Canary Islands

The Canary Islands, or ‘Canaries’, were known in ancient times as the ‘Fortunate Islands’, and some historians believe that the legendary Atlantis was located here. Today, the Canaries are one of the top Spanish tourist destinations, with visitors flocking to the islands all year round because of their wonderful sub-tropical climate (which has been described as perpetual springtime) and its magnificent fine sandy beaches.

The islands are located about 100km off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, near Morocco. The main holiday islands (from largest to smallest) are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma and El Hierro, and all are radically different.

Tenerife is as lush as any tropical paradise, except for the volcanic areas with their moon-like landscapes, and the famous snow-capped Mount Teide. Gran Canaria has beautiful beaches to offer and a buzzing nightlife. Fuerteventura has the most beaches of all the islands and is closest to the Sahara Desert on the mainland. La Palma is the most northern island and is called 'La Isla Bonita' because of its natural beauty. El Hierro, has immense cliffs, lush vegetation, protected forests, lava formations and coves with natural pools for swimming.

Between them the islands boast 13 golf courses, over a hundred nature reserves, four national parks, many archaeological monuments and hundreds of volcanoes. The other attraction of the islands is the food, where simple dishes are created from quality local-grown vegetables and fresh fish.