Canary Islands walking holiday
| country: | Canary Islands |
| location: | Canary Islands |
| departures: | 2008: 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 30 Nov, 23 Dec 2009: 25 Jan, 8 Feb, 22 Feb, 8 Mar, 22 Mar, 5 Apr |
| price: | From £995 - £1075 (12 days) including flights from the UK, from £685 - £720 excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Geographically part of Africa, the Canary Islands offer far more than just beaches and winter sunshine. In fact, a closer look at this volcanic group of islands reveals unexpected variety. Steep fertile valleys and quiet villages on La Gomera, untamed windswept hills on El Hierro, and the perfect volcanic cone of Teide - Tenerife's towering mountain.
La Gomera - The Emerald Isle: From Tenerife, we take the ferry to La Gomera, pulling into the colourful port of San Sebastian - our first base. Though just 20km across, the island's steep mountains rise 1500m above the ocean.
There's time to enjoy a walk through the Garajonay Forest, the island's mossy spine and a World Heritage site. From Agulo, we enjoy marvellous views of Teide Volcano across the sea, and walk to explore the hidden charms of Vallehermoso where white cottages ramble up the hillside. We then continue to Chipude to walk through the sculptured terraces of Valle Gran Rey, splashed with scarlet poinsettias and waving banana trees.
Remote El Hierro: By ferry we journey to Valverde on El Hierro, then cross the island to reach La Frontera. Situated in the great sweep of El Golfo Bay, 1000m cliffs form a dramatic backdrop. With four days here there's plenty of time to relax and explore this peaceful island. Walks may include the fertile north coast, passing vineyards and groves surrounded by black lava walls. Flowering cacti thrive in the drier south while the green meadows of the central plateau are scattered with volcanic cones.
Teide Volcano: An overnight ferry takes us back to Tenerife and we drive to Teide volcano, Spain's highest mountain (3718m). Now a National Park area, it is crowned with ice and snow in winter and sprinkled with colourful flowers in spring. We plan a walk on its flanks, but if you prefer, there's a cable car to the top, for great views of the western Canaries.
La Gomera - The Emerald Isle: From Tenerife, we take the ferry to La Gomera, pulling into the colourful port of San Sebastian - our first base. Though just 20km across, the island's steep mountains rise 1500m above the ocean.
There's time to enjoy a walk through the Garajonay Forest, the island's mossy spine and a World Heritage site. From Agulo, we enjoy marvellous views of Teide Volcano across the sea, and walk to explore the hidden charms of Vallehermoso where white cottages ramble up the hillside. We then continue to Chipude to walk through the sculptured terraces of Valle Gran Rey, splashed with scarlet poinsettias and waving banana trees.
Remote El Hierro: By ferry we journey to Valverde on El Hierro, then cross the island to reach La Frontera. Situated in the great sweep of El Golfo Bay, 1000m cliffs form a dramatic backdrop. With four days here there's plenty of time to relax and explore this peaceful island. Walks may include the fertile north coast, passing vineyards and groves surrounded by black lava walls. Flowering cacti thrive in the drier south while the green meadows of the central plateau are scattered with volcanic cones.
Teide Volcano: An overnight ferry takes us back to Tenerife and we drive to Teide volcano, Spain's highest mountain (3718m). Now a National Park area, it is crowned with ice and snow in winter and sprinkled with colourful flowers in spring. We plan a walk on its flanks, but if you prefer, there's a cable car to the top, for great views of the western Canaries.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Tenerife; drive San Isidro. |
| Day 2: | Ferry to San Sebastian on La Gomera island; afternoon walk (approx 4hrs). |
| Day 3: | Optional walk in Garajonay National Park (5hrs). |
| Day 4: | Drive Agulo; walk to Roque Blanco then Vallehermoso (6hrs). |
| Day 5: | In Vallehermoso; optional walks. |
| Day 6: | Drive Chipude; walk to Playa de Santiago (5hrs). |
| Day 7: | Free day; optional walks in area. |
| Day 8: | Drive San Sebastian; ferry to Valverde on El Hierro island; drive La Frontera. |
| Day 9-10: | In La Frontera; various walks or relaxing. |
| Day 11: | Free morning in El Hierro; afternoon ferry to Tenerife. |
| Day 12: | Morning optional drive Teide NP; walk and optional cable car; fly London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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On this tour we visit three of the Canary Islands so can spread our business over three islands instead of just one, and we stay in small locally run hotels / posadas in smaller villages rather than in resorts at the coastal destinations and use the locally owned ferry instead of the foreign owned Fred Olsen ferry. We walk wherever possible and use small local taxi operators rather than charter buses where possible. We also eat in small restaurants en route whilst walking.
As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |