SPAIN & PORTUGAL CANARY ISLANDS DESTINATIONS D


renched in sunshine and warmth all year round, the


Canary Islands are a firm favourite with holidaymakers desperate for some beach time. But move away from the well-known resorts and there are some fascinating landscapes to discover. Two of the most popular islands, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, are full of surprises and offer clients experiences that are a world away from a standard beach holiday.


◗ LANZAROTE: TO THE MOON AND BACK Lanzarote’s dark, dramatic volcanic landscapes often come as a slight shock to first-time


visitors who might have been expecting more greenery. But they’re soon won over by the unique scenery of solidified lava and hundreds of volcanic peaks. Whitewashed villages of low- rise houses echo the island’s Moorish past, and strict planning regulations have severely limited the number of high-rise buildings. There’s a distinct feeling of


otherworldliness, and it instantly draws you in. Just a drive past the island’s vineyards – where the vines grow in stone semicircles dug into the black soil – is enough to convince clients that they’ve arrived somewhere out of the ordinary.


A major driving force behind


Lanzarote’s volcanic landscapes come as a shock to first-time visitors expecting more greenery


the island’s conservation was the artist, architect and visionary César Manrique, whose legacy is found all over the island, not just in his public works of art, but also in some of its most unusual attractions. Along the island’s south-


western coast – close to one of Lanzarote’s most popular beach resorts, Playa Blanca – is the small hamlet of El Golfo. Pretty enough on its own, the hamlet has two natural phenomena on its doorstep. Take the path from El Golfo to Lago Verde, a crater lagoon whose deep-green waters look as if they’ve come from another planet. Just beyond Lago Verde is Los Hervideros,


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PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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