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Which Canary Islands?

As part of a trip to Spain in October this year, I think we'll include a jaunt to the Canary Islands of 7-9 days. Obviously we can't see everything in that time. But we can certainly tour two or possibly three islands.

We love volcanic landscapes, rugged coastlines, stunning uncrowded beaches, whales/dolphins/turtles/coral and interesting hikes. We are not interested in museums, gambling, nightlife or anything particularly upscale. We speak Spanish and expect to use it on our trip.

This might also be helpful: In Hawaii, we liked Maui and the Big Island most and did not like Oahu (too many people, too built up) or Kauai (too much car traffic and too many helicopters on a tiny island) as much.

In that case, any recommendations for which islands we might like most?

Gracias!

Posted by
6790 posts

The worst of Mass Tourism there will be found on Gran Canaria (think of Spain's "Costa del Tourismo" but with sand dunes). Outside of the grotesque, overdeveloped tourism zone there, much of the island retains its charms and authenticity, so it still might be worth some of your time. It's been years since I was there, but I enjoyed my time elsewhere on the island.

If you like volcanic moonscapes and dramatic scenery, head straight to Lanzarotte - it's otherworldly and beautiful. Nice beaches, too.

I also liked Fuertaventura, which was a bit more low key, with nice beaches too. Lots and lots of Germans and windsurfers. I learned how to windsurf there (kinda) in German (it seemed everyone there was a German except me).

Posted by
381 posts

After researching the different islands, I am thinking it would be nice to visit these three, in this order:

Lanzarote
Tenerife
La Palma

Can anyone suggest a quick way for me to see what kind of air connections there would be between the islands and from the mainland? If we have to fly La Palma - Tenerife - Madrid at the end, that's OK.