Hiking in Calanques National Park

Exploring the best Calanques

Hiking in the Calanques National Park in southern France is one of the most beautiful and impressive things that you can see when you travel to Marseille.

The Park is famous for its narrow inlets that reminds us to the fjords for its shape but with a very different vegetation.

It’s without doubt the best place for hiking on the south coast of France and good as well for sunbathing or kayaking. The mix between the beautiful beaches, cliffs and the steep mountains makes this small paradise unique in the world.

The trails in Calanques are marked with different colours, red, yellow, green, blue and black and si possible to find maps on the starting points of the hike showing the hiking map of the area with the trails that are marked.

Despite of being at a very low altidute, hiking in Calanques can be challenging due to the ororgraphy, the stony paths and in Marseilleveyre massif there are some places where the trails pass by exposed but easy climbing parts.

National Park overview

A very important thing to know is that between June 1st and September 30th, entrance in the calanques is regulated. During summmer the park is often closed even for hikers. The only way to explore the Calanques is discovering the region by boat or kayak instead of walking.

Marseille and Cassis are the two main starting points for the excursions to the different inlets. If you are staying in Marseille, it will be easier for you to explore the western area. Marseilleveyre, Pas de la demi-lune, Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton and other small calanques are very close from you.

If you are staying in Cassis will be easier to acces to Port Pin, d’En-Vau, Cap de l’Aigle and all the coast from Cassis to la Ciotat.

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How to get to Parc national des Calanques

Parking in Cassis or in Parkings where the hikes start is almost impossible from May to September. These parking lots are really busy and to park there is probably frustrating. In Cassis there are no free parkings during the day and a good option is Les Gorguettes. From there there is a bus running to Cassis

Getting to the starting points with public transport is possible thanks to the Marseille buses. For example, is possible to get to Les Goudes, and to the access to Pas de la Demi Lune with the bus 19 and 20.

For arriving to the parking of Les Baumettes from where starts the trails to Sormiou and Morgiou. There are as well busses that runs from Marseille tp Cassis so all the connections are done with public transport.

When to go

The hiking season in Calanques is from October to late May. From the 1st of June to 30th September the park is closed to car traffic and it’s often closed for hikers due to the extreme risk of fire. You can check out the risk in the official website of Calanques

For us, the perfect moment to visit Calanques is in October, when the water is still warm enough and the weather is still nice. Other options are in April or May when the weather is perfect but the water will be around 16º-18ºC

How to get accomodation

Setting up a tent in the National park of Calanques is completely forbidden but there are smll shelters where is possible to overnight. These shelters are literally 4 walls and a roof and there’s no facilities.

Staying in Cassis can be very expensive during all year but there are cheaper options in Marseille and in La Ciotat. Another option is to register through this link on Airbnb and check the best options to stay in Marseille, La Ciotat or Cassis.

Best most beautiful spots of the Calanques

1. Calanque d’En-Vau

Calanque d’En Vau is without any doubt the most beautiful Calanque and the most beautiful beach of the south of France. Many films were recorded in this amazing inlet between cliffs and with maravelous colours of the water.

2. Calanque de Sormiou

Located near Marseille, Calanque de Sormiou is one of the most visited Calanque due to the proximity with the city. The blue colours of the water and the typical landscape of Calanques make this place very special.

3. Calanque de Port Pin

This Calanque is fantastic for swimming and sunbathing when in Calanque d’En-Vau is cold and in the shade. The end of this calanque the water is gorgeous and many times is more quiet than the most famous calanque.

4 Calanque de Marseilleveyre

Calanque de Marseilleveyre is a small beach where is only possible to get by foot or by boat. It’s one of the most quiet Calanques near Marseille. Furthermore, it’s possible to do the hike of Pas de la Demi-Lune that is considered one of the best hiking and climbing spots of Calanques.

5. Cassis beach

The beach of Cassis it’s actually pretty nice and has nothing to envy to other Calanques. It has a really beautiful turquoise water and has very nice views of Cap Cànàille, another part of the National Park that you should not miss.

Best trails of Calanques

The National Park of Calanques is itself a paradise for experienced hikers. It’s terrain makes that a hike of 4km can take even more than 2 hours due to the difficulty of the path, elevation gained and the exposed areas.

To sum up, the best trails of Calanques are in Marseilleveyre Massif and there are as well beautiful trails that goes really close to the sea near the Calanque of d’En-Vau. The 2 main attractions when hiking in Calanques are the landscape with cliffs, big walls and steep tarrains really close to the sea that give you a magic sea view and the beauty of the inlets and beaches.

Without any doubt, climbing up to Marseilleveyre, doing the loop trail between Calanque de Sormiou and Calanque de Morgiou and going to the top of Pass de la Demi-lune are the must hiked in Calanques.

Climbing mount Teide

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Climbing Mount Teide

Mount Teide hike

First of all in this post we want to let you know that climbing mount Teide without permit is only possible when staying the night in the Altavista del Teide refuge. In this case is needed to keep your reservation of the refuge as this makes possible to climb Teide without permission from 6a.m to 9p.m.

Climbing the highest peak of Spain, mount Teide, is dreamed by many hikers that visit the island of Tenerife. The altitude of this volcano allows to watch several Canary Islands at the same time. Ascending Teide’s Peak means to be able to see all Tenerife Island from the highest point while smelling the sulphur of the active volcano that had the last eruption in the 1909. By the moment there is no risk on climbing this volcano.

Climbing Pico Teide using Cable Car and having the Permit

Many tourists that visits Tenerife take the cablecar that leads to La Rambleta at an altitude of 3550m over the sea. From there, if they have the permit given by Teide National Park’s authorities, it is easily reached the summit following the path nº10, the Telesforo Bravo path. In case of not having the permit, it won’t be able to walk the last part of the mountain due to regulations of visitors. This regulation means that only 200 people can take the permit and access to the summit but the local guides and tourist agencies have part of these permits so they quickly run out specially during summer, winter and holidays.

Climbing Teide without Permit

Maybe you have already took a look to the permits and for the dates you are staying in Tenerife there are no permits. If you are considering about having a real experience about what climbing the mount Teide is about, we encourage you to take a look if it’s possible to book a night in Altavista de Teide Refuge. If you are lucky, you will be able to experience the unique sunrise from the top of Teide but first you will have to climb up to the refuge from Montaña Blanca through the path nº7 to Altavista mountain hut and go to sleep early. This hike takes around 6h and has an elevation gained of 1350m so is only indicated for those who are in shape or are experienced hikers.

Waking up at 4:30a.m to start climbing the mount Teide is the way to see the sunrise from the top and you will be able to see how the shadow of the volcano is drawn in the ocean making an impressive triangle. You will be able to stay until 8:30a.m when you will have to go down and show to the workers there your reserval of the mountain hut. Only in this case is possible to reach the summit.

Problems with the permit

Since many people visit the mount Teide thanks to the help of the Cable Car, the Government of Tenerife had to put limits on the access to the top of the volcano, something that would not be necessary if the cable car would not be there. The massification of the mount Teide and its erosion and damages are occasionated by the instalation of this cable car that allow to climb to the Mount Teide hiking only 15min.

If you are considering to hike to Teide’s peak we encourage you to do it from the base of the mountain and having the experience of observe the sunrise from the summit.

Things you need to know:

-Despide of being in the Canarian Islands, above 3000m the temperature can easily go below 0ºC so you need to take warm clothes with you.
-Having the permit allows you to climb the last 150m during 2h and if in case of being late it won’t be possible to access.

-The permit is free of charge and you can get it online on the official website with at leats 2 months in advance. It allows you to walk to the top of the summit during 2 hours. So if you book your permit from 9a.m to 11a.m you can’t go at 12a.m because at that time there will be other people with the permit. So your permit only allows you to access during the timing you booked the permit.

La Palma – Places to visit

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La Palma Canary Islands – Travel Guide

La Palma island, known as the beautiful island, is for sure the most beautiful canary islands thanks to its unique landscape. There are many reasons why you would love to visit la Palma, whale watching, observe the milky way from one of the best spots of the world, enjoy the sun and the quiet atmosphere in Puerto Naos or Tazacorte and of course walking the best routes that runs along the volcanic landscapes and green forests.

What to visit in La Palma?

La Palma is world-wide known for its beauty and its quiet and peaceful atmosphere that captivates anyone who visit the easternmost canary island. Life here passes at another rate. Exploring on foot la Palma is for sure the best option if you are searching a real experience!

Santa Cruz de la Palma

Santa Cruz de La Palma is located at the western end and it has only 1500 inhabitants. Its location near the airport and port, makes it a perfect point from which discover the whole island. Santa Cruz is considered one of the most beautiful towns of the canary islands and here there are the most beautilful and important things to visit:

–Plaza España: Spain square is a neuralgic point of the city and, without a doubt, one of its most beautiful corners. We are facing the best Renaissance group in the Canary Islands since the wonderful building of the City Hall, the church of El Salvador, the public fountain and charming stately homes meets in the same space. In

–O’Daly Street: street with a colonial style with brightly colored facades, charming squares and perpendicular alleys where it is worth to get lost on its charming shops, bars and restaurants.

–Seafront: one of the most iconic pictures of Santa Cruz de La Palma. A set of houses painted in different shades and with wonderful wooden balconies full of flowers.

Other places are the black sand beach of Santa Cruz de la Palma, la Recova Market and the Naval museum Barco de la Virgen and the Insular Museum of La Palma.

Cancajos Beach

La Palma is not characterized by attracting sun and beach tourism but does not mean that it lacks beutiful beaches and Cancajos beach is a good example. Despite being next to a large accommodation complex, this beach of fine black sand has not lost a touch of charm. Highly recommended to approach to enjoy the sunrise in complete solitude.

La Palma observatory – Star observation

One of the best spots to observe the stars is La Palma thanks to its location and the strict laws against the light pollution. All the locations of the island are good places to stare at the sky but there is a guide with the best spots to look at them. Be ready to take incredible pictures from Roque de los Muchachos or Llano del Jable viewpoint.

Other Beaches in La Palma – Puerto Naos, Charco Verde and Tazacorte

Nogales beach is another incredible beach located on the east coast that is reached after a 10min hike. Puerto Naos, Charco Verde and Tazacorte are the most visited beaches due to the better climate being the places with more hours of sun of Europe.more than 300 sunny days per year.

Walking in La Palma

Walking in La Palma is without any doubt the main attraction and it is because of the beauty of the landscapes and the very well conserved trail network. There are many walks possible and for all the difficulties, from routes as the Teneguia volcanoe to the GR131 that crosses the island along the highest mountains. Check out our page Hiking in La Palma to know more about all the hikes, accomodation, public transport… to enjoy walking in La Palma.

Other interesting places in La Palma Canary Islands

Places as Porís de la Candelaria, Fuencaliente lighthouse, Cubo de la Galga, Los Tilos and the north coast are other spots that are amazing and for sure will make you fall in love with the island!

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Fuencaliente lighthouse

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Puerto de Tazacorte

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Porís de la Candelaria

Best places to visit in Gran Canaria

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Places to visit in Gran Canaria

If you are thinking about doing something more than sunbathing on the beach you should check out the next worth attractions in Gran Canaria. There are many places to visit in Gran Canaria but here you have what we consider the must-see! GET THE GUIDE OF GRAN CANARIA

Things to see in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and nearby

The northern part of Gran Canaria has one of the best beaches of the island called Las Canteras and it is located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Las Canteras is one of the most known places to learn surfing and it is actually pretty cheap! This beach is kinda far away (50min walking) from Veguetta, the main historical town of Gran Canaria. Veguetta has a typical architecture of Gran Canaria and some interesting museums as Colon’s House, the cathedral…

The north coast has villages as Arucas and Gáldar with a lot of history and still conserves a great architecture in the centre of the village. In Gáldar is possible to visit a really interesting museum, Museo y Parque Arqueológico Cueva Pintada that shows part of the history of the Canarian aborigines.

Furthermore, beautiful things to see in Gran Canaria east coast are the Botanical Garden, Caldera de Bandama, Barranco de Guadana and a small fisher coast called Túfia.

Best wild beaches in Gran Canaria

A bit more to the west you will find Agaete, a white-houses village with a beautiful beach and landscape of the west coast of Gran Canaria. From Agaete is possible to hike to Guayedra beach and to Tamadaba, both highly recommended hikes. Update 2019: Tamadaba has suffered a big fire and only Roque Faneque has escaped from it.

The west coast is the wild one, with lots of canyons that end quickly in the ocean making a gorgeous cliffy landscape with the best beaches to escape from the crowd. Wild beaches are spread out over the coast as Playa de Güi Güi, Playa de Tasartico, Playa del Risco, Playa de Guayedra… Discovering these beaches are one of the top things to do in Gran Canaria.

Maspalomas, Fataga and Sorrueda

The south is characterized by a desertic landscape. Narrow canyons climb up to the summit of the island as the Canyon of Fataga and Sorrueda. The south coast is the most touristic area of the island having the longest beaches and the dunes of Maspalomas, a special Natural Reserve unique in the island.

Hiking trails in Gran Canaria

The central area together with the west area are the best places for hikers and the landscape is characterized by steep valleys with “Roques” and Canarian pines containing as well the most beautiful small villages of the Island as Teror, Tejeda, Artenara and Acusa Seca. This area has as well really beautiful natural monuments as Roque Bentayga, Roque Nublo, the summit of the island called Pico de las Nieves and an incredible cliffy landscape of Tamadaba.

Update 2019: From Teror to Tamadaba was completely burned due to a fire. Acusa Seca Hike is the route that can have more areas not burned. The west coast, the area of Roque Nublo, Pico de Las Nieves and Inagua Natural Park were not affected.

More in your visit to Gran Canaria

Tasting food: In Gran Canaria you can taste typical Spanish food but also traditional and delicious food as Papas Arrugas con Mojo Picón (Cooked potatoes with a traditional sauce of Canarias), Pan de Papas (Sweet bread made of potatoes), Rancho Canario (Chickpeas, noodles, potatoes and meat) and aromatic wines and homemade beers.

Gran Canaria has different landscapes and every part of the island is different due to the microclimates that it has. Therefore we encourage you to explore the island through its paths!