CanaryIslands
5
Day Itinerary •
Spain
The Canary Islands are one of Europe's greatest travel secrets. Seven volcanic islands off the African coast, each dramatically different, with landscapes ranging from lunar lava fields to ancient laurel forests that have survived since the Tertiary era. Most visitors see only resort beaches and miss the extraordinary hidden interior of each island. This 5-day route covers two of the most extraordinary islands in the archipelago. Two days exploring the design genius of Lanzarote, Cesar Manrique's volcanic masterpiece and the car-free paradise of La Graciosa. Then three days on Tenerife, Spain's largest island, discovering the ancient UNESCO city of La Laguna, the extraordinary Anaga laurel forest, the summit of Teide and the hidden gorge village of Masca.
Best Time To Visit
Year-round (spring and autumn ideal)
Getting There
Fly into Lanzarote (ACE), inter-island flight to Tenerife
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 70 to 110 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
LANZAROTE NORTH
MORNING
JAMEOS DEL AGUA, THE UNDERGROUND VOLCANIC LAKE
A lava tube from the Timanfaya eruption runs beneath the island into the sea, forming an underground lagoon of brackish water home to the blind albino jameito crab found nowhere else on earth. Cesar Manrique transformed the cave into an extraordinary exhibition space with concerts and gardens inside the volcanic rock. Entry approx 12 euros. Drive: 15 min drive to Manrique Foundation
MIDDAY
CESAR MANRIQUE FOUNDATION, THE VOLCANO HOUSE
Built directly inside five volcanic bubbles from the 1730s eruption, Manrique designed interconnected living spaces within natural lava caves, each painted a different colour and opening onto lush gardens. The contrast between the brutal black lava exterior and the extraordinary interior spaces is breathtaking. Entry approx 10 euros. Drive: 20 min drive to Orzola
AFTERNOON
ORZOLA AND THE MIRADOR DEL RIO
Orzola is the departure point for La Graciosa and the surrounding coastline is extraordinary. Then visit the Mirador del Rio, designed by Cesar Manrique inside a cliff at the northernmost tip of Lanzarote, with a glass-fronted observation room 479 metres above the sea looking directly over to La Graciosa. Entry approx 5 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Jardin de Cactus in northern Lanzarote is the finest cactus garden in Europe, designed by Manrique in 1990 in a disused volcanic quarry. Over 4,500 cacti from 450 species fill terraced gardens. Entry approx 7 euros. The windmill above the garden is one of Manrique's finest restorations.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Arrecife old town Cafe Bar La Lonja near the harbour. Excellent coffee and local pastries. | Lunch: Restaurante Isla de La Graciosa, Orzola Outstanding fresh fish. Order the vieja (parrotfish), the most local Canarian fish. | Dinner: El Diablo, Timanfaya area Meat and fish grilled over a volcanic vent. The most extraordinary restaurant location in Spain. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 2
LANZAROTE SOUTH AND LA GRACIOSA
MORNING
TIMANFAYA NATIONAL PARK, THE VOLCANO LANDSCAPE
A quarter of Lanzarote is covered by solidified lava flows and volcanic cones from an eruption lasting 1730 to 1736. The Ruta de los Volcanes bus route through the park is extraordinary. Rangers demonstrate heat still emanating from the ground by pouring water into cracks to produce instant geysers. Entry approx 12 euros. Arrive at opening to beat the coach tours. Drive: 20 min drive to La Geria
MIDDAY
LA GERIA, THE VOLCANIC WINE COUNTRY
One of the most extraordinary wine landscapes in the world. Winemakers dig individual crescent-shaped pits in the lava for each vine, protected by low lava walls. The result is thousands of black volcanic craters each containing a single green vine across an entirely black plain. Visit Bodegas El Grifo, Spain's oldest bodega, for a tasting. Drive: 20 min drive to Orzola for ferry
AFTERNOON
LA GRACIOSA, THE CAR-FREE ISLAND
on island The smallest inhabited island in Spain, accessible only by the 20-minute ferry from Orzola. Sand streets, white houses, no cars. Hire a bicycle and ride to the Playa de las Conchas, considered the finest beach in all of the Canaries. A perfect arc of golden sand with the Montana Amarilla volcanic cone behind and the turquoise Atlantic stretching to the horizon.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Montana Amarilla on La Graciosa can be climbed in 30 minutes from the beach, giving the finest 360-degree view in the Canaries with La Graciosa, Lanzarote, the Atlantic and the uninhabited island of Alegranza all visible. Completely free and utterly extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe near Timanfaya entrance Cafes in Mancha Blanca village just outside the park entrance. | Lunch: Bodega El Grifo restaurant Lunch in the garden of Spain's oldest wine bodega. Local cheese and the finest Malvasia on the island. | Dinner: Restaurante Girasol, La Graciosa Best restaurant on the island if staying for dinner, or eat in Orzola after the return ferry.
DAY 3
TENERIFE: LA LAGUNA AND ANAGA
MORNING
SAN CRISTOBAL DE LA LAGUNA, THE UNESCO FORGOTTEN CITY
La Laguna was the first non-fortified Spanish colonial city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, yet receives a fraction of the visitors of the southern resorts. The historic centre is a grid of 16th-century streets lined with extraordinary colonial architecture, churches, convents and palaces. The Cathedral of La Laguna is one of the finest in the Canaries. Most visitors to Tenerife never come here at all despite it being 20 minutes from the airport. Drive: 25 min drive to Anaga
MIDDAY
ANAGA RURAL PARK, THE ANCIENT LAUREL FOREST
The Anaga massif in the northeast of Tenerife contains the largest surviving laurel forest in the world, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of ancient trees that have existed since the Tertiary era when this type of forest covered much of Europe. Walk the Sendero de los Sentidos trail through dripping moss-covered forest to the hidden village of Chinamada, whose inhabitants still live in cave houses. Drive: 30 min drive to Benijo
AFTERNOON
PLAYA DE BENIJO, THE WILD HIDDEN BEACH
Playa de Benijo is the finest and most dramatic beach in Tenerife, a wild black sand beach at the base of the Anaga cliffs accessible only via a steep path. The offshore rock stacks, the crashing Atlantic waves and the forest-covered cliffs behind create a landscape completely unlike the resort beaches of the south. Watch the sunset over the rock stacks for the finest light in Tenerife.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The village of Las Carboneras in the Anaga forest is almost entirely unknown and reached only by a one-hour walk through ancient laurel forest from the Cruz del Carmen viewpoint. A handful of stone houses in a forest clearing, completely isolated from the modern island. Free to visit and one of the most atmospheric places in the entire Canary Islands.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in La Laguna old town Several beautiful historic cafes in the colonial centre. Order a local bienmesabe pastry. | Lunch: El Rincon de Roberto, La Laguna Outstanding traditional Canarian restaurant in the UNESCO old town. Local stews, papas arrugadas and mojo sauce. | Dinner: Restaurante El Frontón, Benijo Simple local restaurant at the top of the Benijo path. Fresh fish and local wine after the sunset beach visit.
DAY 4
TEIDE AND MASCA
MORNING
MOUNT TEIDE, THE TOP OF SPAIN
Mount Teide at 3,718 metres is the highest point in Spain and the third largest volcano in the world. The Teide National Park surrounding it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cable car ascends to 3,555 metres for the most extraordinary views in the Canaries, with the clouds below and Africa visible on the horizon. The summit permit must be booked months in advance but the cable car station viewpoint is extraordinary without it. Drive: 45 min drive to Masca
MIDDAY
MASCA, THE HIDDEN GORGE VILLAGE
Masca is the most dramatic village in the Canary Islands. Perched at 650 metres in a deep ravine in the Teno massif, surrounded by towering rock walls on three sides with views down to the sea far below. The village was completely inaccessible until the 1960s when a road was cut through the gorge wall. The road itself is one of the most extraordinary drives in Spain, a series of hairpin bends between volcanic cliffs. Drive: 30 min drive to Garachico
AFTERNOON
GARACHICO, THE TOWN THAT ROSE FROM THE LAVA
Garachico was the most prosperous port in Tenerife until 1706 when a volcanic eruption buried it under lava. The town was rebuilt on top of the lava flow and the result is extraordinary. The natural rock pools carved by the lava into the coastline are the finest natural swimming pools in the Canaries. The old town above the pools is beautifully preserved and almost entirely unvisited by the resort tourists.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Roques de Garcia stone formations inside the Teide National Park are among the most extraordinary rock landscapes in Spain. A walking loop of 2km through the formations at 2,100 metres takes 45 minutes and is completely free. The view of Teide above and the cloud sea below from inside the formations is one of the great landscapes of the Canaries.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe near Teide entrance Stop for coffee in Vilaflor, the highest village in Spain, on the way up to Teide. | Lunch: Bar La Cueva, Masca Simple local bar in the gorge village. Local goat cheese, wine and the most dramatic lunch setting in the Canaries. | Dinner: Restaurante Isla Baja, Garachico Finest restaurant in Garachico overlooking the natural lava pools. Fresh fish and local Tenerife white wine.
DAY 5
HIDDEN TENERIFE
MORNING
TENO RURAL PARK, THE WILD NORTHWESTERN CORNER
The Teno massif in the far northwest is the oldest part of Tenerife and the least visited. The road from Masca down to Buenavista del Norte passes through extraordinary volcanic landscapes of ancient rock formations. The village of Los Silos at the tip of the peninsula is a beautifully preserved Canarian village almost entirely unknown to tourists, with a dramatic black beach and a local market on Sunday mornings. Drive: 30 min drive to Playa de Los Patos
MIDDAY
THE HIDDEN BLACK SAND BEACHES OF THE NORTH
The north coast of Tenerife contains a series of extraordinary black volcanic beaches and rock pools almost entirely unknown to resort visitors who stay in the south. The Playa de Los Patos near Buenavista is a wild black beach backed by banana plantations. The Punta del Hidalgo at the far northeastern tip has extraordinary natural lava pools and a lighthouse with views back across the Anaga cliffs. Drive: 45 min drive to Puerto de la Cruz
AFTERNOON
PUERTO DE LA CRUZ, OLD TENERIFE REMEMBERED
Puerto de la Cruz is the oldest tourist town in the Canaries, beloved since Victorian times by northern European travellers escaping the winter. The old town retains its original character with beautiful colonial architecture, a working fishing harbour, the extraordinary Lago de Martianez seawater pools designed by Cesar Manrique, and a genuinely local atmosphere in the streets behind the front.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The village of Masca can also be reached from the sea by boat from Los Gigantes, sailing through the extraordinary Los Gigantes cliffs that rise 800 metres vertically from the water. The boat trip takes 30 minutes and the cliffs are the most dramatic coastal scenery in the entire Canary Islands. Dolphin and whale sightings are common on this route.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Los Silos village The village square cafe opens early and serves traditional Canarian breakfast of gofio (toasted grain porridge). | Lunch: Restaurante Casa del Mar, Buenavista Fresh fish restaurant overlooking the Teno coastline. Local catch and Tenerife white wine. | Dinner: Restaurante Regulo, Puerto de la Cruz Most beloved traditional restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz, serving since 1941 in a beautiful colonial house.
Where To Stay
Lanzarote, Nights 1 to 2 Finca de Arrieta eco-resort in the north. Approx 100 to 160 euros per night. Tenerife, Nights 3 to 4 Hotel San Roque, Garachico. Boutique hotel in a 17th-century colonial mansion. Approx 120 to 180 euros per night. Tenerife, Night 5 Hotel Monopol, Puerto de la Cruz. Historic hotel in the Victorian old town from approx 70 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Book the Teide summit permit months ahead at reservas.volcanoteide.com. It sells out far in advance.
2. Timanfaya opens at 9am. Arrive at opening to avoid the coach tour queues that build after 10am.
3. The Masca road is extremely narrow with passing places. Drive slowly and let downhill traffic pass.
4. La Laguna is best on a weekday when the university is in session and the streets are lively.
5. Book El Diablo restaurant on Lanzarote weeks ahead as it has only 40 covers and fills fast.
6. Inter-island flights sell out in summer. Book as early as possible for the Lanzarote to Tenerife leg.
Total Budget
80 to 130 euros/day