Hiking Trips – Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are currently in the spotlight due to the recent eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma. Along with the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic and the Hawaiian archipelago in the Pacific, the Canary Islands is an island territory with one of the highest concentrations of volcanoes on Earth.

The Canary Islands have one of the highest concentrations of volcanoes in the world.

Denominated as a “Hot Spot”, the Canary Islands’ subsoil hides a fervent activity that from time to time comes to the surface and reminds us that the planet is alive.

The volcanic eruption of the Canary Islands volcano is a reminder that the planet is alive.

The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano is just a small sample of the volcanic ferocity that dominates the seven islands. The estimate of the energy released so far by the eruption of this volcano is similar to all the electrical energy consumed by the archipelago in 35 years.

But there is no need to worry.

But don’t forget that the Canary Islands were formed by the eruptions of thousands of underwater volcanoes. The accumulation of volcanic material on each of the islands has allowed us to inhabit these insular spaces today and benefit from their extraordinary conditions.

The Canary Islands paradise

In addition to a privileged climate with spring-like temperatures all year round, extraordinary beaches and exuberant vegetation, the mountain ranges of the seven islands are ideal for an activity that is now in vogue all over the world: hiking. Ancient cobbled paths now provide the necessary infrastructure to allow visitors, eager to discover its spectacular nature, to pass through. The contrasts are enormous and the landscapes unbeatable. We will now take you on a brief tour of the best trails in the archipelago.

El Teide in Tenerife

It is the third largest volcano in the world. It is also the highest peak in Spain. El Teide, at 3,815 metres, is one of the most important hiking landmarks in the Canary Islands. The Cañadas del Teide offer a perfect high plateau with winding paths and bizarre rock formations. The permanent view of the Teide piton is a memorable natural spectacle. And its ascent up to the rocky peak from Montaña Blanca is a challenge for experienced hikers.

La Caldera de Taburiente on La Palma

La Isla Bonita has a crater-shaped heart. With a perimeter of 28 kilometres and a depth of 1,500 metres, the Caldera is one of the largest erosion craters in the world. Its interior is home to a very peculiar endemic flora and fauna, and torrential water flows down its rocks and cliffs to the sea. Walking along its paths from Los Brecitos is one of the island’s greatest attractions. Or be enraptured by its impressive viewpoints, both from Roque de Los Muchachos and from La Cumbrecita.

Laurel forests in La Gomera

The Garajonay National Park offers unrepeatable landscapes and magical forests. Time has frozen the island’s relief and the perpetual sea of clouds has nourished its majestic forests.

Majestic forests.

Majestic rocks rise on its peaks, forming a spectacular geography of singular beauty. This small island can be traversed from end to end via stunning hiking trails that pass through various microclimates ranging from the most rustic to the most beautiful plains in the world.

El Hierro, the island of wind

Also known as the island of the zero meridian, El Hierro offers spectacular and very diverse scenery in a tiny space

Routes along the coast converge with forests of perpetual mist. And also enormous pine and laurel forests that have woven the most incredible stories about what is engulfed under the protection of the centuries-old trees of La Llanía.

The island of El Hierro offers spectacular and very diverse scenery in a tiny space.

The island of El Hierro is made up of a central natural wall that divides and protects the island. The gentle hills of its central plateau offer the most striking, beautiful views. As do its spectacular viewpoints.

Lanzarote and its volcanoes

The Timanfaya route is one of the most popular and with different levels of complexity suitable for beginners or expert hikers. Likewise, the routes around the volcano and the malpaís de La Corona are some of the most spectacular in Lanzarote.

But it’s not just Lanzarote, Tenerife or La Palma that make up the volcanic hiking universe of the Canary Islands. Each and every island has an unsurpassed volcanic past and present.

From El Hierro to La Graciosa and from Fuerteventura to La Gomera, the Canary Islands are teeming with volcanic activity. Some of these volcanoes are dormant and others have already died out but still retain their majesty.

Natour

On the 7 islands of the Canary archipelago NATOUR organises independent hiking trips to walk on your own. But we also organise organised groups with a guide between different islands of the Canary Islands or on a specific island. Do not hesitate to contact us for a personalised proposal.

The Canary Islands

Hiking in the Canary Islands has become a fundamental activity. In any of the 7 islands there is a network of well-marked trails, with procedures approved by the Spanish Mountaineering Federation.

In addition, each island has defined a long-distance route, known as the GR, which crosses ancestral paths from one side to the other. In addition, the GR 131 corresponds to an international route linking the islands of the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries.

GR 131 in the Canary Islands

The first was the island of La Palma. Its GR 131 is also known as the “Ruta del Bastón” (Cane Route) because of its peculiar route in the shape of a cane. The route starts in Puerto de Tazacorte and climbs up to the highest point of the island, then climbs upwards towards the south. And finally this route ends at the Faro de Fuencaliente lighthouse with a total distance of 66 km.

Hiking

Thanks to the mountainous relief of the islands, hiking has become an important tourist activity. For this reason, each island has made the most of its special cultural legacy and its ancient infrastructures in the form of footpaths. Today it is possible to walk the GR 131 in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro, as well as La Palma.

The Routes

The old paths and royal roads of yesteryear have been redesigned and turned into thematic routes. Some of these routes provide a lot of information about the lifestyle of the people of the Canary Islands in the past. For example, the PR (short distance) paths were the connections between different villages and all the commercial activity revolved around them.