"Earth, Water and Fire" Canary Islands by bzh

Canary Islands Travel Guide: 4,842 reviews and 10,895 photos

Small village on the North coast of Tenerife

Most people in the UK associate a holiday in the Canary Islands with drunken louts in soulless resorts spending their days on the beach and their nights in clubs.

But the canary Islands have much more to offer than just sanitised tourist resorts. The Canaries are an archipelago or seven major islands and dozens of small islets. The major islands are, from West to East: El Hiero, La Gomera, La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura. Each of them has its own special atmosphere and its own marvels to discover.

Mountains in the sea

Mountain road on Tenerife

The origins of the Canary Islands is volcanic. Each of them is a volcano or group of volcanoes that have grown from the ocean floor. Each island is more or less a volcanic mountain that has its base on the ocean floor and its summit above sea level.

And those mountains can be quite high. In fact, Tenerife, or rather Mount Teide on Tenerife is the highest mountain in Spain, higher than any of the Pyrenees!

This particularity means that most of the coastlines are very dramatic, like mountains falling into the sea. It also means that you can go from a seaside landscape to a pure mountain landscape by travelling a few kilometers. Fantastic for breathtaking scenery.

From barren volcanic rock to lush vegetation

Palm tree on La Palma

The Canary Islands are located off the coast of Morocco, just about the tropics. This provides them with warm but not excruciatingly hot weather all year round. The average rainfall is also fairly high.

This combined with volcanic activity means that landscapes in the Canaries can be extremely varied, from the barren rock of the calderas of active volcanoes to the lush vegetation of the extinct ones.

However, be warned, if you don't like bananas, the Canary Islands are not for you. Plantations are everywhere as this is the main export of the region.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Warm weather all year round and fantastic landscapes
Cons:The mindless tourist resorts
In a nutshell:Volcanoes, beaches and bananas

Last visit to Canary Islands: Jan 2001
Intro Updated Jan 13, 2003
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (2)

Dragon Tree in La Laguna, Tenerife - Canary Islands

Dragon Tree Favorites (1)

The dragon tree can only be found in the Canary Islands. However, once you're there, you should have no problem spying... more travel advice

Long walks and significant temperature... What to Pack (1)

If you really plan to visit the islands, make sure you have a good rucksack. Good walking shoes are a must. Don't... more travel advice

Travelogues (1)

Written Feb 6, 2003

5 photos

Ships ahoy!

1 - 1 of 1

Comments (2)

Reply
- Report abuse
MARIPILI Jun 4, 2003 at 6:53 AM

very good page bzh. just one thing; the dragon tree is on the macaronesian islands (included canary islands) and north of marrocco.anyway has been discovered a new especie only in gran canaria.
Reply
- Report abuse
Marcin75 Mar 18, 2003 at 10:10 AM

Good old sailing ships - isn't it the best way to move around?