The Canary Islands are one of the most beautiful destinations in the world: lovely tropical islands sheltering in the shadow of Africa. Yet, sadly it is a place that has been a bit trekked out – untold thousands of tourists come here every year to sun themselves on its beaches and enjoy its hotels, and the sheer number of them can lead you to forget that you are on a beautiful Spanish island. But you don’t necessarily have to write off Canaries holidays, as if you get away from the swarms of tourists you can have an amazing holiday in this unique collection of islands.


The Canary Islands is an incredible place from a geological perspective – as volcanic islands they have many interesting features and volcanoes as well as beautiful, rocky coastlines. This makes it a prime destination for hiking, which will handily take you well away from the crowds. Timanfaya National Park on Lanzarote is a great place to focus on. There are some popular tourist routes here, but you can arrange to go on hikes which will allow you to explore its beautiful landscape on your lonesome: largely barren of plant life it has a unique appearance which will make you feel like you’re walking on the moon.


The nightlife in the Canary Islands is fun, but it isn’t truly special and in many spots you are likely to forget that you are in an exotic destination at all. But if you look in the right place you can find some truly special parties in this archipelago; best of all is Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This is the second largest celebration of its kind, second only to Rio of course, and it is truly amazing: dancers train all year round for their performances in epic parades, while children and adults take to the streets in amazing costumes. If you come here during this time (it’s around Easter) you will get to join in with some amazing nightlife that bears no resemblance to the touristy bars found elsewhere in the Canary Islands.


The Canary Islands is a tropical destination, so you need to spend some time on the beach if you come here. That said, crowded beaches can be quite unpleasant as you’ll have nowhere to sit and will be vulnerable to being pelted by rogue beach balls. If you do a little work you can avoid all this and find some amazing secluded beaches. Two great places to go to are Plaza Chica in Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote and the Playa de la Cueva on La Gomera. With so many miles of coastline there is sure to be a wonderful secluded beach near your hotel – it just might take a little finding.


So if you are heading off on all inclusive holidays in 2011 to the Canary Islands there is no need to despair – though it may be crowded with tourists, there are plenty of amazing ways to get off the beaten track, and you should be able to find more than a few moments where you can peacefully enjoy this beautiful, unique island.

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