If you arrive at Tenerife via ferry, you’ll be familiar with the touristy town of Los Cristianos. This town used to have such a small population that they couldn’t afford a castle or fort and so they were continuously raided by pirates, keeping the population down. A lot has changed in the last few hundred years as industries […]
canary islands
San Sebastián de la Gomera
When I happened to go to San Sebastián de la Gomera, it was siesta time (between 2pm and 5pm) so it felt a lot like a quiet Sunday. I recommend visiting well before 2pm and checking the place out in the evening as well. It’s a lovely little town to explore and chill out. If […]
La Gomera
For a about a week, I worked remotely on the island of La Gomera at a little place in a barranco called La Mangita. I had a little apartment to myself with views over the valley, mountains, trees and the cliffs from my balcony. To maximise my daylight hours, I woke up at sunrise and […]
Playa Neuva, La Palma
Apparently the other name for this brand new beach is Echentive Beach. The beach was formed after the 1971 eruption of Mount Teneguía and that’s what makes it, along with many of the rocks there just about fifty years old. You can access the beach quite easily by trail or car, and the drive is really […]
Tazacorte, La Palma
When the sun starts to near the horizon in the late afternoon, making your way to the west of La Palma for sunset is definitely a great idea. To watch the sun set from a height, go to Tazacorte town and grab a drink from a local cafe to enjoy outside. The town also has […]
Cubo de la Galga, La Palma
This beautiful hike takes you through a variety of different mountain-valley landscapes. The forest is home to the tall, stately Canary laurel tree (they grow up to 25 meters) which earned the name “the ebony of the Canaries” because of the colour of the wood. The trees were used to make plenty of furniture and as […]
Puerto Naos, La Palma
The simple, magic combination of palm tree silhouettes in the sunset and a gelato cone. Need I say more? Honestly, though, if you’re looking for another good sunset spot, other than Tazacote, Puerto Naos is super. It feels a bit more finished, or fancy, because of the investment that was put into the beachfront area. It […]
Cats of La Palma
It’s a wonderful thing for cat lovers, the amount of beautiful cats on the island of La Palma. It seems they’re a favourite pet and there are many strays as well. There’s a woman down at the Port of Tazacote who feeds the wild furballs every day. She doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish […]
Dragon Trees, La Palma
The Canary Island Dragon Trees, Dracaena draco, are native to the islands as well parts of Africa and the Azores. They are strange and beautiful things. The biggest and oldest living “drago” as the locals call them, is about 300 years old and can be found in northwest Tenerife. SEE The dragon trees grow slowly and often stand […]
Santa Cruz, La Palma
Spanish speaking places can be confusing geographically in that there are many different places with the same names. There’s Las Palmas, and then there’s La Palma. There’s Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and then there’s Santa Cruz de la Palma. Just to be clear, the latter is the capital city of the island of […]