{"id":53379,"date":"2026-10-13T06:02:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T06:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/?p=53379"},"modified":"2026-10-13T06:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T06:02:58","slug":"why-the-canary-islands-should-be-your-next-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/13\/why-the-canary-islands-should-be-your-next-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Canary Islands Should Be Your Next Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From volcanic peaks to salty potatoes, this Spanish archipelago offers something to suit every traveller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Canaries are usually associated with winter sun and the tourist trade, but it is a mistake to see this Atlantic archipelago as a single place, a flight from Europe. Eight islands, each with a personality of its own, lie off the coast of Africa to the north-west, offering everything from moonlike lava deserts to foggy laurel forests, all within a few hours of the European continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Landscape Unlike Anywhere Else in Spain<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Canary Islands have a volcanic origin, and this is clearly seen. Tenerife has the highest peak in Spain, 3,715 meters, and the third highest volcano in the world. Driving through the surrounding Las Ca\u00f1adas caldera is like traveling on a different planet, and climbing the mountain by cable car is an experience that can not be missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lanzarote has another beauty. Timanfaya National Park is a sea of lava and ochre-colored cinders left by the eruptions of the 1730s and so geothermal that food is still cooked on volcanic heat in the restaurant there. The island is under strict planning control, championed by the painter C\u00e9sar Manrique, and even the most developed resorts maintain a low white beauty that stands out sharply against the black volcanic soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gran Canaria is rightly called the “miniature continent”: the south has sand-dunes and golden beaches at Maspalomas, and the mountainous interior near Tejeda has forests of pine and rugged peaks. Fuerteventura, the oldest of the islands, has a form of softness about it. It is widely considered to have the best beaches in the archipelago, and is a haven for surfers and kitesurfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Do: From Volcanoes to Stargazing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the Teide there is the Anaga Rural Park<\/a> in the northeast, where the visitor steps back in time among the laurel woods and steep green slopes. The historic city of La Laguna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers colonial architecture that served as a model for towns across South America. Whale watching trips from Los Cristianos \u2013 a year-round opportunity to spot pilot whales and dolphins – leave from the harbor at Los Cristian\u00ados.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Lanzarote you must go on the C\u00e9sar Manrique route: see his former home built into volcanic bubbles, now the Fundaci\u00f3n C\u00e9sar Manrique, and the underground lava tunnel, the Jameos del Agua, transformed into a marvellous gallery; then go to La Geria, where the vines grow in small volcanic pits, each protected by a crescent-shaped wall of volcanic rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Gran Canaria, one can climb the rock of Roque Nublo for a view which, from the top of the ravine, can be enjoyed on a clear day as far as the Teide of Tenerife. In the capital, Las Palmas, the Vegueta quarter contains a number of streets of cobblestones, and the Casa de Col\u00f3n, which traces the nexus between Christopher Columbus and the Canaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short ferry from Lanzarote takes you to the small island of La Graciosa, where no vehicles are permitted, with its deserted golden shores; while from Tenerife an hour’s journey brings you to La Gomera and its ancient Garajonay forest of laurels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Eat: A Cuisine of Volcanoes and Ocean<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Food from the Canaries reflects the history of the islands, being a fusion of Spanish, African, and Latin American influences, and dependent on what grows in the volcanic soils and what comes from the Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Papas arrugadas con mojo (wrinkled potatoes) are everywhere, and there is a reason for this. They are small potatoes, boiled in water rubbed with coarse salt until they have a crust of salt on them, and are served with mojo, a lively sauce in which paprika and sometimes other spices are used, either red (mojo rojo) or green (mojo verde, with parsley or coriander). It is a simple and very nourishing combination, very Canarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grilled goat or sheep cheese with the spicy sauce is a favorite starter. It is also served with honey for the contrast of sweet and sour. The goat cheese from Majorero, which is well known in Fuerteventura, is worth finding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For something heartier, the conejo al salmorejo is a rabbit dish marinated in wine, vinegar, garlic, and paprika, then stewed to a tender, aromatic consistency. The ropa vieja, literally “old clothes,” is a shredded beef dish served with rice or potatoes, a dish with Cuban cousins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For exquisitely delicious fish, you should look for the cherne (wreckfish), often simply grilled, and the lapas, a limpet served with mojo verde sauce and eaten straight from the shell. These islands also produce some very good Malvas\u00eda volcanic wines, especially in the La Geria region of Lanzarote, with a mineral character that reflects the harsh climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sweet conclusion would be the ‘barraquito’, a coffee made with condensed milk, espresso, Licor 43, and cinnamon. Dessert and coffee in one, best savoured slowly at an open-air caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical Considerations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the resorts, car hire is recommended. The roads are winding but good, and driving gives you freedom to stop at viewpoints and visit villages such as Tejeda or Teguise. Ferries cross the straits between the islands; between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura there is a speed service of thirty minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to go: The islands have a springtime climate all year round, with an average temperature between 20\u00b0 and 25\u00b0. So it’s the ideal place for a year-round holiday. But at the height of the tourist season and during school holidays the prices and crowds are at their peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the best and most authentic eating experience, the rustic guachinches in the wine regions of Tenerife should be the places to go: essentially family-run places, where the wine was originally sold. They also serve traditional local dishes, and the prices are cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look beyond the beach, the Canary Islands reward you. Either by climbing a volcano, tasting the volcanic wine in a pit vineyard or just eating salty potatoes by the sea, these islands offer a much richer experience than their reputation as tourist resorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NANCY JORDANI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From volcanic peaks to salty potatoes, this Spanish archipelago offers something to suit every traveller. The Canaries are usually associated with winter sun and the tourist trade, but it is a mistake to see this Atlantic archipelago as a single place, a flight from Europe. Eight islands, each with a personality of its own, lie […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[3209,3202,2820,3201,3207,3203,3205,3208,3204,3206,3200],"class_list":["post-53379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-travel-lifestyle","tag-best-time-to-visit-canary-islands","tag-canarian-cuisine","tag-canary-islands","tag-canary-islands-food","tag-canary-islands-holidays","tag-gran-canaria-beaches","tag-lanzarote-attractions","tag-mount-teide","tag-papas-arrugadas","tag-tenerife-travel-guide","tag-things-to-do-in-canary-islands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53381,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53379\/revisions\/53381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}