Lanzarote, the Volcanic island in the Canary Archipelago

In a return to the Spanish Canary Islands series let me fly South over the Atlantic Ocean and take you all the way to the beautiful island of Lanzarote, the most oriental of this Spanish Archipelago and from the seven larger islands the one closer to Africa.


Maybe because of this African proximity Lanzarote has less rain and it's the island where the volcanic and desert landscapes are by far more evident. Nevertheless, the natural beauty of this kind of landscape is irrefutable. Coastal landscapes like the ones near the Papagayo beach area (above) are not only beautiful but also unique in the way they mixture the sandy beaches with the island's volcanic mountains of los Ajaches.


Also amazing are volcanic landscapes like the lava fields near the mountains called Montañas del Fuego. As to the beaches on the island I must say I have no doubt in choosing my favorite, bellow, the fabulous Papagayo beach. After a photo like this (thanks to wikimedia) I'm sure I need to say nothing more :)


Last but not the least, the economic beauty of the Canary Islands. Having a reduced tax regime the prices of the hotels are invitingly low. Better yet, since the weather is good almost all year, if you choose the low season it's gonna be fairly easy to find cheap holidays to Lanzarote. As usual, one last thanks to Wikimedia for the fabulous photos - far better than the ones I have :) - before my next holidays I really must do a photo crash course with you guys!

Tenerife, a good choice in the Canary Islands

And it's time for another post with a special dedicatory :) This time the post goes to my dear friend Mario (who's stationed in London) hopping to inspire him to take a few vacation days on the beautiful Spanish island of Tenerife!

Being the biggest one of the seven islands of the Canary Islands archipelago, Tenerife has much to offer to the tourists. At the top are for sure the very good beaches: Las Americas and Los Cristianos in the South of the island, Las Teresitas near Santa Cruz de Tenerife (the capital) and also the ones with the black sands near Candelaria.


Also favoring this island as a travel destination are it's location close to Europe and it's weather - since it's warm and sunny throughout the all year it's not that difficult to find good holiday deals if you choose carefully your dates making sure to get smaller fares both in flights and hotels.


Besides the beaches Tenerife also has to offer the tourists a few magical places. The first magical spot are the peculiar rocky formations called Acantilados de Los Gigantes (in English, Cliffs of the Giants) near Puerto de Santiago. In the East end of the island this amazing vertical walls next to the ocean reach heights of 500 meters above sea level.


Another exquisite view are the mountain peaks near the village of Masca. Not very far from the sea this place has some kind of a micro climate. The lower temperatures and high humidity levels cause dense clouds formations that transforms what should be a normal mountain view in something worthy of a movie scenario.


Finally the Volcano mountain called El Teide is also a mandatory visit. The views in the mountains and plan-alts are marvelous and on the way to the top you pass through several picturesque villages like the one above, Vilaflor. Like in Masca also here the height of the mountains (above 2500 meters) lowers the temperatures so a sweater might be a good idea.

As usual one final thanks to Open Galleries for the Tenerife photos.

Mario, I hope you like it and do call me before you go ;)

Playa de las Canteras and Playa del Inglés, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

As promised here's are some beach photos from Gran Canaria. The first one, is from a beach in the south of the island called Playa del Inglés very near to Maspalonas (see more here).
The second one, is from from a beach on the north-east side of the city of Las Palmas (the capital of the island) called Playa de las Canteras.
Personally, I liked better the Playa del Inglés - more natural and beautiful - but rest assure that the Playa de las Canteras it's also a very nice option - since it is in the city has the advantage that you'll have no trouble finding hotel, restaurants, bars and shops.

Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Arucas is nice small little town in the north of Gran Canaria which has several buildings distinguishably marked by the Gothic architecture - just a few kilometers away of the capital Las Palmas, Arucas it's definitely a must go place.
In the photo above is the finest example of the Gothic period in all of the island - the town's landmark - the church of Saint John the Baptist (in Spanish, la iglesia de San Juan Bautista) which the townsfolk usually call the Aruca's cathedral (in Spanish, la Catedral de Arucas).
The Gothic style of the church marks the city so much that even bars are named after it... ;)

Ingenio, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Also in the eastern side of Grand Canaria and very near to Agüimes is the small town of Ingenio. The city is very pleasant and it's historical center is very worthy of a visit.
Above a photo of the main plaza - La Plaza de la Candelaria - place where you can find the church with the same name - La Iglesia de la Candelaria.

Agüimes, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Other must see place in Gran Canaria is the small city of Agüimes. Built next to the mountains, on the eastern side of the island the city architecture's rapidly transports you to 1491 - the year of the town's foundation.
The narrow streets with the colorful houses made out and decorated with large rectangular stones (see photo above) are the trademark of the village. Don't miss it - this city is a unique place to be visited.

Puerto de Mogan, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Changing the scenery (after these last five posts dedicated to Brazil) it's back to the Canary Islands, more precisely to Puerto de Mogan in Gran Canaria - which is a little village just a few kilometers south of the city with the same name.
Both the road to get there and the view you have along the way are stunning. For about five kilometers you drive in a small road just beside the ocean, only way above it's level and when it ends... The view (photo above) - speaks for itself...
After this you start your descend from the elevated road and you enter the village driving along one it's channels (photo above), not Venice, but still a nice picture. One mention to the restaurants you'll find here - for those who like seafood - there are several good places to lunch.
Finally the puerto (spanish for harbor) itself, is a mixture of old and new, where side by side with a marina filled with state of the art boats, are the old port's facilities. One final note to an excursion they have there to see the bottom of the ocean - didn't had time to try it but seemed nice and the yellow sub was superb! ;)

La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Back to Tenerife to present you two more photos. This time, taken on the second city of the island, San Cristobál de La Laguna, classified by UNESCO as World Heritage and more often simply called, La Laguna.
The colonial architecture was the main reason that justified the distinction. The narrow streets you'll find there are filled with very old buildings, that create an atmosphere absolutely unique.
Definitely another place to visit is the local Cathedral. Also in the same plaza (La Plaza de la Catedral) is a garden that goes all around the Cathedral and that is well worth a look. In the photo above, right in front of the Cathedral, is one of the magnificent Dragon Trees they have there...

Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Today, lets leave Tenerife and head on to the also spectacular Gran Canaria island, more precisely, to the area of Maspalomas. With it's dunes complex that goes on and on for at least 12 kilometers the area is fantastic. By the way, the best beach on the island (I'll return later with that theme) it's also there but for now, lets start with the dunes and admire the natural beauty of that place...
Above a photo that can give you an idea of what they look like - I would say that, apart the vegetation and excluding the fact that in a sunny day one can see a village on the other side (Playa del Inglés, to the left in the photo), one can almost feel like being in the middle of the Sahara Desert...
Just along the dunes, is a Natural Reserve called Dunas de Maspalomas - a must see place where you'll find a shallow water lagoon used by many, many birds to build their nests. The lake itself is called La Charca and the friends you can see in the photo above are just a few of the unbelievable variety you'll find there...

Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Hi again! Today, some photos of the capital of the Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A city with a fine architecture which presents to the tourist some kind of a mixture between old and new. Bellow, a photo of an ancient building in one of the city main plaza, La Plaza de España.
Just a few meters away is this beautiful old church (photo bellow) with a funny wooden balcony that goes all around the lower building and a very high tower that dominates the view from the surrounding areas. It's name, La Iglesia de La Concepción, Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
Also a note (and photo, of course...) to the colored city trains. Circling through the majority of the old part of the city, side by side with the numerous colonial buildings dated as far as the XV century, a nice touch of modernity that fits perfectly.
The advice - don't miss the chance and reserve some time for a ride in one of them, after all, it's always a nice way to view the city...

Candelaria, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Another place you should visit when in Tenerif is the village of Cancelaria (just a few miles south from the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerif). In the center of the location you'll find the plaza where is located the Church of Cancelaria (in Spanish, La Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria).
The Church is magnificent. Above is a photo of the main entry and bellow one detailed view from the beautiful altar you can find inside.
Another thing to see, again in the main plaza, are the nine bronze statues dedicated to the Guanches Kings (prior to the Spanish, the old inhabitants of the island).
One extra word of advice for the traffic to get there, since it's very close to the capital, try to avoid the rush hour...

El Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

El Teide is a volcano that with it's 3718 meters is also the largest mountain on the Canary Islands. The peak of the mountain is called Pico Del Teide and, about 2000/2500/3000 meters above sea level, there are some enormous plateaus filled with small vegetation and volcanic rocks that makes that area absolutely unique...
All the area around the volcano is part of the Nacional Park of El Teide (in Spanish, Parque Nacional del Teide) and, if you can, I would advise you to take the road that passes through the south entry of the Park. From there the view of Pico del Teide is absolutely dazzling (see photo bellow).
A little word of caution for those who intent to go up there - even in the summer consider taking a jacket or a sweater - the place is a bit more colder then the rest of the island...

Los Gigantes, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

And off we go to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean - to Tenerife, the largest of the seven Canary Islands (in Spanish, Islas Canárias). The place I'm showing bellow is located on the west coast of the island. It's called Los Gigantes.
The principal attraction there are the tall rocky mountains (going from 500 to 800 meters) that you can see behind the marina. In fact the village got it's name exactly cause of them. Translating to English, Los Gigantes are The Giants...
Besides the amazing view which by itself makes it worthy going there you can always descend to the village. It's a cute spot and next to the marina you'll find some nice restaurants and cafes.