234 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
234 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
a
|
|
-----
|
|
# Canary Islands: sun, sea and truly stunning skylines
|
|
|
|
## The Canary Islands often come with preconceived notions attached. But you
|
|
don't have to delve far to find their true identity. Read our guide to the
|
|
Canary's seven sunny Spanish isles and discover their unique character.
|
|
|
|
![The Canary Islands: La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria,
|
|
Fuerteventura, Lanzarote][1]
|
|
|
|
The Canary Islands: La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria,
|
|
Fuerteventura, Lanzarote
|
|
|
|
5:25PM GMT 26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
Popular holiday destinations, like some people, come with baggage attached.
|
|
Preconceived notions, built up over many years, can sometimes obscure the true
|
|
identity beneath, and somewhere that once had allure and potential is now
|
|
dismissed as old hat.
|
|
|
|
In previous centuries, the Canary Islands, celebrated by Shakespeare and
|
|
teetering on the edge of the known world, were the exotic redoubt of explorers
|
|
and adventurers, famous as the springboard to the New World on Christopher
|
|
Columbus's voyages of discovery. Later, in the heyday of Spanish colonialism,
|
|
the islands became rich and prosperous on the proceeds of their trade with the
|
|
Americas.
|
|
|
|
In the late-Victorian era, Gran Canaria became one of the most exotic holiday
|
|
destinations in the world, an outpost of civilisation anchored in the Atlantic
|
|
Ocean off the shores of Africa with elegant buildings, plazas, a European
|
|
lifestyle and a tropical climate to boot. Even the street signs were written
|
|
in both Spanish and English to reassure visitors of a friendly welcome.
|
|
Paradise, indeed!
|
|
|
|
These days, that exotic image has become somewhat obscured by the mass tourism
|
|
attracted to localised areas of the larger islands. However, by falling prey
|
|
to misconceptions of overdevelopment we risk ignoring so much that remains to
|
|
be discovered: of the seven major islands in the archipelago, the smaller gems
|
|
of La Gomera and El Hierro remain largely unexplored by visitors, and huge
|
|
areas of the larger islands are rarely patronised by tourists.
|
|
|
|
Take a look at a map of Tenerife, for example, and ask yourself whether you
|
|
have ever explored the Anaga and Teno regions in the north-east and north-west
|
|
respectively. They contain some of the most dramatic and beautiful landscapes
|
|
in the entire island chain.
|
|
|
|
## Related Articles
|
|
|
|
* [Reaching for the stars][2]
|
|
|
|
03 Feb 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Canary Islands - Paradores: Luxuriate in the past][3]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Activities: the great outdoors][4]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Food: a taste for the traditional][5]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Csar Manrique: an artist by nature][6]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Gran Canaria: an exotic blend of ancient and modern][7]
|
|
|
|
28 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Fuerteventura: a little reserve amid all the action][8]
|
|
|
|
28 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Tenerife: an elegant land erupting with nature and history][9]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [La Palma: sitting pretty in starlight][10]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [History: land of fire and fable][11]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [El Hierro: stunning views, rare lizards and big green ideas][12]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [La Gomera: a small corner of whistles and love][13]
|
|
|
|
26 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
* [Lanzarote: a blast from the past illuminates the present][14]
|
|
|
|
28 Jan 2010
|
|
|
|
Similar unspoilt and unexplored areas are waiting to be discovered on all the
|
|
other islands, too. Their differing ages - the main volcanic eruptions that
|
|
thrust them skyward from the seabed occurred between one and 40 million years
|
|
ago - have resulted in hugely different environments: surreal lava fields in
|
|
Lanzarote, and lush fertility in La Palma, for example.
|
|
|
|
But on one thing everyone is still agreed. Winter sun and stunning landscapes
|
|
- from the golden sandy beaches of Fuerteventura to the summit of Spain's
|
|
highest mountain, Mount Teide - remain at the heart of the Canaries' unique
|
|
appeal.
|
|
|
|
All that remains now is for you to rediscover, with the help of these pages,
|
|
the pulse of the exotic that beats alongside.
|
|
|
|
[X][15] Share & bookmark
|
|
|
|
Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
|
|
|
|
Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
|
|
|
|
[What are these?][16]
|
|
|
|
* Share: [Share][15] [ ][17] [ ][18]
|
|
|
|
[Tweet][19]
|
|
|
|
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryisland
|
|
s/7079816/Canary-Islands-sun-sea-and-truly-stunning-skylines.html
|
|
|
|
Telegraph
|
|
|
|
## [Canary Islands][20]
|
|
|
|
* ### [Sponsored »][21]
|
|
|
|
* ### [Travel »][22]
|
|
|
|
* ### [Spanish Tourist Board »][23]
|
|
|
|
[X][15] Share & bookmark
|
|
|
|
Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
|
|
|
|
Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
|
|
|
|
[What are these?][16]
|
|
|
|
Share:
|
|
|
|
* [ ][15]
|
|
|
|
* [ ][17]
|
|
|
|
* [ ][18]
|
|
|
|
* [Tweet][19]
|
|
|
|
* [![Canary Islands holidays][24]][20]
|
|
|
|
[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/canary-island-
|
|
map_1567929c.jpg
|
|
|
|
[2]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7145716
|
|
/Reaching-for-the-stars.html
|
|
|
|
[3]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079788/Canary-
|
|
Islands-Paradores-Luxuriate-in-the-past.html
|
|
|
|
[4]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079778/Canary-
|
|
Islands-activities-the-great-outdoors.html
|
|
|
|
[5]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079761/Canary-
|
|
Islands-food-a-taste-for-the-traditional.html
|
|
|
|
[6]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079704/Cesar-
|
|
Manrique-an-artist-by-nature.html
|
|
|
|
[7]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7080193/Gran-
|
|
Canaria-an-exotic-blend-of-ancient-and-modern.html
|
|
|
|
[8]:
|
|
/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7091725/Fuerteventura-a
|
|
-little-reserve-amid-all-the-action.html
|
|
|
|
[9]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079200
|
|
/Tenerife-an-elegant-land-erupting-with-nature-and-history.html
|
|
|
|
[10]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079397/La-
|
|
Palma-sitting-pretty-in-starlight.html
|
|
|
|
[11]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079735/Canary-
|
|
Islands-history-land-of-fire-and-fable.html
|
|
|
|
[12]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079564/El-
|
|
Hierro-stunning-views-rare-lizards-and-big-green-ideas.html
|
|
|
|
[13]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079510/La-
|
|
Gomera-a-small-corner-of-whistles-and-love.html
|
|
|
|
[14]:
|
|
/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7091935/Lanzarote-a
|
|
-blast-from-the-past-illuminates-the-present.html
|
|
|
|
[15]: #
|
|
|
|
[16]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-
|
|
article-What-are-these.html
|
|
|
|
[17]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
|
|
this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
|
|
the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
|
|
as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
|
|
%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canary
|
|
islands/7079816/Canary-Islands-sun-sea-and-truly-stunning-skylines.html
|
|
%0A%0AFor the best content online, visit www.telegraph.co.uk
|
|
|
|
[18]: javascript:print()
|
|
|
|
[19]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
|
|
|
|
[20]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/can
|
|
aryislands/
|
|
|
|
[21]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
|
|
|
|
[22]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/
|
|
|
|
[23]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/
|
|
|
|
[24]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01569/sponsor_canaryisla_
|
|
1569739a.jpg
|
|
|