Hiking in Canary Islands
Experience the subtropical climate of Spain
The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago located on the north-west coast of Africa. There are 7 main islands, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma. Every island has something different to offer but all of them will give the perfect conditions to enjoy your adventure with 4 of 14 of the National Parks of Spain and 11 Natural Parks.
Walking from dunes of white sand to narrow canyons, volcanic cliffs, magic forests and remote beaches is possible in Canarias, where the landscape of these islands are highly variable going from the dry islands of the east to the green and rainy islands of the west part of the archipelago.
A subtropical climate and a rich biodiversity make the hikes even more interesting and attractive. The islands are really well considered for astronomical observation, especially La Palma and Teide in Tenerife.
camping_area_tamadaba_sunset
Sunset from Tamadaba
Timanfaya-lanzarote-canary-islands
Timanfaya National Park
Teide-snow-tenerife-hike
Teide 3718m
roque-nublo-canarias-clouds-sea
Sea of clouds
drago-tree-biodiversity
Drago Tree in Tenerife
Teide-hike-path-mountain
Path to Teide
Graciosa-beach-canary-islands
La Graciosa
Practical Information
How to get
-Boat: Trasmediterranea and Naviera Armas.
The better option to fly to the island may vary depending on the place of departure:
-Ryanair especially from UK, Spain, Ireland, Poland, northern Italy, Belgium and Germany
-Vueling especially from Spain, France, Switzerland and other countries not included in the list of the other airlines.
-Easy Jet especially from France (Paris), Switzerland and UK.
-Norwegian and SAS from Scandinavia, North America and Spain.
How to get around
By boat: Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas
Public Transport: Each island has its bus network that connects villages.
Hitchhike is allowed except in motorways (Autopistas and Autovias)
Blablacar connects drivers with empty seats with travellers with the same way or destination.
Accomodation
Wild camping is generally not allowed with the exception of the regulated camping areas where is needed to take a permission with no cost. Each island has different places to pitch a tent and different websites to take the permissions.
There is a wide offer of rural Hostels around all the islands but only a few low-budget are found in the websites of Hostelworld and Booking, especially in the countryside.
Airbnb is getting more popular worldwide and in the Canary Islands is not an exception. It can be useful for those places where only expensive hotels and apartments are found and sometimes in rural areas. You can get 25€ off for your next trip here!
What to do
Weather
The west part of the archipelago is greener due to rains often and the east part is very dry and often sunny.
The north face of the islands is way greener than the south and while in the north can be raining in the south can be sunny and hot.
When to go
Dangers and tips
Protect your skin form the sun and carry enough water, more during summer when temperatures can reach 40ºC.
There’s no danger of being attacked by animals. Only jellyfishes can hurt you while swimming especially during winter. Protect your skin form the sun.
Several beaches have very strong currents.
Be aware of the weather conditions while hiking and driving, heavy rain causes flash floods in the steep valleys and rockfalls may occur.
Hikes in Canary Islands
