El Golfo is known as misty region in El Hierro, where clouds easily get stuck on the mountains, but I didn’t imagine to get to see something like this! Location: Mirador De Jinama.
Still above the clouds. This time in Teide National Park with a fabulous view towards Spain’s highest mountain in Tenerife.
Hiking on top of El Teide, 3700m above the sea. Our 2-year-old daughter was motivated to walk. So happy to have been experiencing this with her and my hubby.
Panorama of the Roques de Garcia walk in Teide National Park, Tenerife.
The beauty and craziness of a resort town, only built for one purpose: hosting millions of tourists each year. This is the beach in Adeje. You can see the island of La Gomera in the background.
Cacti galore in Malpais, the volcanic landscape at Puertito de Güimar in Tenerife
Puertito de Guimar, Tenerife, on a sunny day. Snorkel paradise!
One of the best-known volcanic pools in Tenerife awaits you in Garachico.
El Médano, Tenerife, on a later afternoon in December.
Exploring the greenest part of Tenerife, the Anaga Mountains in the north-east part of the island.
Cactus garden designed by César Manrique in Guatiza, Lanzarote. The windmill was once used to produce gofio.
Playa del Papagayo is very close to the most southern point of Lanzarote with great views towards Fuerteventura
La Graciosa as seen from Mirador del Rio in Lanzarote
A lagoon (almost) for myself? YES please! Gracias Lanzarote!
One of the most special wine regions I ever visited: La Geria in Lanzarote. Vines are growing behind crescent shaped stone walls that protect the plants from the wind.
Lago Verde, Lanzarote. A green lagoon in the middle of a volcanic landscape.
What a splendid view over the little town of Teror in Gran Canaria.
The view along the road on our way to Artenara, Gran Canaria.
Panorama of the hike up to Roque Nublo in Gran Canaria.
Relaxing in the natural pools of Barlovento, in the north-east of La Palma, called La Fajana.
After visiting El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands, I have been approached several times by people asking us how much time to spend there. Obviously, it all depends on your holiday style. If you love spending quiet days at the beach you can stay there forever. But if you are interested in visiting all the popular corners recommended in travel guides, I’d say 1 week is perfect, especially if you travel with kids and don’t want to (read can’t) go at a crazy speed.
Here are my personal highlights from our week in El Hierro. Please click through the gallery to read the captions for more details…
A stunning sunrise above the sea as seen from Las Casas. Morning magic!
View over Las Casas and El Pinar from the Mirador de Tanajara. This is where we stayed for a week in October 2017.
I really like the burnt look of El Hierro’s pine trees near El Pinar. Don’t get me wrong. There was no fire here. It’s all natural.
Pine tree close-up.
Mirador de Las Playas is best visited in the morning to witness the sunrise or the beauty of the sea under the sun.
The Western part of El Hierro feels like a volcanic wonderland with its fierce-looking rock formations. It’s practically uninhabited from the North till the lighthouse of Orchilla, Spain’s most southwesterly point.
If you’d ask me what I am thinking of when I see the volcanic landscape of El Hierro, I’d probably say an underwater scenery, just without the water. Don’t you see corals here?
A “coral” close-up.
More corals ;)
That’s how official beaches in El Hierro look like. So much for the sand. Here you see the beach at the Lighthouse of Orchilla, the most southwesterly point in Spain.
This pretty white chapel is the home of El Hierro’s patron saint, Nuestra Señora de los Reyes (Our Lady of the Kings). You can find it after a long and curvy drive to La Dehesa, the western part of the island.
Juniper trees, wind-twisted like this one, have become the symbol of El Hierro.
You can find them at El Sabinar in the western part of the island.
Beautiful La Restinga in the South. Come here for a great snorkel experience. I can recommend the Playa de Tacorón to see heaps of fish.
El Golfo is known as misty region on El Hierro where clouds easily get stuck on the mountains, but I didn’t imagine to get to see something like this!
Same location as on the previous photo (El Golfo), just a few hours earlier.
Frontera as seen from El Golfo.
Go down there and do the board walk between La Caletilla and Maceta.
Or visit the Ecomuseum of Guinea to learn how the first settlers survived here.
Gotta be sturdy to grow in El Hierro ;)
What are these? They were everywhere, but they aren’t regular earth worms…
A rather easy hike around volcano craters and through some forest can be done at La Llanía.
The red-sand beach at Playa del Verodal.
The public pools of La Caleta are pretty cool for kids too! (Not so much the sea; check out the video below.)
I simply love this graffiti that I discovered in Valverde. It’s about love, family, generations and it fills me with warmth each time I look at it ❤️
This art installation is one of the first things you will see after leaving El Hierro’s airport by car. It’s a bit creepy I find, but I like that it’s made out of recycled bottle caps.
And here is a short bonus video of some crabs in La Caleta, fighting against the strong waves of the sea. I filmed this on our way out from the public pools in La Caleta. Who’s up for a bath?
Before moving to the Canary Islands for 3 months, I had read in several travel guides that the Spanish archipelago is a perfect location to capture stunning sunrises and sunsets above the mountains and the sea. As you can see, I was not disappointed!
Here is my personal list of the best places on the Canary Islands to catch amazing, colorful and inspiringsunrises andsunsets. Happy shooting!
💛🧡❤💜💙
Puertito de Güimar, Tenerife: sunset above the Teide National Park
Puertito de Güimar, Tenerife: blue hour cloud formations above the Teide National Park
Puertito de Güimar, Tenerife: sunrise above Gran Canaria
Garachico, Tenerife: sunset through Iglesia de Santa Ana
Punta de Teno, Tenerife: sunset through the lighthouse
Punta de Teno, Tenerife: sunset above the lighthouse
Punta de Teno, Tenerife: sunset above La Gomera
Punta de Teno, Tenerife: sunset above La Gomera
Punta de Teno, Tenerife: sunset above La Gomera
Candelaria, Tenerife: blue hour as seen from the Teide National Park
Candelaria, Tenerife: taming the sea with a blue hour long exposure
East Coast, Tenerife: view from the Teide National Park
Teide National Park, Tenerife: Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves during sunset hour
Teide National Park, Tenerife: sunset behind the volcano
Teide National Park, Tenerife
Teide National Park, Tenerife: sunset above Roques de García
Teide National Park, Tenerife: sunset above Roques de García
Teide National Park, Tenerife: sunset above Roques de García
Teide National Park, Tenerife: sunset hour while cruising through the park
Las Casas, El Hierro: sunrise above the sea
Las Casas, El Hierro: sunrise above the sea
Las Casas, El Hierro: sunrise above the sea
Las Casas, El Hierro: sunset above the town
Artenara, Gran Canaria: sunset above the central mountains
Teror, Gran Canaria: sunrise above the town
Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote: sunset above Lanzarote and Fuerteventura