Do-It-Yourself Canary Islands

[Leejnd4]

Hi,

 

We'll be visiting Lanzarote, Canary Islands as our first port stop in May. Unfortunately, we'll only be there for 6 hours, so I imagine there's not a lot we can do in that time. But this volcanic islands sounds very interesting. I would like to get any opinions on what we should do while there.

 

Our ship has two coach excursions available -- one for the south part of the island, and one for the north. I'm not much of one for spending hours in a bus, so I would love to hear from anyone who might know of other ways to see the sights.

 

Also, is one part of the island preferable over another? According to the excursion write-ups, they both sound interesting:

 

South: Depart from the Port of Arrecife, capital of Lanzarote, to the southern part of the Island. Lanzarote is known as the Mythic Island because the volcanic relief has sculpted breathtaking landscapes of almost lunar beauty. Before leaving the city, a photo stop will be made at the San José Castle, an old fortress built at the end of the 18th century to protect the bay from the attacks of pirates. It now houses a museum of contemporary art.

 

From there, continue to the Montañas de Fuego at Timanfaya National Park. The landscape, which you will certainly appreciate at this park, is the result of the continuous volcanic eruptions which took place on the island from 1730 to 1736. To start, you will be taken on a camel ride surrounding the crater of a volcano. Next, there will be a bus tour to view the scenery, which has not changed much since the eruptions. This will allow you to get an overall impression of this natural geological calamity.

 

Before returning to Arrecife, you will drive through the wine region of La Geria where you will visit a Bodega and will enjoy some wine and taste some of the local products. On the way back to the ship, take the road to Puerto del Carmen for a view of the island's beaches, which are primarily black sand due to the eruptions of the volcanoes.

 

Please note: This tour involves a camel ride, which should be taken into consideration when selecting this excursion.[/Quote]

 

North: This tour features the northern part of the island, where many of the island's highlights and splendid scenery are located. Drive to the beach area of Teguise, the most toured area in the island, and then continue to Mirador de los Helechos where you will be able to admire the Valley of the Thousand Palm Trees. After this, continue to Mirador del Rio where a superb view of the island and the nearby islets can be seen. After Mirador del Rio you will go to the second most important highlight of the island, the Jameos del Agua. You will enter this cave, which is the site of many local concerts.

 

From Jameos del Agua, drive to the Cactuses Garden on the way back to Arrecife. At the Cactuses garden you will enjoy a drink in its patio outside. This garden holds thousands of species from the Canary Islands. Though only a short visit will be made here, one could spend hours in the garden admiring the variety of plants. After this comprehensive tour, you will return to Arrecife and to the ship.

 

Please note: There are about 50 steps to enter and exit the cave.[/Quote]

 

I gotta admit, I'm leaning towards checking out the southern part, only because that camel ride sounds pretty neat! :D

 

So...in summary... which half would you recommend, which sights are must-sees, and do you know any way to do these on our own?

 

Thanks!

 

LeeAnne

[roysmith99]

Hi there,

 

Fiona and I are veretrans of the Canaries, ten trips now - sad I know. The island is for tourists but tasteful, we choose things that show local customs or local nature to its best.

 

Lanzarote is the most beautiful of the islands by far due to the influence of Cesar Manrique a local artist who set the standards for development on the island, to avoid the high rise and madness of Tenerife.

 

OK, so the North is an excellent trip, some of the best views and scenery you can get. We love the Mirador Del Rio (natural views), Jameos del Agua (albino crabs and concert hall cut from natural caves) and Jardin de Cactus, the valley of a thousand palms is just beautiful and is where Manrique retired and died.

 

Sorry for the next bit.

The camel ride is not fun:(, but hot, bumby, dirty and smelly. The animals are abused by their handlers and passengers alike. You will get the camel behind nuzzling you and may not like it, they have muzzles which can scratch and cut. And often the people in front will wack your camel if it tries to nuzzle them - then you get shaken about or worse - this happened to us.

 

Having said that, the South trip also goes to the Montañas de Fuego and the restaurant of El Diablo (the devil). This is a tourist must see I have to admit. We have eaten in the restaurant at night and it has to rank as one of the most wonderful views in the world.

 

If you dont see the beaches at Puerto del Carmen you can see similar ones all over the world and the Bodega is just a chance for your guide to make some money from his friends who own it.

 

The choice of using a coach or driving is more difficult, I hate coaches but really don't like driving over there at all - but that's just me. You could, take a cab - try to arrange one before hand and for a fixed price, the driver will take you where you wnat to go, then mix the best of the North and South. When you wiat at a taxi stop on the island there are fixed prices on display for most trips, including all sight seeing ones - usually you can find a nice Mercedes E series to take you where ever you want to go.

 

I am sure you have seen http:///www.lanzarote.com or

http://www.graysworld.co.uk/lanz_1.html

 

As for Fiona and I we'd head straight for Playa Blanca on the South Coast and along to the Papagayou beach area.

 

I hope this helps, but let me know if you want any more information.

[Leejnd4]

This is fantastic information! Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks for the heads-up about the camels -- now I know I should skip that particular attraction. You're right, it doesn't sound like much fun. Thanks also for the links -- I hadn't actually found those websites yet, so I will read throught them.

 

If, as you say, there are private taxis that are available at the pier that are reasonably priced, that may be what we end up doing. As this is the first port stop on our 11-night cruise, I suspect the ship tours may be rather full, and I'd much rather be in a smaller vehicle for driving around the island. Plus, it sounds like we can pick and choose the best on both ends of the island, rather than focusing on just north or south.

 

Again, thanks for the info!

 

LeeAnne

[Sunnystone]

Any suggestions for Tenerife ?

 

Thanks.

[minke]

roysmith99 has said it all, we have spent a hol there (at Playa Blanca) & hired a car for 3 days. Taxi is a good bet for a short visit, timanfaya NP (free bus round the park i/c in entrance fee when we were there-cars not allowed) mirador del rio & jameos del agua are they other unmiisables in my opinion & yes forget that camel!!

[amyr]

I reallly like the idea of these do-it-yourself threads, I wish they had a sticky at the top. That said, I'll be on the same cruise as Sunnystone above, and am having trouble finding info about the Canary Islands outside of general tour books.

 

We are docking in Tenerife, and I'm wondering if anyone has used a private tour company, or are we pretty much relegated to ship's tours? Are taxicabs available? Where is the port relative to any nice walking areas?

 

Help!

 

Amy

[trubey]

Any one been here this summer? susana.

[frequent traveler]

Hi there,

 

 

to avoid the high rise and madness of Tenerife.

 

I hope this helps, but let me know if you want any more information.

 

 

More info about anything recommended in Tenerife would be greatly appreciated. I'm arriving there on Oct. 21 and have about 36 hrs before I embark for a Atlantic crossing. I'm a female traveling solo and speak very basic Spanish. Any suggestions/ tips on what to do or not to do?

 

Thanks so much

 

FT

[Morgans]

We have just returned this week from cruising the Canary Islands and we did the tour of the north of the island in Lanzarote.. The cave at Jameos del Agua is beautiful and well worth a visit as is Manrique's Cactus Garden. For us, these were the highlight of Lanzarote. The landscape is more like a moonscape - the black rock everywhere is interesting and strange at the same time. I wouldn't describe it as beautiful.

In Tenerife we stayed in the town of Santa Cruz and just enjoyed walking. The African Market is interesting as is the small museum of art right in the centre. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and lots of lovely shops if you prefer shopping.

 

Marge M.

[roothy123]

I suppose you're back by now; just curious what you did and thought. I'll be on Lanzarote in August, and have rented a car to go to Timanfaya park and then one or two Manrique Cesar places. I also plan to drive from Timanfaya through the La Geria region to see the vineyards. If anyone has done that, please see a separate post on that. I need some help!

 

As to the camels, I'm going to pass on those, although I DO hope to see a caravan to photograph!

[aquilegia]

I suppose you're back by now; just curious what you did and thought.

 

Well, I should think they're back as this thread is 9 years old!

 

I've just posted on your new thread about La Geria.

[roothy123]

Well, I should think they're back as this thread is 9 years old!

 

I've just posted on your new thread about La Geria.

 

Oh my! I didn't even look at the date up top! Thanks.