The best Canary Island for you!

The Canary Islands are a part of  Spain, located close to the east coast of Africa, Morocco. It's known for its cheap prices and rich vegetation and beaches.

The Canary Islands are an increasingly popular destination for everyone - from families to cheap solo travellers to luxury. But you'd be amazed how different all those islands are!

All the islands have different vegetation and nature, some are known for its black sand beaches and resorts, some are more adrenaline and adventure rich, some have bustling culture and people.

You think they can't possibly be so close to each other yet be so different.

Straight to the point!

Tenerife

This is the island most people think of when they hear the words Canary Islands, that is understandable because it's the most visited island.

Tenerife is a hustling resort island. Tenerife has the best (in my opinion) water park and zoo in the world. It's great for families with kids, couples looking for beaches and elderly people. 

It rains a lot more in the northern part of the island, so for the "beachers" I would recommend staying in the south. 

It's the most touristy out of all the islands. Tenerife is for people who want to relax, yet see the vibrant nature and volcanic rocks.

However, this is also the most versatile island. The island is mostly famous for its volcano El Teide and black sand beaches. It's a star vulcanic island. That means rich nature, mountains and cliffs.

The vegetation in the south and north of the island varies by a lot. The more wild part is the northern part of the island - black sand beaches, greenery.

I personally dislike the large resorts and tourism of Tenerife. For me, the tourism eats away at the culture and nature.

Gran Canaria

The capital island!

This is one of those GPS-goes-insane-between-mountains type of island (It happened several times). It has a decent diversity in landscapes, but not as noticeable as on Tenerife. It can surprise you with huge waves in the north and sand dunes in the south.

I remember arriving on the island in the evening and seeing all the light's flickering on the side of the mountains. It's truly an amazing sight.

Just like Tenerife, the south part of the island is where the resort part is and where prices are higher, but this is also where you'll find the sand dunes and gorgeous beaches. 

This island is more of a "city" island, after all, the capital of the Canary Islands is on it. This is the place you might want to hit up the city life and maybe go see some museums. I advise you to rent a car and drive over to Maspalomas to see the sand dunes. It's truly an amazing sight. You might be lucky with the waves and able to try some surfing too!

The centre of the island has some hiking possibilities - I would recommend Roque Nublu. You'll get the best views there is!

Lanzarote

Ah, my favourite island!

This island is the northmost island out of the Canary Islands. This is where you'll see the locals and truly experience the local culture. There are hardly any tourists (of course there are some major resort cities, but the tourists don't really venture out)!

This island is also known for its grape and wine industry! Everywhere you go you can see these half circles with a small branch in the circle - those are grapes

This island has no special vegetation or mountain comparable to the other islands. However it is highly vulcanic - we even saw some hot rocks or magma (it was really hard to tell what it was, to be honest) while touring the Timanfaya national park! One of the guides threw some water into one of the cracks and it flew right out! You can clearly see the signs of volcanism on the island.

The most interesting part of this island are the houses. The houses are all white! You could truly get lost in between those cute white houses.

This island has the best beach I've ever been to - Playa de Papagayo. It has beautiful blue water sided by huge cliffs on both sides. We actually visited it twice because we simply loved it that much!

The island is also nicknamed "Hawaii of Europe" and that is not without reason! We had an amazing surf experience on Famara beach. This island is the surfing capital of the Canary Islands

I would advise you to rent a car to get around the island, it takes about an hour to drive from one end of the island to the other. The island itself isn't really that big!

Fuerteventura

This island is for sure the much "beachy" out of all of the islands. It's the closest to the African coast, so the island is really sandy and also the warmest out of all the islands.

This island has the whitest sand, the bluest water and the best beaches out of all the islands. Take a trip to Cofete-- it won't be easy, but it'll be worth it! You'll be mesmerized, I promise!

This island is for people looking for luxury and not much action. Swimming and enjoying the island in peace is the way to go. This island is great for everyone looking for that beach vacation to take their mind off everything!

La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro

These islands are the smallest islands. They have some amazing volcanic black sand beaches and amazing mountains to climb! Nature is their best virtue. 

These islands have the richest culture because they have the least tourists. You can really see the life and culture of the locals.  

These beaches on the islands are quite pebbly and rocky, meaning if you want to have a beach only vocation, these islands might not be your best option. 

Hiking up the mountains and in the national parks is a great way to spend your time on the islands. Some of the species found there are on the verge of extinction. 

Maybe even have a cycling tour around one of the islands.

These islands really have the peace and quiet the other islands lack. 

Maybe you can even spend some time seeking out some local wine and doing some whale watching.