lunes, 31 de enero de 2011

La Gomera



The island, which belongs to Africa with reference to geography and to Europe politically, is within a stone's throw of the African coast, extending at only about 150 km distance, between the 27th and 29th degree of latitude. Gomera stretches over about 373 km2 and therefore is the smallest but one of the seven main islands of the Canaray archipelago. Due to its pleasant climate, Gomera is especially popular with Northern European visitors. Average temperatures of 22 °C in winter and 27 °C in summer give rise to feelings of eternal spring.
For most tourists the reason to come to La Gomera is the breathtaking nature. Wild and fractured landscapes have imprinted the island's picture. The central mountain massif of the Garajonay measures 1487 m at its highest peak.


The inhabitants of La Gomera have a unique way of communicating across deep ravines by means of an amazing whistled speech called Silbo Gomero. This whistled language is indigenous to the island, and its existence has been documented since Roman times. Invented by the original inhabitants of the island, the Guanches, Silbo Gomero was adopted by the Spanish settlers in the 16th century and survived after the Guanches died out. When this unique means of communication was threatened with extinction at the dawn of the 21st century, the local 

government required all children to learn it in school.

Trekking in La Palma


At the northwest of the Canaries archipelago  , a few hundred miles from the coast of north-west Africa, lies the island of La Palma, also known as La Isla Bonita, because of its extraordinary natural beauty.

 








La Palma is one of the smaller of the Canary islands, with a surface area of 706 square kilometres and a population of only 80,000. It is unusual in that it rises exceptionally steeply from the ocean, the entire central mountain range exceeding 2000 m in altitude. The highest point on the island is the Roque de los Muchachos (2426 m), the location of the astronomical observatory (one of most important observatory around the world).


The north of the island is dominated by the giant Caldera de Taburiente, from which the Cumbre Nueva and Cumbre Vieja ridges run due south to the sea.
Like the rest of the Canary islands, the origin of La Palma is volcanic. There have been a number of eruptions in recent history, including those of Tacande, Volcan Martin , Volcan San Antonio, Charco  and Las Manchas . The most recent volcanic eruption was that of Teneguia in 1971.


The most important geological feature of La Palma is the Caldera de Taburiente, which dominates the northern part of the island. This is a large depression, 5 km across, with an area of 30  km, and 2 km deep. It originated 2 million years ago, with the formation of a shield volcano some 20 km in diameter. However, the Caldera was formed not by the original volcanic activity, but by subsequent erosion. The result is one of the largest and most impressive erosion craters in the world.   .

El Hierro, magical island

El Hierro is a small island, indeed the smallest of the Canary Islands, measuring 278 square kilometres, with a population of just over ten thousand. It does though attract its fair share of tourists each year, though it offers a different holiday to those experienced on the main islands.
There are relatively few tourist trappings upon El Hierro, and the majority of people come for the relative peace and quiet offered by the island, in addition to the warm weather and clear sea. Weather wise the island of El Hierro has a warm climate all year round and rarely dips below 18C. Situated as it is at the western most point of the Canary Islands though, it is noticeably cooler than the other islands.






El sabinar en la dehesa

Enjoy the sea in El Hierro

Surf in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are one of the best places to practise surf. There are surf spots on all the islands. Their far south location in Europe allows quality swells the time to form in the Atlantic. The hot summers and the warm winters (in and out of the water) and consistent swells make the Canaries an ideal surfing destination.
The main surfing destination are  islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria, where you cana find a lot of incredible surf spot like: La Santa, El Confital, El Quemao, El Fronton, etc..  Click here for more specify information.

El Confital

La Santa

El Quemao


A big variety of activities...

Canary Islands also offers a variety of activities in all of their islands:
1. Aquatic sports--> You can enjoy learning "vela", "optimis" and many more through, for example, the "Insular federation of vela". It has moreover a lot of offers for you to practise it. http://www.fedvela.es/



2. At the beginning of some beaches like Playa del Ingles, you'll also find the water sports centers. Plenty to do ...
Jet Ski for 1 ; Jet Ski for 2 ; Pedalo (for 4 people), banana-boat ride.. .There's also paragliding and even skydiving available from there too.


3. Equestrian sports-->http://www.federacioncanariadehipica.com/ there you coul find all you want to know about it.


4. Paintball -->It is any game or sport, in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with capsules containing paint (referred to as a paintball) from a special gun called a paintball marker. ...www.Yumping.com/Paintball all the differents pitch of paintball you will find here.






...These are just a few of the big variety of alternatives you will find around our islands...

The Canary Islands Carnivals

The Canary Islands Carnivals are very famous! There are lots of events during these, but one of these events that you won't be able to see in anywhere else is the celebration of the “Día de los Indianos” (Indians' Day).
Santa Cruz de La Palma celebrates it in Carnival Monday. It is a rather unusual pre-Lenten tradition. During the Día de los Indianos, crowds take to the streets for an immense talcum powder fight.
This feast harsback to the 1960s, when lots of islanders emigrated from La Palma to find work in Cuba. When the rich emigrants returned to their home island they wore white clothes and panama hats (outfits which are copied and worn for today's celebrations


The Indians are also a major event in the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This year it is going to celebrate on March, the 7th … See you in Triana street! And don't forget to bring white clothes and your camera!

One day in the north of Gran Canaria


North of Gran canaria also offers a variety of places…. We suggest you a route in one day in which you could firstly go to Agaete, have lunch on the avenue eating fresh fish and go for a swim on the beach enjoying with the arrival of the “armas boat” from Tenerife…
(On august it celebrates the tradicional “La rama de Agaete”, one of the most popular partys in Gran Canaria) .




After that you can go to Arucas and see the famous “Arucas cathedral”…

Finally you could have dinner italian food in Bañaderos in “El roque restaurant” … a very romantic place, just on the sea. 

Tenerife

1. North of Tenerife, in La Orotava, “El Calderito de la Abuela” is a very good restaurant in which you will be able to enjoy  the tasty canarian food and a fabulous views of Tenerife.








2. Tenerife has also some alternative places like Loro Parque and Siam Park.
“Loro parque” in “Puerto de la Cruz” is a very famous thematic park who has a zoo and a tropical flowers collection.
“Siam Park” in “Costa Adeje” is the biggest acuatic park in Europe and one of the best in the world.