Canary Islands

Hey there,

I have about a month to travel before I go home back to Australia... Ive been living in the netherlands nearly 2 years. Im really wondering where to go, and ive been tossing up spending a month island hopping on the canary islands.

any thoughts on that plan? is a month too long? ive heard that all the islands are really different, which is why it hink it might be worth it but im actually finding it kinda difficult to findinfo on google!

is it expensive over there? i know they use the euro, so it cant be too much better/worse than the netherlands! has anyone done it before?

if anyone has any ideas for a month long holiday which is a bit different then give me some ideas!! im also thinking of going to the caribbean...

Basically, the Canary Islands are popular among tourists who want everything organised.
There are many hotels and appartements available, sometimes for as low as 300 euro for a week including the flight! The most popular islands are Tenerife and Gran Canaria, but also Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are popular as they see even less rain and more sun.

But it is also possible to just buy a plane ticket directly to one of the main islands and rent a car and just explore the island(s). There are ferries to El Hierro and La Gomera and you can do a loop by flying back from for example La Palma.
In general, El hierro, La Gomera and less so La Palma are a bit more adventurous in that you will find less package tourists over there. But even on the other islands you can just escape them easily by renting a car and staying in villages inland.

Check this site for ferries to and from Tenerife.
Check this site for direct flights to canary islands. There are more charters however which fly directly to one or more of the islands.

well i dont want everything organised, but sometimes an easy holiday is nice! ive heard theyre really beautiful and id like to take a kitesurfing lesson maybe while im there... i think ill spend a week and a half there, love to go island hopping, but i think i might miss out on the REALLY touristy places, unless the flight is exceptionally cheap... a package deal would be good just to get there and back, and not even use the accom once im done there :P

hi ! i have a house in Lanzarote so i ca talk to you about that !
There you must have a car you can borow at the airport cause there are few roads
you can travel between islands with boats
and i think one month is too long but i dont really know the others islands i think theyre more touristic !
But in Lanzarote you have some things to visit cause there were a great artist there ... and you can surf too ^^ an island famous for that
and i dont think its really expensive there they use the euro and you must know theyre spaninsh
well i think ive nothing more to tell ... but ask if you have questions !

( sorry for my english im french ... )

I believe Canary Islands are good solution but indeed I agree that one month is maybe too much. They are great place for sun-sand-sea holiday, just stay on the beach or hotel pool and relax but to me that's all. Sure there are some activities like diving or going to Teide but generally speaking canary is great for organized trips

yeah i decided to go max 2 weeks, and 2 weeks somewhere else... which are the best islands do you think? i dont want a bunch of dutch/german/british drunk on the beach... good nightlife but also i wanna explore some places, i like nature and snorkelling n stiuff like that... any ideas?

Lanzarote has some good scenery like Jameos del Agua, and the National Park, but it's very family oriented, lots of kids and English based resorts.

Tenerife - tower block hotels, Wetherspoons and drunken twats.

Your best bet is Fuerteventura, great scenery and lovely beaches without too many alchies.

As for Gran Canaria not entirely sure never been there.

I would say a week in Fuerte and a few days in Lanzarote.

You could catch a ferry from the Canary Islands over to Morocco. It's only a very short ferry trip away..

Quoting angela_

You could catch a ferry from the Canary Islands over to Morocco. It's only a very short ferry trip away..

As I was about to say: "there is no ferry on that route" I just googled to doublecheck things and guess what: there is
ferry between Fuerteventura and southern Morocco which has already been since last year! Nice to learn new things now and then

[ Edit: Edited on Feb 11, 2008, at 3:50 AM by Utrecht ]

so, how is it to be in morocco as a single female? i plan on respecting their culture and not wearing a short skirt and a tube top or something lol but i mean... im a bit cautious about it... for a few days how will i be there?