Best canary island for cycling: Traveling with your Bike in the Canary Islands
Best time for Cycling in Canary Islands 2023 – Best Season
Best time to visit Canary Islands
Various routes and diverse landscapes on every island offer some new and unforgettable experiences. A real adventure on the wheels awaits you
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January–March
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Spain
Canary Islands
Spain
Gran Canaria
Spain
Tenerife
On the Canary Islands, you can find very diverse routes for cyclists of all levels. Cycle along the ocean, near sand dunes, on the highest mountains, through the green forests, or even dry volcanic terrain. The hills of Inagua in Gran Canaria terrain offers a 70-kilometre route with steep paths. In some parts of the route, you’ll have to go uphill and in others, you can simply coast. This territory is a natural reserve and home to one of the best-preserved pine trees on the island.
On the island of Tenerife, you ride from La Esperanza to Santiago del Teide. The route has pleasant wide, well-kept tracks among Canarian pines. You will cross the northern face of the mount Teide. This route in ends among beautiful almond trees.
The natural park of La Graciosa, located in the north of Lanzarote, is a wonderful place to visit by bike. You can cycle its white sand tracks and along the clear water beaches. It is a privilege within the scope of any average cyclist. Only a few paths are open to discovering this fantastic landscape to conserve this natural paradise.
Fuerteventura offers biking through volcanoes, wonderful beaches, and coves. You can see the Tostón lighthouse on your way. The route is 78 kilometres long.
The circular route of 100 kilometres on the bike starts at Valverde, the capital of El Hierro. It goes along the charming steep slopes of El Julan valley.
On the island of Lanzarote, you can cross the impressive Timanfaya National Park, Corona volcano, climb to the cliffs of Famara, and have an amazing view from el Río viewpoint.
In La Palma, the volcanic sand route goes along forest tracks and approaches Cumbre Vieja on both sides. Enjoy the view, called the sea of clouds, which forms on the highest slopes and looks like a waterfall.
The 50-kilometre bike route along the south-east of Gran Canaria promises great contrasts of coastal beauty and interior landscapes. Mountain biking in the Canary Islands requires lots of strength and concentration due to its changing surfaces.
The best season is winter time, or early spring when the weather is not too hot.
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Cumbre Vieja, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainTimanfaya National Park, Las Palmas, SpainTostón, La Oliva, SpainGraciosa, Las Palmas, SpainSantiago del Teide, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainLa Esperanza, SpainInagua, Gran Canaria, Spain
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The Canary Island’s 900km gravel adventure – Gran Guanche – Rouleur
If you’re a cyclist and you land in Lanzarote, you’ll want to hit the road straight away.
And that’s exactly what we did. We unpacked our bags and rode towards the starting point of a 900km epic across the Canary Islands.
Matteo Minelli, Matt to his friends, is the creator of Gran Guanche’s cycling route, and it is his headquarters where we start our route. Matteo, is an Italian engineer who arrived at Lanzarote fifteen years ago, to practice windsurfing and never left. He fell in love with the islands and with cycling. He had always wanted to share the island’s lesser known unknown natural wonders.
Matt devised Gran Guanche during 2020’s lockdown. There are three versions of the same route: one for road, one for gravel and one for mountain bikes. They all start at the island of La Graciosa and travel through Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. The road version ends in La Gomera, the gravel version in El Hierro, and the trail version in La Palma. We opted for a tailored route: a combination of the gravel and trail version. I rode a mountain bike, my riding partner Ricard rode a gravel bike.
Altimetries and ferry timetables
When you plan to ride through an archipelago, whichever version of Gran Guanche’s route you choose, you have to hop from island to island boarding ferries. It’s a bit of added fun, but it’s also an extra cost and requires some advance planning strategy. If you miss a ferry, you’ll be stranded for twelve, or even twenty four hours on the same island.
That first morning, we enjoyed the waves on Famara beach and sat down for a coffee, until the dreaded wind of the Canary Islands. From then on, the Gran Guanche led us on trails through seas of lava, near Timanfaya, through the salt flats of Janubio. In the end, we managed to catch the ferry that would take us to Fuerteventura, the closest island to the African continent and also the most arid.
In Fuerteventura, a good part of the route runs along the coast. The sun rose ahead of us, like old sailors with the wind at our backs. It was a perfect sun, with touches of pale yellow due to the floating sand from the Sahara, the famous “calima”.
We enjoyed it all the way to El Cotillo. Returning to reality we had to buy food at a supermarket and camped near the beach, just a few kilometres away from the village. The following day we had headwinds, a side wind and finally a tailwind that supported us to Morro Jable – miraculously catching the last ferry departure.
From Gran Canaria to Tenerife, reality lessons
On our first day in Gran Canaria Island, we climbed up the 1956 metres high of Pico de las Nieves. Little did we know that the next day we would have something wonderful to look forward to: the Tamadaba Natural Park. Filled with fabulous natural forests of native Canary Island pines and steep cliffs. It’s an inaccessible coastline with a rich biodiversity. One of the best perks is that motorised traffic is forbidden on a long track that crosses the park.
We arrived at the next island — Tenerife. Known as the island of beaches, sunshine and night parties. At least, that was our preconceived image of the route.
However Gran Guanche offered us a lesson: we discovered that water is scarce in Tenerife Island. We followed a track, surrounded by forests that leads us to the foot of Mount Teide (3,715 m). We followed trails for hours, until well into the afternoon when the mist lifted up at last, and we could see the summit.
To my mind came the Guanches, the island’s aboriginal population. They were the island’s inhabitants until the Castilian conquest in 1496. I was wearing everything I had, and I was still shivering, so wonder how on early those early inhabitants survived. When we reached the highest point of 3,300m, we could feel it in our bones. We decided to descend a few metres to avoid a cold and wet night.
A chapel, better than a large suite
We arrived at El Hierro at night. At this time of the year, there is only one ferry crossing from Tenerife to this island. The night was placid, with a very warm breeze and with a blanket of stars overhead.
We saw that near the harbour, there was the chapel of San Telmo. We both thought it would probably be a good place to spend the night, so Ricard and I camped in our bivvy bag without a tent.
We woke up at the first light on a grey dawn. It is often said that El Hierro is a captivating place, and so it was. As we climbed up the asphalted slopes I discovered a different and unique island. On one hand, I was excited to learn that, with the Gorona del Viento hydro-wind power station, El Hierro is the first Canary Island to be completely self-sufficient, with renewable energy sources. On the other hand, the scenery transported me to the rugged west coast of Ireland. We got wet, we got cold, we had to negotiate a landslide… but El Hierro made me fall in love with it and it surely captivated me.
The beautiful island of La Palma, was the last one left out. And to avoid boredom, a 200km route awaited us. We spent the first morning in a jungle. We rode through vines, ferns, sounds of tropical birds, moss-covered rocks and slippery roots and enjoyed a sea of fog from the emblematic Roque de los Muchachos climb (2,426 m).
The type of terrain and vegetation changed drastically, giving way to pine forests, vineyards and banana plantations. We passed through La Palma until and onto our final destination, the capital.
Historic finale
Santa Cruz de la Palma is one of the most beautiful towns in the Canary Islands. Life here runs at a leisurely pace. Between cobbled streets, ancestral homes and wooden balconies. A flirtatious city that can whisper stories of conquistadors, corsairs and overseas adventurers.
We treated ourselves to a couple of nights in the impressive Casa Emblemática de Don Gabriel — a house dating back to 1649. Which from 1930 until 1987 belonged to the illustrious Don Gabriel Duque Acosta, known as “the doctor of impoverished people”. He was a character of enormous generosity who refused to charge patients in need.
To sleep on a mattress again for a couple of days, in this grand house, enjoying delicious typical Canarian cuisine, savouring a good local white wine, allowed us to recover the energy that we had left on the trails and on the slopes of the Gran Guanche.
In total, we rode almost 900km with 21,000m of accumulated positive altitude gain.
If Matt’s aim was for us to discover the most unknown essence of the Canary Islands by bike, he had certainly succeeded.
Holidays on the islands, tours to the islands
A trip to the islands is an unusual romantic vacation that many people dream of. It is the azure sea and beautiful clean beaches that we often see on various advertisements and booklets. Holidays on the islands are traditionally associated with some kind of idyll, with an unattainable dream. There are wonderful bars with a variety of cocktails, luxury five-star hotels, etc.
This vacation is suitable not only for a romantic trip, but also just to get away from the hustle and bustle for a while and change the scenery. In these places, you can achieve such a degree of relaxation that all problems will fade into the background for a while, restore strength and health.
Tourists today have a wide choice of places to go on vacation.
When determining where exactly to go, it is important to clearly understand the purpose of the trip and the basic requirements for traveling. Holidays on the islands are not just associated with paradise landscapes. It has truly unique nature, secluded beaches, colorful sunsets and the clearest ocean. That is why, if you want to give yourself and your loved ones an unforgettable trip, we recommend that you make a choice in favor of the islands.
Your choice of travel options today:
Maldives
These islands are traditionally associated with luxury and for good reason. Rest here costs a lot, but the conditions are the best. These places are perfect, for example, for a honeymoon. Diving enthusiasts and anyone who needs silence and first-class service will also like it very much here. A trip to the Maldives will be remembered for a long time and will give you the most vivid and colorful emotions.
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands is a region with a unique nature.
They are part of Spain, but radically different from the mainland. These places are inhabited by a large number of exotic animals and birds, there is always beautiful weather, fun and peace. It is in the Canary Islands that many people prefer to go to unwind and recharge their strength and emotions for many weeks to come.
Sicily and Ischia
Italy’s insular part has traditionally been considered a great holiday destination. As you know, this country is famous for its neat clean beaches, sincere generosity and hospitality, as well as a large number of attractions, boutiques and restaurants. In addition, in Italy there are a lot of different health complexes. That is why many tourists who prefer to actively engage in health during their holidays choose the Mediterranean for a trip.
Cuba
The island of freedom, located in the Caribbean, always attracts a large number of tourists of all ages. This is explained by its incredible history, connected, among other things, with our state, and with the unforgettable flavor of this region.
The tourist area is beautifully designed: you will be able to stay in a first-class hotel, visit picturesque beaches and enjoy good music, rum and cigars.
Cuba also has many ancient and modern attractions. The islands located in the immediate vicinity are of a similar color: Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco. It has very exotic nature, original cuisine and breathtaking sunsets.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has become increasingly popular among Russian tourists in recent years. This is explained by many factors and, above all, by the fact that today many are looking for some new exotic place to travel for reasonable money. The Dominican Republic meets all these requirements. You will definitely enjoy the unusual traditional cuisine, various incendiary dances, wild nature and a variety of birds and animals that inhabit this island. A significant advantage of the Dominican Republic over the other options listed is a direct flight – it is quite fast and comfortable.
Mallorca
Mallorca is one of the most famous youth resorts in the Mediterranean. Traditionally, people come here who want not only to enjoy the clean beaches, warm sea and high level of service, but also to have the most fun by visiting world-famous nightclubs. Mallorca has a very rich nature, filled with a variety of plant species. During the day you can go on an exciting excursion, and in the evening you can dine in a chic restaurant. Mallorca will appeal to all outdoor enthusiasts: there are many different sports complexes in these places, all conditions have been created for comfortable cycling, all kinds of sports equipment can be rented, etc.
Greece
Various islands belonging to Greece, eg. Crete, Rhodes, Kos, etc., have long been a favorite holiday destination for many tourists from Russia. Distinctive features of this country are traditional Greek cuisine, a comfortable short flight and a pleasant climate. In addition, the Greeks are distinguished by cordiality and hospitality.
This country has a very rich history, so a large number of attractions have survived to this day. At the same time, each Greek island is unique in its own way and offers tourists insanely beautiful nature, pristine beaches, as well as a large number of entertainment and many Orthodox shrines. Many tourists, having visited Greece at least once, subsequently choose this particular resort for organizing a vacation.
Thailand
The diverse nature of Thailand every year attracts a huge number of tourists from all over the world, including from Russia. In this case, everyone can choose which island to go to. Phuket and Samui are traditionally the most popular, but many people like to visit Samet, Phi Phi, etc. A distinctive feature of Thailand is the difference in climate in many cities, so you should choose a place to spend your vacation, first of all, based on these features.
Vacation in the Canary Islands
Alexey Glazunov
As an advertisement.
It is believed that the Canary Islands got their name from the local birds, which the ancient Romans called “canors”. Mild climate, endless beaches, quiet harbours, ancient churches, baroque architecture and traditional festivals – you can find all this and much more here. For beach lovers, there are soft dunes and a golden sandy coast, and preserved elements of African, American and European culture will surprise even the most sophisticated traveler.
The archipelago consists of seven large islands (El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote) and six smaller ones. The islands of Gran Canaria and La Palma are registered as Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO. The island of Tenerife, in addition to a large number of tourist attractions, proudly bears the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site. And most importantly, the lunar landscapes, delicious gastronomy, untouched nature and the hospitality of the locals make any of the Canary Islands a win-win destination for your next vacation.
Yawning craters, black sand and fumaroles testify to the volcanic origin of the archipelago, providing a unique and diverse local landscape. The average temperature in winter is around 20°C and in summer around 27°C; for this reason, the local climate is considered one of the best in the world! The pleasant temperature regime is joined by the beauty of the Garajonay National Park with subtropical greenery and laurel thickets (La Gomera), the majestic waterfalls and mountain peaks covered with pine forests (Gran Canaria), or the mysterious fields of petrified lava (Lanzarote). By the way, the island of Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, and, therefore, is closest to Africa.
Tectonic activity in this area has created a unique volcanic landscape, making the island look like the surface of the moon. We recommend especially curious people to visit the Timanfaya National Park – it is here that the largest volcanic craters are located. The island offers a large number of routes for hiking, cycling, swimming, kite and wind surfing, or scuba diving.
By the way, during the exploration of the seabed, diving enthusiasts will be able to see not only many different types of fish, but also sunken ships.
Fuerteventura is another popular holiday destination with endless beaches and unusual volcanic landscapes. The average annual temperature here is about 22°C, although it changes dramatically during periods when hot winds from the Sahara desert come here. This natural phenomenon also makes Fuerteventura great for wind and kite surfing.
Speaking of the Canary Islands, one cannot but mention the largest island of the archipelago – Tenerife. Here you will find black and white sand beaches, a picturesque coastline, small traditional villages, unique flora and fauna, as well as a variety of landscapes in which green oases replace sand dunes. We hope you will have time to climb to the top of the Teide volcano, which is in the center of the national park of the same name. This is the highest point in Spain (3718 m above sea level)!
And after an eventful day, what better way to visit one of the many oceanfront bars to sample a new cocktail while watching the majestic sunset? For all those who are ready to plunge headlong into the enchanting atmosphere of the islands, the best hotels in the Canary Islands offer exclusive conditions of stay – a variety of traditional and international cuisine, a tempting range of facial and body treatments, all the conditions for a comfortable stay for two or all family, the possibility of booking an all-inclusive option and a guarantee of the best price online.