July 25-31, 2021
Canary Islands The Canary archipelago consists of 8 inhabited islands with a population of 2 million. They have been an integrated part of Spain for centuries. As a major European tourist destination, all the major islands have well-developed communication systems, airports, and ports. They are very modern, very European, and extremely liberal.
Visa & Documents: Schengen visa. It is necessary to register using an online 5-part form (it supposedly requires your seat number on your flight – I just put anything down. This can be done anytime before arrival. Within 48 hours of arrival use the link from the registration to obtain a QR code, which must be shown at check-in and at arrivals at the airport. When I arrived at check-in, all 20+ people were busy on their phone obtaining their QR code.
Covid: If vaccinated, no covid tests are required. The form from BC showing my vaccination status was satisfactory. Non-Europeans cannot access the Europe vaccination form.
Spain has very dated covid practices. Temperature checks are common. Most everyone wears masks outside. Hand sanitizer is mandatory. In the flight, the stewardesses wore gloves (worse than not) and hand sanitizers were given out on boarding and deboarding. I stayed in a hostel with no mask rules despite Tenerife being stage 4.
All hostels in Spain (yes the entire country) were closed for 3 weeks on July 29th.
Flights. Many carriers from all over Europe. I flew form Madeira on Binter, the interisland airline. An airport bus (2.65E) goes to Santa Cruz and I walked 3 blocks to my hostel (Tenerife Experience 9.6 rating, 23E).
Time: Western European Time (WET) same as Portugal and United Kingdom
Get In. Azores Airlines offers the cheapest flights. I flew from Cape Verde via the Azores for US$203.
Get around.
Car and scooter. In the summer, car rentals reservations are mandatory despite cars costing over 100E/day. Add gas and it might be cheaper to get a taxi for the day and you avoid all the liability issues with a rental. Scooters likewise must be reserved well ahead.
The public bus system is extensive and very efficient.
Get Around.
Ferries (Fred Olsen, and Armas) go between the islands. As the fares are subsidized for locals, tourists pay handsomely – 32.50€ each way for the 1½ hour trip to Gomera.
Plane. Binter or Canaryfly fly between islands – you are likely to spend more time at the airport than in the plane itself.
I flew from Madeira to Tenerife North Airport on Binter Airlines on July 26 (3’), took the airport bus to Santa Cruz and stayed at Tenerife Experience Hostel for one night, then went to Playa de Las Americas, the big resort area on the north.
CANARY ISLANDS WEST (Tenerife, Gomera, La Palma)
TENERIFE (pop 900,000)
The largest island and most popular tourist destination, unfortunately low cost mass tourism from the Europe. Its oldest mountain ranges are young compared to its neighbouring islands.
Beaches. Tenerife has few natural beaches, all black sand. The demand for tourist sun-bathing space, has resulted in man-made beaches with golden sand – Los Gigantes and San Juan in the west, Fañabe in the south, Torviscas with its marina, Playa las Americas for its grey sandy stretches and los Cristianos’ beach. Candelaria in the east has a small black shingle beach. Up north Puerto de la Cruz has a beach with fine black sand, and at Santa Cruz golden sand has been imported for its Terasitas beach.
SANTA CRUZ de TENERIFE. Capital and home to the Canary Island Parliament.
British tourism arrived here over a century ago and today ‘el Puerto’ has a wide span of hotels.
Museum of Nature and Man. This has the usual archaeology and nature (geology, no stuffed animals but plastic ones!). Free
TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes. Modern art museum in contemporary building. The usual art that I tend not to appreciate. Free
Castillo de San Cristobal. Built in the 1600s and the tower in 1706, this is where Nelson lost his arm from a cannon shot (in the museum) in 1797. The government destroyed the fort in 1928 and nothing remains above ground. Some excavations discovered a short piece of wall and 2 rusting cannons, all the remains in the below ground museum. Free
Auditorio de Tenerife Seafront arts complex and auditorium housed in a landmark building with futuristic curving design.
I was unable to rent a scooter so took public transportation for the first time in a long while. Bus service is excellent and easy to navigate. I took the bus form Santa Cruz to La Laguna and walked up into the old town, then walked up to the International Tenerife Memorial.
SAN CRISTOBAL de LA LAGUNA. Third most populous city with a well-preserved historic centre around the old fishing port full of narrow cobbled streets and dotted with colonial architectural gems, one of the few places where the locals still work, eat and drink.
In the morning it was very windy and cool with a fine mist, totally different than very hot Santa Cruz, only 15kms away.
World Heritage site. It was founded in the late 15th century on an inland plateau 550 m above sea level next to a lagoon. The property includes two original town centres each belonging to a different time of history: the so-called Upper Town is the initial founding site next to the lagoon, and has an unplanned urban structure; and the Lower Town, one kilometre to the East, which is designed on a grid. It is the first ideal territory-town.
Of the 1470 buildings at San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 627 public and private classified buildings are preserved. Of the set of the classified buildings, 361 were built between the 16th and 18th centuries and belong to the so-called Mudéjar architecture, 96 are from the 19th century, and 170 are from the first half of the 20th century. San Cristóbal de La Laguna was the direct precursor of the settlements in the Americas under Spanish rule during colonial times. The Castilians founded 8 such grid-plan towns on the Canary Islands.
A fusion between pre-conquest indigenous people (in ethnographic features and traditional culture) and those from Portuguese, Castilian, and Mudéjar architecture and town-planning. Religious architecture (sculptures, paintings, gold and silver articles, textiles, sumptuary objects, and furniture) is preserved, which also testifies to a cultural interchange with the Hispanic, Portuguese, North-European (especially Flemish), Italian, and American spheres.
Casa Salazar. Building started in the mid 17th century by the Count of Valle Salazar. It is an outstanding example of Baroque architecture. Two-stories surround a central courtyard, the dark grey stone facade has great animal gargoyles and a marble crest. It is fairly small in a line of other buildings.
San Cristobal de la Laguna Cathedral. There is little impressive inside except for the great cross-vaulted ceiling with central lights. 6E, 5 reduced
International Tenerife Memorial March 27, 1977. Above La Laguna on top of Mesa Mota, a small mountain with views of Los Rodeos airport (now Tenerife North Airport) and even, on clear days, the silhouette of Mount Teide. It was erected in memory of the 583 victims of the Tenerife airport disaster when two Boeing 747 passenger jets, operating KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport. This accident is the deadliest in aviation history.
A terrorist incident at Gran Canaria Airport had caused many flights to be diverted to Los Rodeos, including the two aircraft involved in the accident. The airport quickly became congested with parked airplanes blocking the only taxiway and forcing departing aircraft to taxi on the runway instead. Patches of thick fog were drifting across the airfield; hence visibility was greatly reduced for pilots and the control tower.
The collision occurred when the KLM airliner initiated its takeoff run while the Pan Am airliner, shrouded in fog, was still on the runway and about to turn off onto the taxiway. The impact and resulting fire killed everyone on board KLM 4805 and most of the occupants of Pan Am 1736, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the aircraft.
The subsequent investigation by Spanish authorities concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the KLM captain’s decision to take off in the mistaken belief that a takeoff clearance from air traffic control (ATC) had been issued. Dutch investigators placed a greater emphasis on a mutual misunderstanding in radio communications between the KLM crew and ATC, but ultimately KLM admitted that their crew was responsible for the accident and the airline agreed to financially compensate the relatives of all of the victims.
The disaster had a lasting influence on the industry, highlighting in particular the vital importance of using standardized phraseology in radio communications. Cockpit procedures were also reviewed, contributing to the establishment of crew resource management as a fundamental part of airline pilots’ training.
The monument was inaugurated on March 27, 2007 (the 30th anniversary of the disaster), in the presence of many relatives of those killed in the accident. It is shaped like a spiral staircase, with steps that connect the earth and sky. The 18 metres (59 ft) high structure was designed by the Dutch artist Rudi van de Wint.
This may be the most onerous NM tick of my life. I decided to walk up to the monument, took several wrong turns and finally gave up after a 8km walk. When I rented a car on July 30, I returned. The road is potholed and ends 950m below the memorial.
On July 30, I was able to rent a car for 50E and go to Teide NP and all the NM sites I had missed because of lack of transportation.
Teide National Park. World Heritage Site. Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano (3,718 m) is the highest peak on Spanish soil. Rising 7,500 m above the ocean floor, it is regarded as the world’s third-tallest volcanic structure. A ‘sea of clouds’ forms a visually impressive backdrop to the mountain. Teide is of global importance in providing evidence of the geological processes that underpin the evolution of oceanic islands.
I went here on July29 but only by renting a car (50E, which was very lucky to find one especially at this price). All tours were booked and the public transport (leaves 9:15, once per day) was cancelled because of covid. I finally had the car at 11am and drove up to the park from the west side. Teide is one of the most spectacular volcanic landscapes in the world (I climbed Mona Loa in 1980, higher but not as dramatic). There are multiple lava flows with varying colonization with plants. Low are pine forests and succulents and then just pine until at the cable car, there is nothing. Stop at multiple miradors to see different flows. Christopher Columbus witnessed an eruption here in his first voyage in 1492. All the lave is ah-ah, and much has eroded to form the pinnacles at las Roques or all the way down to “sand”.
I was not able to book the cable car which turned out well as this was one of the approximately 80 days in a year when it is closed because of wind. 60kms/hour is the limit and today the wind blew at 80.
I then drove south across the mountain passing the large observatory with at least 12 telescopes. Descending towards Guimar, I passed through
Corona Forestral Natural Park, a magnificent stand of mature pine trees. The floor had no understory. There is a short hike at the top.
Pyramids of Guimar. There are six rectangular pyramid-shaped, terraced structures built from lava stone without the use of mortar. The structures have been dated to the 19th century AD and they may originally have been a byproduct of contemporary agricultural techniques, created while clearing cultivatable land of stones, as they piled the stones into these terrace shapes.
Other pyramids employing the same methods and materials of construction can be found in various sites on Tenerife. In Güímar itself there were nine pyramids, only six of which survive.
The long sides of some of the terrace structures marked the direction of both solstices. The main limiting wall points to the sunset in the Summer solstice and the pyramids have stairs on their western side which face the direction of the rising sun on the Winter solstice.
I then turned east to return to La Laguna to see the memorial and then continued around to the north of the island.
Anaga Rural Park. This large park above La Laguna is a typical laura silva forest. It was another long drive.
Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse. Another long drive, park about 850m from the lighthouse and walk along the ocean to this magnificent lighthouse.
This active lighthouse in Punta del Hidalgo within the municipality of San Cristóbal de La Laguna is on the northeast coast of Tenerife.
This modern lighthouse has a unique angular design, consisting of unequal and irregular columns of increasing height rising from a triangular base. The lower columns culminate in a final square pillar which faces the sea and supports a light on a small post.
It is one of seven lighthouses which mark the coastline of Tenerife, and lies between two other modern lighthouses of Puerto de la Cruz to the southwest, and Punta de Anaga to the east.
It became operational in 1994, at 50-metre-high (160 ft) lighthouse built of reinforced concrete. White gravel and coloured concrete used to produce the white finish. The light can be seen for 16 nautical miles. Its light characteristic is made up of a pattern of two flashes of white light every seven seconds.
Las Lagunetas Nature Reserve. The 11kms drive to here looked short but meandered through a village built on steep slopes. It is another laura silva forest preserve.
PURETA de la CRUZ. This is the main city on the north of Tenerife.
Loro Parque. (Parrot Park) world’s most important parrot collection with over 300 species, seal, dolphin, aquarium and zoo (gorillas, chimpanzees, tigers, jaguars, flamingos). 38E, 199E combined with Siam Park.
Tenerife Botanical Garden (Jardin de Aclimatacion de la Orotavo). Operated by the Instituto Canario Investigionas Agraria. This lush garden is wonderful – lots of palms and flowering trees. 6E
LA GOMERA
The Magic Isle, is a paradise for hikers. It is shaped like an orange that has been cut in half and split into segments. The terrain is rough, which has left deep ravines or barrancos between them. These barrancos, in turn, are covered by the laurisilva (laurel rain forest). The local wine has a distinct taste, and is often accompanied with a tapa (snack) of local cheese, roasted pork or goat meat. Other cultural dishes include almogrote, a cheese spread, and a syrup extracted from palm trees called miel de palma.
The local people have a unique way of communicating across deep ravines by using a whistled speech called Silbo Gomero. This whistled language is indigenous to the island, and its existence has been documented since Roman times.
On July 27, I took the ferry from Los Cristianos (a 15’ walk from the bus station) to San Sebastian (1.5’, 32.50E each way -the locals pay about 20%). I caught the bus to Vallehermosa (line 2) getting off at Pajarito, the main entrance to the park near the highest point (23kms). The switchbackng road passes ancient terraces and threshing areas, palmsguava in bloom, great miradors and unique geography with rock outcrops. It was cold, windy and misty on top. I walked to the Alto de Garajonay, 2.9kms and part of a 4.6km loop. The area had been involved in a forest fire in 2012 and was recovering. The laura forest here is not very inspiring with relatively small trees, ferns, tree heath and wax myrtle.
Another trail centres here, the Gran Ruta, another 16.1km loop (693 elevation change, 9 hours)
In retrospect, a better choice would have been to take the bus to Vallehermosa to see more of the unique geography. The road passes almost entirely through laura silva forest.
San Sebastián. Capital. A small city where the ferry lands.
Garajonay National Park World Heritage Site. Laurel forest covers some 70% of this park, situated in the middle of the island of La Gomera. The presence of springs and numerous streams assures a lush vegetation resembling that of the Tertiary, which, due to climatic changes, has largely disappeared from southern Europe.
The Canary Islands are high, volcanic islands and the first to receive the rains arriving from the west, and have thus retained the remnants of a rich and luxuriant forest — the laurisilva or Laurel forest — on their windward peaks.
Next to the Laurisilva of Madeira (Portugal), Garajonay National Park preserves an outstanding example of this unique vegetation, which remains almost permanently shrouded in clouds and mist. These forests are relict ecosystems, living remnants of the old rainforests and warm temperate forests that occupied much of Europe and North Africa during the Tertiary. Today, they are a refuge for an exceptional number of endemic species, which in many cases are also threatened.
Fogs are vital for the forest, producing the necessary moisture essential for the survival of this lavish green environment located within an otherwise arid island. The forest only survives thanks to the high humidity and mild temperatures, which fluctuate little during the year. The waxy leaves shed water efficiently with their drip tip. The forest is geographically unique, as remnants of this type of vegetation are only found in the Macaronesian Islands (the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores).
This insular laurisilva is characterised by the evolution of a large number of endemic species of fauna and flora, which in some cases are threatened. Two relict and endemic species of birds, the White-tailed Laurel Pigeon and the Dark-tailed Laurel Pigeon, are endemic to the Canaries.
Laura silva forests are common on the NE side of Tenerife.
On July 30, I was able to rent a car for 50E and go to Teide NP and all the NM sites I had missed because of lack of transportation.
CANARY ISLANDS EAST (Gran Canaria, GRAND CANARIA. The third largest island and second most popular (after Tenerife) receiving 4.22 million tourists in 2016. It has the highest population density with 540 inhabitants per km². With tourists can get a bit crowded. Green and steep in the north, dry and flat in the south.
Las Palmas. Its capital city has the shared title of capital of the Canaries. I had little interest in the museums except for the Nestor museum and art in the Castillo.
The Gran Canaria airport at Las Palmas must be one of the worst airports – closed from 1-4am, no storage facilities, no electrical outlets and only two small coffee shops landside.
I flew from Tenerife South airport to Las Palmas at 22:10 (it was odd at the airport as I was the only one at check-in and security. The plan was to sleep at the airport and go into my hostel in Las Palmas in the morning. This was the start of an odd day. I found a nice dark, quiet place and settled in despite the constant overhead announcements about masks and distancing. I was woken up at 1am by a guard announcing the airport was closed until 4 because of covid. I gathered everything up and set up my tent on some artificial grass outside arrivals for a great 5-hour sleep.
In the morning I took the airport bus and walked 20 minutes to the HiTide Hostel, hoping that it may be open despite Spain closing all hostels the day before because of covid. There are no lockers or storage facilities at the airport or bus stations so I was forced to carry my ginormous pack all day.
No one at HiTide answered the bell (they subsequently said the hostel doesn’t open until 10, but this was not stated on the booking site), so I walked back to the bus station with plans to go to Risco Caido. The buses were San Telmo (#80, 5min, still in Las Palmas, 1.40E), Teror (#229, 45 minutes, 2.40E) and finally after a 2’30’ wait to Artenara (#220, 1’15”, 2.40E). The drive alone is well worth coming to Artenara. From Teror the road climbs endlessly to the top of the mountains. At the high point before descending to Artenara, is a great panorama of the entire north of Gran Canaria. On the way down pass a much dryer climate and ancient terraces and stone walls. The lower fields are still used.
Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape. World Heritage Site. Located in a vast mountainous area in the centre of Gran Canaria, sheltered by the Caldera de Tejeda, and formed of cliffs and ravines and volcanic formations in a landscape of rich biodiversity. The landscape includes a large number of troglodyte settlements — habitats, granaries and cisterns — whose age is proof of the presence of a pre-Hispanic, extinct insular culture that seems to have evolved in total isolation culture over 1500 years, from the arrival of North African Berbers, around the beginning of our era, until the first Spanish settlers in the 15th century. The troglodyte complex also includes cult cavities and two sacred temples, or almogarenes — Risco Caído and Roque Bentayga — where seasonal ceremonies were held. These temples are thought to be linked to a possible cult of the stars and Mother Earth.
Traditional practices such as transhumance, terrace-farming installations, and water management installations. The Libyco-Berber inscriptions.
The famous troglodyte areas have been closed since the beginning of covid, but many other caves can be seen in Artenara and surroundings.
I had tried to book a tour to here but there were none unless I wanted to pay 360E.
Artenara. This village serves as the centre of the WHS.
Interpretation Centre. This is a great museum that gives excellent explanations of the culture and the important troglodyte complexes. The highlight is a reconstruction of the rock carved parabolic dome at Risco Caido. An opening in the side of the dome allows light to enter from March to September. On June 22, the light is wide and its largest. It narrows to form a phallic symbol that intersects with several of the triangular fertility symbols to make a calendar for planting. A projector shows the light through the seasons. Risco Caido is the most famous as it all three features – fertility rituals, granaries and troglodyte structures. Free
Iglesia de San Matias. Don’t miss this lovely church. The round ceiling is all geometric carved wood. A wonderful single painting backs the altar. Several lovely icons are inside. It was founded in 1740, but this was not built until 1870 and the inside finished in 1968.
Mirador. 50m from the church is a wonderful patio with a great panoramic view.
I ate at a small restaurant next to the church. They had closed at 5 (covid is doing odd things to Spain) but graciously made me a nice salad with no meat that cost 18E!! I then caught the 20:15 bus back to Teror, Las Palmas and the airport to sleep again. I chose this as I need electricity and wifi and knew there was a good place to sleep outside. I also had a flight to catch at noon the next to Mallorca.
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Experiences
Tapas-hopping
Watch a Flamenco performance
Nomad Mania Canary Islands Western (Tenerife)
Borders: Canary islands (sea border/port)
Islands
EL HIERRO
Airports: El Hierro (VDE)
Lighthouses: Faro de Orchilla
LA GOMERA
World Heritage Sites: Garajonay National Park
World of Nature:
Garajonay NP
Acantilados de Alajeró Park|
Majona Natural Park
LA PALMA
Villages and Small Towns: Santa Cruz de la Palma
Lighthouses: La Palma: Faro de Fuencaliente
Airports: La Palma (SPC)
Lighthouses: La Palma: Faro de Fuencaliente
World of Nature
Barranco del Cabrito Natural Monument
Caldera de Taburiante NP
Cumbre Vieja Natural Park
Maritime/Ship Museums: Tenerife: Correillo La Palma
TENERIFE
World Heritage Sites: Teide National Park
Airports
Tenerife North (TFN)
Tenerife South – Reina Sofia (TFS)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Teleférico Teide, Tenerife
Vestiges of the Past: Güímar Pyramids
World of Nature
Anaga Rural Park
Teide NP
Corona Forestal Natural Park
Las Lagunetas Nature Reserve
Mancáfete Integral Nature Reserve
Botanical Gardens: Puerto de la Cruz: Tenerife Botanical Garden
Caves and Sinkholes: La Cueva del Viento
Festivals: Canary Islands: Bajada
Zoos: Tenerife: Loro Parque
Beaches: Tenerife: Playa de las Americas
Lighthouses: San Cristóbal de La Laguna: Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse
European Cities
SANTA CRUZ de TENERIFE World Cities and Popular Towns
Museums
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Museum of Nature and Man
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
Architectural Delights: Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Auditorio de Tenerife
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Castillo de San Cristobal
LA LAGUNA*
World Heritage Sites: San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Castles, Palaces, Forts: La Laguna: Casa Salazar
Religious Temples: Tenerife: San Cristobal de la Laguna Cathedral
The Dark Side: Tenerife: International Tenerife Memorial March 27, 1977