Overview
If you want to visit a part of Europe that most Americans aren’t familiar with, consider the Canary Islands, an archipelago of 7 islands belonging to Spain located off the west coast of Africa. We wisely decided to visit the Canary Islands following our two weeks in nearby Morocco. We visited two islands (Gran Canaria and Tenerife), which are two of the largest and most developed islands. There are direct flights from Casablanca to the Canaries.
A map of the Canary Islands. We visited Gran Canaria (the circular island in the lower center) and Tenerife, to the northwest of Gran Canaria.
Even though these two islands house most of the local population, you can find remote and quiet areas very quickly. We really enjoyed this part of our trip. The difference between Morocco and the Canaries was a bit of a culture shock (the pace of traffic, roads, lifestyle, etc.), and we felt we were stepping from one world to another after our 1.5 hour flight.
The landscape of Gran Canaria, near the caldera of the volcano that was the island’s origin. The elevation here is about 6,000 feet.
For a combination of rugged volcanic mountains, loads of hiking trails, beautiful beaches and small quaint European towns, the Canary Islands are hard to beat.
A sign showing hiking trails in the mountains of Gran Canaria.
The Canaries are only about 100 miles (depending on the island) off the coast of Western Sahara, a region of Africa administered by Morocco. While Spanish is the primary language, the high number of tourists (and residents) from the UK make English more common than in mainland Spain. Even though these islands are close to the Sahara Desert, they have a mild climate and pleasant temperature all year long. The climate zones vary greatly within each island and from island to island due to changes in elevation and the prevailing winds. Some areas are a bit desert-like, other areas are forested and green, and you’ll find everything in between.
The Guanches were the native people of the Canary Islands, who were essentially wiped out during the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands.
To get around each island we rented a car (the roads are good, although sometimes more narrow than mainland Europe). To get from island to island there are numerous flights as well as ferries (we flew to save time).
I’ll share a bit about Gran Canaria in this post and then share more about Tenerife in my next post.
Gran Canaria
This island (and its largest city, Las Palmas) is the capitol of this region of Spain and the main business hub for the Canaries. Although the island is not big (about 35 miles diameter), many of the roads are narrow, steep and winding, so it takes longer than you might think to get across the island. There is one major freeway on the eastern shore.
One of the main beaches and boardwalks in Las Palmas, Playa de las Canteras.
Columbus visited Las Palmas to take on supplies on his first voyage to the New World.
Statue of Columbus in Las Palmas.
There is an excellent museum about his voyages and world exploration at the end of the 15th century. He also is believed to have lived in this building as well.
The exterior of the Museo de Colon (Christopher Columbus Museum) in Las Palmas.
A map showing the route of Columbus’ first voyage – 1492-1493. He stopped in Las Palmas on his way to the new world.
One of the exhibits in the Museo de Colon, showing the interior of a sailing ship of Columbus’ era.
There are other sites to visit in Las Palmas as well, including a great cathedral.
Las Palmas Cathedral – Catedral de Santa Ana. Located near the Museo de Colon.
Interior of Catedral de Santa Ana.
Beyond Las Palmas, there is a whole island to explore, with small quaint towns and rugged mountains.
The town of Arucas on Gran Canaria
In the town of Arucas, there is a Gothic church (Iglesia de San Juan Bautista), which is not old, but quite beautiful and will remind visitors of the great cathedrals of Europe.
A couple other cute towns are Teror (don’t let its name frighten you away!) and Firgas.
Street in the town of Teror.
The Basilica of Teror, quite beautiful inside.
Many of these little towns have some sort of iconic site. Firgas, not far from Las Palmas, has a waterfall cascading down a street.
The southern shore of Gran Canaria has high cliffs that are an imposing sight and a lovely fishing village, Puerto de Mogan.
Puerto de Mogan is an upscale little village on the southern shore of Gran Canaria.
The landscape at the higher elevations reminded us of our home state – Colorado.
This spot is known as Pozo de las Nieves, and is the highest spot on Gran Canaria. It offers views of the island of Tenerife, which can (barely) be seen above our heads. Also, just over Robyn’s head is Roque Nublo, a famous landmark and sacred spot to the Guanches (the native population).
Another view of the rugged volcanic landscape found on Gran Canaria, near Pozo de las Nieves.
Grand Canaria is a gateway to the Canary Islands and definitely worth a few days of your time. In my next post, I will share some information on Tenerife, another “hot spot” in the Canaries.
The Independent Tourist 