Known to the ancients as a paradise on earth - this was Herodotus' Garden of Hesperides and Homer's Elysian Fields - the islands became part of Spain about the same time that Columbus, looking for a new route to the Indies, discovered the Americas at the end of the 15th century. Despite the relative lateness of the conquest, little is known today about the island's original inhabitants, a stone age people known as "Guanches", who managed to resist the might of Spanish arms for quite some time.
The Islands
El Hierro
The westernmost and smallest of the islands, Hierro has about 7,000 residents,
half of whom live in Valverde, the island's capital . The rugged terrain
and somewhat isolated location make this an ideal spot for peaceful vacations
with a focus on nature.
La Palma
While still relatively small, La Palma boasts about 80,000 inhabitants,
with some 18,000 residing in the capital city of Santa Cruz de La Palma.
One outstanding feature is the fine, black volcanic sand on the beaches,
but the huge crater at Taburiente - 28 km in circumference - is surely
the island's most spectacular piece of scenery. La Palma is a relatively
peaceful place with quiet coves, pine forests, banana groves and a few
interesting vineyards as well.
Tenerife
This is the largest of the seven islands, and some 220,000 people inhabit
the capital city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. One finds a tremendous variety
of lanscapes around the 2,000 sq km island, from the mountains topped by
the often snow covered peak of Teide - at 3,718 meters it's Spain's highest
mountain - to the fertile valleys along the coast, covered with banana
groves,vineyards, tomatos, potatoes, and so on. Tenerife offers pretty
much everything as far as the tourist is concerned, from quiet out-of-the-way
spots to big time nightlife that goes on 'til dawn. Tenerife's pre-lenten
Carnival is as big an event as Rio de Janiero's or New Orlean's Mardi Gras.
Gomera
Small, green and mountaneous, Gomera is home to about 17,000 inhabitants
- 6,500 in the island's capital of San Sebastian. A quiet, somewhat isloated
vacation paradise with beautiful forests and several superb beaches.
Gran Canaria
One of the larger islands in both size and population - La Palmas, the
island's capital is home to about 370,000. Variety is the key to Gran Canaria,
from the bustling duty-free bazars in Las Palmas to the rolling dunes at
Maspalomas Beach, to the south and 2,000 meter high mountains to the north.
Like Tenerife, Gran Canaria caters to all types of tourism - treckers,
sunworshipers, gourmets, beer drinkers, and nightowls as well.
Fuerteventura
Beaches and more beaches best describe Fuerteventura, the island with the
longest coastline. A great place to get away from it all. Sportfishing
is one of the island's major attractions, where tuna, swordfish and other
species roam the deep waters between Fuerteventura and the African coast.
Lanzarote
There's no doubt that Lanzarote is very different fom the rest of the islands.
While green vegetation predominates on the other islands, desolate black
lava "moonscapes" mark Lanzarote's countryside - the result of
tremendous volcanic eruptions in the 18th century. Tourist facilites abound,
there's a golf course and some splendid beaches, but it's the lava fields
and incredible volcanic desolation that are truly awe inspiring.