Canary Islands

Start with a gentle hike around the base of Tenerife’s El Teide, kidding yourself that you're enjoying a stroll on the surface of the moon; it really is that extraordinary. Trails take you deep into an alien landscape with red, yellow and brown craters resembling giant prehistoric molehills, bizarre volcanic rock formations and pebble-like lapilli. If you’ve booked a permit you can hike to the summit; otherwise, take it easy on the cable car to the top. Wrap up warm: it gets chilly up in the clouds (especially in winter).

The canarios love a good party and, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the fiesta spirit reaches its sequin-clad crescendo during the annual Carnaval. Festivities generally high-kick off with a flourish in early February and last for around three weeks, featuring gala performances, fancy dress competitions, fireworks and Rio-style parades. All of the Canary Islands celebrate Carnaval with dawn-to-dusk frivolity and distinctive customs, so book your accommodation way ahead of time (unless you aren't planning on sleeping at all, of course).

While most people stick to Gran Canaria's coast, it’s in the mountains that you’ll be wowed. Around every bend – and there are a lot of bends – you'll discover another stand of towering pines, or another dramatic view that will have you desperate for a spot to pull over. Luckily, there are also plenty of pretty villages dotted around where you can take a break to sample hearty soups and sugary cakes without ever tearing your eyes away from it all.

Some of the Canary Islands’ most glorious beaches are on Fuerteventura and possibly the finest of them all is remote southern Playa de Cofete. To escape the rows of sunbeds, head for the northwest of the island and the wild beaches and thundering surf around El Cotillo. Windsurfers can catch waves at Playa de Sotavento de Jandía, while more water sports are on offer at Morro Jable’s spectacular sandy arc. For paddling tots and kids’ activities, check out family-friendly beaches like Costa Calma and Caleta de Fuste.

Put your best hiking boot forward and discover La Palma's spectacular Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente by trekking one of its numerous trails. For many, the pine forests and curtains of clouds slipping over the side of the sheer caldera walls add up to what is quite simply the finest walking experience in the archipelago. Walks here range from simple hour-long strolls to demanding day-long feats of endurance. Don’t forget to check out the displays at the park visitor centre beforehand.

Visit Tenerife’s La Laguna for a stroll around one of the best-preserved historical quarters on the island: all cobbled alleys, spruced-up merchants’ houses and pine-balconied mansions. The unique vernacular architecture and layout was originally provided as a model for many colonial towns in the Americas. La Laguna may have an air of old-fashioned history about it, but it's far from dull and there's a tangible youthful energy about the place. There’s some vigorous nightlife too, plus plenty of terrace bars and cafes where you can kick back.

The late César Manrique’s enduring influence on Lanzarote is special in many ways, from art to architecture to environment. Those rich forest-greens and sky-blues are the specified colours of door and window frames everywhere here. Then there are the huge, zany steel sculptures decorating so many roundabouts – classic examples of Manrique's magical fusion of natural phenomena with his own architectural wizardry. Wander Manrique’s lava-field former home in Tahíche, and don't miss his other top sights: the Cueva de los Verdes, Jameos del Agua, Mirador del Río and Casa-Museo César Manrique.

The best time to visit this lush ravine in Gran Canaria is springtime, when the almond trees are in brilliant pink-and-white bloom. Year-round, however, it is leafy and lovely, flanked by steep mountains where caves have been dug out for restaurants, bars and even a chapel. Time your visit for a mealtime, when you can dine deep within the rock. Walk off your lunch by following one of the trails, which reward with sprawling views stretching right to the sea.

There aren't many places in Europe with traffic-free roads, but beautiful, diminutive Isla Graciosa goes one better – the eighth Canary Island doesn't even have roads. Well, not paved ones anyway. Jump on the ferry from Órzola on Lanzarote and within half an hour you're indulging in some of life's simplest pleasures: cycling on sandy tracks, sunbathing on wild, empty beaches, enjoying a plate of freshly caught fish alongside the amiable islanders, and wandering the near-deserted sand-lashed streets of Caleta de Sebo.

Peeking above the clouds that drift across La Gomera for much of the year, the 1487m Alto de Garajonay crowns both the small circular island and its utterly magical Parque Nacional de Garajonay. The eerily beautiful laurisilva (laurel) forests that carpet the top of the island date back beyond the last ice age, and wandering their shady trails is among the most serene experiences in the Canaries. The climb to the Alto is easy and the views from the summit, which take in snow-dusted El Teide on Tenerife, are outstanding.

Known to surfers as the ‘Hawaii of Europe’, the Canary Islands are full of world-class surf spots, but none comes with a bigger rep than Lanzarote’s radical left reef break, El Quemao. For those not quite up to El Quemao standards, La Caleta de Famara suits surfers of all levels and offers ideal conditions for learners to hop on a board. All across the island, other delicious watery pursuits run from kayaking, snorkelling and diving to sailing and stand-up paddleboarding yoga.

From blissfully quiet electric-green pine forests and wind-sculpted juniper trees to shimmering natural saltwater pools and gentle hiking trails, the joys of far-flung El Hierro creep up on you slowly and before you know it the Canaries' little westernmost isle has your heart. Under the waves in the island's south, a hidden wonderland of weird and wonderful aquatic creatures awaits, which combined with warm waters and reliable diving conditions make this one of the most exciting diving locations in all of the North Atlantic.

Without a doubt one of the most unworldly and tortured landscapes you'll ever lay eyes on, Lanzarote's Parque Nacional de Timanfaya is a splendid natural canvas of shimmery greys, earthy reds and pops of pine-green clashing against the brilliant-blue sky. Formed in the 18th century by a catastrophic volcanic eruption, this hauntingly beautiful, fiercely protected land can only be explored by bus tour or, if you're incredibly organised, by guided walk. Head out hiking in the surrounding Parque Natural de los Volcanes for a soul-stirring taster.

On and up into the central peaks beyond Tejeda sits Artenara, the highest village in Gran Canaria, gazing out on enough extensive views and plunging panoramas to make you feel on top of the world. Choose your lookout, then turn to Artenara’s astonishing caves, one serving as the cutest little chapel you’ll ever see, and others converted into small homes with domestic paraphernalia. When all is almost said and done, dine in a cave restaurant, with even more views sprawling from your table.

La Geria is not your standard bucolic viticulture postcard of lush green vineyards, rows of vines and verdant rolling hills. On Lanzarote, wine cultivation is, well, extraordinary, with vines grown in dimpled craters within volcanic-stone semicircles called zocos. Wine tasting is really made easy here: you can visit most of the main bodegas on the same stretch of road in La Geria, tasting, among others, the island's famous malvasía sweet wine, once the tipple of choice of the European aristocracy.

Human tourists aren’t the only creatures who enjoy swimming and cavorting in the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands. Year-round (but especially from March to June), pods of whales and dolphins also love a good splash around in the warm waters. The channel between Tenerife and La Gomera is their favourite holiday destination, and if you’re staying on either of these islands, a whale- and dolphin-watching boat tour – with an environmentally responsible operator – will almost certainly be a highlight of your time in the Canaries.

Glossy blue-black aubergines, blood-red tomatoes, garlicky sausages, buttery almond biscuits, gigantic garlic bulbs, freshly baked bread, pungent cheeses… Who can resist a farmers market? The Canary Islands do them very well – across all islands, weekly markets are fuelled by local produce, plenty of it organic and/or sustainably grown. Look for regional specialities such as creamy queso de flor from Gran Canaria, sweet Malmsey wine from La Palma or La Gomera's goat's cheese (famously so delicious that Columbus packed stashes of it for his trip to the Americas).