A Very Canary Holiday

Following an exceptional few weeks in Andalucia, Mac and I flew to the Canary Islands to meet up with his parents! The four of us spent three and a half weeks together island hopping in the Canaries. We had a very Canary holiday, celebrating both Christmas and New Years Eve on the islands. Our crew split our time between three islands – Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and La Gomera – the first two are the biggest and most populated/visited. (I’m saving the recap for our time on La Gomera for another post.) While this isn’t a comprehensive list of the ‘Best Things To Do on the Canary Islands’ (there wasn’t a lot of time for in depth touring what with all the poolside lounging and beach-going) I do hope to highlight some of the fun things we did!

The Canary Islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, just 150km west of Morocco. There are seven islands in total, ranging in populations from 10,800 (El Hierro) to 904,700 (Tenerife). Contrary to popular belief the Canary Islands are not named after the canary bird! The name is derived from the Latin name for Island of Dogs Canariae Insulae. The birds are named after the island! (Which means, confusingly, that the birds are named after dogs!)

A Very Canary Holiday

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is the second most populated island in the archipelago. We spent the entirety of our stay on the southern side in Maspalomas. The southern side of the island is known to be fairly calm and far less windy than its northern counterpart. We definitely enjoyed the lack of wind and abundance of sun, that’s for sure! The heated pool at our place got a LOT of use, as did the front and back patios. We even had a fully loaded (vegan) Christmas Dinner!

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Road Trippin’

Though Gran Canaria does have a fairly well-connected public transit system, all the best nooks and crannies are more easily explored by car. Some of highlights of our time spent driving around the island include the tourist beach hot spot of Mogan, and an amazing view point along GC-60.

Maspalomas Sand Dunes

Just a short walk from our AirBnB were the Dunas de Maspalomas. These are HUGE sand dunes that span nearly 5km along the coast. The dunes are frequented by families, children, and sun bathers alike. And also, nudists. Nude beaches are not so far from the norm in Spain. So while it was a bit of a surprise for Mac and I, it’s definitely not uncommon.

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Temisas Canyon Hike (Barranco de las Vacas)

On a day that we were feeling particularly active, we managed to peel ourselves off of the sun loungers and go for a little hike! Drew, Chris, Mac, and I drove to the small town of Temisas (GC-550) and left the car between KM-12 and KM-13. We hiked down into the valley, and Mac and I continued into the Barracno de las Vacas. The trail actually crossed under the GC-550 highway and soon became a narrow canyon. The wavy organic lines of the canyon were definitely a treat for the eyes!

Pico de las Nieves

Located in the middle of the island, Pice de Nieves is the highest point on Gran Canaria. Though you can totally hike to the peak, there is a road that leads right up to the top. Drew, Mac, and I braved the wild wind and admired the awesome views from the 1949m summit. We could even see Mt Tiede – Spain’s highest peak, located on Tenerife –  poking out above the clouds.

Tenerife

Speaking of Tenerife… It’s an extremely popular tourist destination for Europeans (picture North America’s Caribbean equivalent). We stayed on Costa Adeje, located on the south west side of the island. Though this area is generally quite crowded, the four of us managed to continue our very Canary holiday with a mix of fun and relaxation.

Costa Adeje

As I mentioned, Costa Adeje is home to hoardes of British and German tourists. The popular beaches of Los Cristianos and Las Americas were always bustling and full of activity. There are several good surf breaks in this area, and we saw quite a number of surfers trying to catch a break. The best views of Costa Adeje – in my humble opinion – were actually from the balcony of our apartment. Almost every night we witnessed a spectacular sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. The explosion of colour over the horizon was a fantastic daily reminder to just pause and take in the beauty of everyday life.

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Masca

The small village of Masca is situated in the northwest corner of the island. It’s only about 5km from the city of Santiago del Tiede, but its endlessly winding roads filled with switchbacks and chilling hairpin turns means that it takes nearly 20 minutes to get there!! The terrifying journey is totally worth it though! Masca is said to be the Machu Picchu of Tenerife. One glance at its towering rock in the town center and it’s not hard to see why!

Masca is such a charming village surrounded by some pretty incredible scenery. Mac and I wanted to hike from Masca to the coast where we could jump on a boat to Los Gigantes, but unfortunately the trail is closed through to Spring 2019. Bummer. Fortunately we were still able to complete a shorter, but still equally impressive hike. Just up the highway from Masca in Parque Rural de Teno is a trail head (complete with a cafe and viewing platform) and numerous trail options! Mac and I hiked to the top of some of the rocky hills and which had some incredible views all the way out to the coast.

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Los Gigantes

On the way back from Masca, we made a brief stop to admire Los Gigantes – huge cliffs rising 500-800 meters above the sea. (Drew, Mac, and I were pretty pooched from our hike and the crazy drive to (and from) Masca, so we opted not to do the popular boat trip option to get up close and personal to the cliffs.)

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New Years Eve

Not only was our balcony great for sunset watching, it was also the perfect perch for watching fireworks on New Years Eve! Mac and I did a huge hike on the 31st (more on that in a future post!), so we were pretty tuckered out and opted for a quieter night in. We did manage to stay awake to take in all the fireworks that were set off all along the coast!

Tell me, how were your holidays in 2018? Did you know the Canary Islands were named after dogs?! (I didn’t until a few weeks ago!)

Pin It!

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