Create a holiday to remember with these top ten island adventures
Climb the Teide Volcano in Tenerife
After Hawaii’s Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, Mount Teide is the third-highest volcano in the world. In addition to being the highest mountain in Spain, it is the eighth most visited natural park in the world and the most visited in all of Europe. Take a cable car to the summit and witness the breathtaking views. The park invites visitors to stay on the designated routes and take in the local flora and animals of this geological wonder.
Visit the fascinating architectural legacy of César Manrique – Lanzarote
César Manrique was an artist, architect and environmental activist from Lanzarote. His relationship with the landscape was not just about the aesthetic but also a commitment to defending the environment. Manrique transformed the Jameos del Agua volcanic tube into a leisure-dome with terraces among the rock face, plants hanging in cages, and a natural auditorium sloping down into the earth.
Sample some volcanic wine in Lanzarote
The Canary Islands have become an exceptional wine-producing region due to the volcanic nature of their soils and almost desert-like climate. White wines are predominant in the Canaries and are often opulent and full, sometimes with a citric precision. Reds often have a Burgundian heft of pepper and complex darkness—leather, mocha, black fruit, caramel and even diesel. There are several wineries offering wine tastes and visits.
Enjoy an aloe vera wellness treatment in a Canarian spa – Tenerife
The spa centres in the Canary Islands are known to make full use of all the natural resources to offer treatments such as thalassotherapy, geotherapy, wine therapy or aloe therapy, the latter using Canarian aloe vera. The spa of the Iberostar Grand Mencey in Santa Cruz de Tenerife boasts everything from a dynamic heated pool with bubble beds, whirlpool sections, and aqua-massage swan necks, to saunas, a foot spa, and a steam room.
Star Gaze at a world class observatory in La Palma
The sky of La Palma is one of the best places in the world for star gazing, and the Roque de los Muchachos observatory l is home to one of the most extensive fleets of telescopes to be found anywhere in the world. The observatory organises visits to its facilities, and there are stargazing tours by operators like La Palma Astronomy Tours which even include a ‘Tapas and Stars’ dining experience.
Dine at a Michelin-Starred restaurant in Tenerife
The stars in the Canary Islands are not just in the sky: Tenerife has six Michelin stars spread between five restaurants. One starred NUB occupies a beautifully restored colonial building and its tasting menus fuse Italian, Chilean and traditional Canarian flavours. The celebrated Basque chef Martín Berasategui’s M.B. sits in the Ritz Carlton Abama hotel and has two Michelin stars. It is renowned for its interpretation of Spanish cuisine with influences from the Basque Country and selection of local ingredients.
Whale watching and diving in El Hierro
El Hierro is the smallest of the Canary Islands and a true Atlantic treasure. Declared a World Biosphere Reserve in 2000, El Hierro also features a marine reserve full of steep drop offs, shelves, sandy platforms and caves. It’s one of the world’s dream diving sites with more than ten top-class spots all full of volcanic features and marine life. It’s also the perfect place for whale spotting as different species can be seen all year round.
Learn how to surf in Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura is well known for its 150 km of white sand beaches and emerald green waters. The North of the island offers world class breaks for surfing but also less demanding spots for learners, the South is swept by reliable winds all year round which together with flat seas offer some of the world’s best conditions for kite and windsurfing.
For more information on the Canary Islands, please visit www.hellocanaryislands.com
ENDS