert areas, tropical forests, resorts, shops, and restaurants. We took a round around the banana, sugarcane, orange, papaya, mangoes, avocadoes, and coffee plantations here, which were worth a visit. Further, there are many theme, water, and amusement parks; museums; monuments; historical architectural buildings, and botanical gardens to visit. However, due to lack of time, we could hardly explore them.
• Las Palmas:
  This is such a huge town that we catch a bus to visit its attractions. Believe me, it is difficult to get around here. Even today, this is the most unspoiled island located on the northeastern end of the Gran Canaria Island. We visited the Pueblo Canario that offered watching folk dancing and craft shops. Next, we took a tour to the Museo Diocesano de Arte Sacro exhibiting religious artworks and the Museo Canario offering relics of the Guanches, the local tribe.
• La Palma:
  This is the steepest island on the planet and is full of forests, local pines, and giant ferns. Here, we saw the Caldera del Taburiente, which is the largest erosion crater on Earth. Lastly, we explored the main town Santa Cruz de La Palma possessing paved lanes, some 16th century buildings, and old houses with balconies. Do not miss here the cement copy of the Santa Maria, the ship of Christopher Columbus.
• Lanzarote:
  A tree-less island offering three resorts and declared as Reserve of Biosphere by the UNESCO, this is the place of weird fields of scary lava and beaches of black volcanic sand. Be careful of the water that you drink, as it might be the desalinated seawater due to grave water shortage.
• Arrecife:
  This is the capital of Lanzarote Island that contains palm-fringed walkways, a golden beach, and two ancient forts namely, Castillo de San Gabriel with the Museum of Archaeology and Castillo de San Jose with the Museum of Contemporary Art.
• Timanfaya Park:
  Located on Lanzarote and a biosphere reserve, this is a park with strange- shaped pile of hardened lava.
• Hiking:
  Although offered by all the islands, the most preferred area for this is on the  Tenerife in the El Tiede’s National Park. Here, you can opt from one of 21 marked trails marked according to the level of difficulty.
• Water Sports:
  The Canary Islands is full of beaches offering one or the other adventures including water skiing, parasailing, sailing, and wind surfing.

Canary Islands Best Time to Visit

The ideal months to be in the Canaries are from November to mid-December and even preferable from April to June remarkably on the Easter time.

Tip

Despite that you can travel Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Arrecife on foot easily, it is always recommended to explore the exteriors or distant areas with the help of tour operators.

Canary Islands Accommodations

There are many choices of Accommodation on the Canary Islands. You can opt to stay in any of the five major islands wherein you can book a 5*, 4*, or 3* hotel, apartment, villa, budget hotel, and campsite. A villa can be in different sizes and shapes offering a starting range of two to six bedrooms and might be detached or semi detached with a communal pool or a private pool.