In the Canaries, there are hidden itineraries to discover the best of the islands.
The wealth of the Canary archipelago is one of the most surprising in the Atlantic Ocean, to be discovered in particular in the 146 natural areas which comprise 45% of its territory. These include the UNESCO biosphere reserves of La Palma, Lanzarote, El Hierro, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. The islands are crossed by a thousand paths that lead to landscapes, parks, reserves and sites of scientific interest of inestimable value. You can see the best in the gallery above.
Ethnographic itinerary in Tenerife: discovering the life of the settlers
In addition to Teide National Park, the hidden face of Tenerife surprises with the original Canarian forests, called “fayal-brezal” located on the slopes of the Anaga mountain range. To reach it, you need to take a path that passes through old farmhouses and terraces and leads directly to the sea going down the Barranco de Masca.
Laura Bethencourt, Official Tourist Guide of the Canary Islands, knows thoroughly and loves to show the traces of the ancient settlers who inhabited Tenerife along the paths that wind through the mountains, she says that “two or three centuries ago these communication routes were the only connection for the population; therefore, they have a high ethnographic value as well as a landscape one”. In particular, you speak of the Camino Real del Sur, between Güímar and Fasnia: a linear route lasting four or five hours that joins the Güímar slope with the Agaché area and the Herques gorge, ending at the old hermitage of Fasnia.
A small village between the cliffs in Gran Canaria
In Gran Canaria there are 33 protected areas che extend over almost half of the total area of the island. The best known natural parks and protected areas of Gran Canaria are the Tamadaba Natural Parks, in the northwest of the island; Pilancones or the dunes of Maspalomas, in San Bartolomé de Tirajana; Inagua, in the west of the island, or the rural parks of Nublo and Doramas, respectively in the center and north of Gran Canaria.
However, there are hidden hiking trails che pass through historic sites, such as the one that crosses the protected landscape of Fataga, San Fernando de Maspalomas and Morro de la Palmita. The tour allows you to walk through the village of Fataga. Its origin dates back to the times before the conquest of the islands in 1492, so historic buildings can be found among its whitewashed houses and cobblestone streets.
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Follow the paths carved out of volcanic lava in Lanzarote
In Lanzarote, 13 sites are identified as belonging to the Network of Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands. In addition to the Timanfaya National Park, the island has an integral nature reserve, Los Islotes, and two natural parks, the Chinijo Archipelago and Los Volcanes. Then there are five “natural monuments”, La Corona, Los Ajaches, Cueva de los Naturalistas, Islote de los Halcones and Montañas del Fuego, two protected landscapes, Tenegüime and La Geria, and two sites of scientific interest, Jameos del Agua and Salinas of the Janubio.
One of the favorite trails of the local Lanzarotes themselves is the Ruta de Guinate, which starts from the village of Ye in the locality of Haria. It is a circular route of medium difficulty (the whole itinerary can last up to eight hours, even if it is also possible to do only some parts); pass through a series of volcanic caves created by eruptions of the volcano La Corona. Also part of this itinerary is the famous Jameos del Agua, designed by the local architect César Manrique, a tourist complex that includes a series of halls, lagoons, gardens and a natural pool.
In the wake of the volcano the rare animal kingdom of Fuerteventura
One of the lesser known routes in Fuerteventura is the Los Cuchillos de Vigán Natural Monument, within the municipalities of Antigua and Tuineje. It is a circular route over an area of 6,090 hectares bordering the Great Protected Landscape of Malpaís. Its value lies in the fact that it is very difficult to find another place with such a rocky environment on the road leading from Jacomar Volcano to the sea. It is also the last chosen area for endangered natural species such as the skinfish, a reptile of the saurian family, and some birds of prey such as the osprey and the Egyptian vulture (a small vulture).
Fuerteventura has a total of 13 protected natural areas among which the natural monuments of Mount Tindaya, the slope of Vallebrón, Mount Cardón, the Malpaís de la Arena, the Saladar and the Caldera de Gairía stand out. Together with the natural parks of the dunes of Corralejo and Lobos, Pozo and Jandía, the Rural park of Betancuria it is the largest on the island with approximately 17,000 hectares.
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In addition to the Garajonay forest is the Valle de Gran Rey on La Gomera
Inside, the monumental island of La Gomera holds one of the treasures of the Canaries: the Garajonay National Park, a mysterious laurel forest which has also been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearby is located The Valley of the Great King southwest of the island of La Gomera: a lesser known place that guards a path that leads to the beaches overlooking the ocean through the small towns of Agulo or Hermigua.
The past of the inhabitants of La Palma can be felt in its villages
On the island of La Palma there is the impressive Caldera de Taburiente National Park, the epicenter of all hiking trails. In addition to this, there are also 18 other protected natural areas, pristine black sand beaches and spectacular volcanic landscapes. In the Integral Natural Reserve of the Garafía pine forest, as well as in the Special Natural Reserve of Guelguën or in the Natural Park of Las Nieves, there are some of the best examples of laurel forests in the archipelago.
In the upper part of Santa Cruz de La Palma, or in the narrow streets behind the Church of Tazacorte, one can instead see the most authentic beauty of the life of the people who inhabited the Canary Islands between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, at the time of trade with the America because of the sugar cane plantations.
The vegetable tunnels of the forests of El Hierro
El Hierro itself is a different island due to its open environment on the Atlantic Ocean, with seven protected natural areas. The Roques de Salmor Integral Nature Reserve stands out among these. A landscape with characteristic marine rocks such as the Roque Grande (100 meters high) and the Roque Chico, silent witnesses of the volcanic landscape which imbues the island with its unique mysticism. Also, the Path of the Llaníawithin the Protected Area of the Rural Park of Frontera, the forest with endemic vegetation called “fayal-brezal”, one of the most magical of all the Canary Islands: the thick plants intertwine the lianas and create fascinating tunnels where you can walk immersed completely in nature.
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