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Top 10 Canary Islands SecretsSeek Out These Ten Hidden Places That the Natives KnowThese might not make the guidebooks' Top Ten Must See Sights lists, but they are experiences and places you shouldn't miss - and most travelers don't know about them.
No visitor should miss the blockbuster sights on Spain’s sunny islands in the Atlantic, off the coast of North Africa: Lanzarote’s Mountains of Fire, the Maspalomas dunes on Gran Canaria, Caesar Manrique’s spectacular house on Lanzarote, Spain’s highest point of El Teide on Tenerife. But don’t miss some lesser-known hidden gems, either. LanzaroteLiterally gems, in the case of Charco de los Clicos, a cliff-enclosed beach where you can gather tiny green peridots blown out by a long-ago volcano. Nearby at Los Hervideros, a tube cave -- formed by lava and gasses that were trapped below the surface of cooling volcanic flow -- meets the sea to form deep caves and blow-holes where the constant surf shoots up in columns of froth. The force of the sea continues to wear away the coarse black rocks, creating an ever-changing shore. FuerteventuraThe recently restored Casa de los Coroneles in La Olivia is a colonial showplace, with magnificent wooden doors, paneled windows and intricately carved balconies. From the terrace and tower are views over the tiled roofs to a volcano beyond. Poblado de La Atalayita at Pozo Negro is a recently opened interpretation center at a village built in the first millennium BC by Berber peoples from North Africa. Explore its remains with a descriptive map that leads to several layers of habitation. The trail continues to a small volcanic cone to climb for birds-eye views. From Pajara head to Playa Solapa, truning south to Playa Garcey to see the dramatic remains of the shipwrecked ocean liner SS American Star, which ran aground in 1994. Even without the shipwreck, the beach, mammoth sea arch and fantastically sculpted puddingstone cliffs are worth the trip. The best of these are beyond the sea-stacks to the left, under the headland. Don’t swim or dive in the dangerous waters near the wreck. TenerifeAfter driving up to El Teide’s huge crater, strike off on the road along the top of the Cumbre Dorsal, Tenerife’s east-west spine. The best views of El Teide’s summit are from this road along the top of the ridge dividing the island, and views stretch to the sea on both siders. Fantastical rock formations were carved out of the sandstone by high winds at La Tarta. Icod de los Vinos is known for its huge Drago tree, but most visitors overlook the church of San Marcos, with its silver and gold altar and blend of Mudejar, baroque and gothic styles. Its real treasure is in its little museum -- one of the finest silver filigree crosses in all of Spain. It came from Havana, Cuba, in the 1600s, when Spanish ships routinely stopped at Tenerife on their way back from the New World. At each level of Risco Bello Aquatic Gardens in Puerto de la Cruz, pools and ponds are set in flower beds, unfolding as you explore pathways and stairs among the 600 plant varieties that surround the pools. The Guanches, who inhabited the islands from pre-colonial times, mummified their dead, and some of these mummies survive today, dramatically exhibited at the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre in Santa Cruz. Gran CanariaDrive to the rim of Caldera Bandama, and hike down to the floor of the huge volcanic crater. An entirely different microclimate lies at the bottom. Locals carve homes out of the steep cliffs in this region, as they have done since the days of the Guanches.
The copyright of the article Top 10 Canary Islands Secrets in Spain Travel is owned by Barbara Rogers. Permission to republish Top 10 Canary Islands Secrets in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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