WHERE TO GO
BEST BIKE RIDE – If only escaping to a desert island was always this easy. Just 25 minutes away from Lanzarote on the ferry from Orzola is La Graciosa. The roads here are made of sand, and the easiest way to get around is by bike. Head north to Montana Bermeja volcano, climb its northern slope for a gentle ascent and take in the view down over the buttery sands of Playa de las Conchas, the island’s loveliest beach.
BEST ESCAPE – Some people come to Maspalomas for the golf, others for the LGBT-friendly vibe of Playa del Ingles. Yet beyond the bars and nudist beaches, the main draw of Gran Canaria’s most southerly region is the dunes – more than 400 hectares of protected rolling hillocks, through which you can wander and make like you’re in the Sahara. Until you want a drink that is, and then, handily, it’s only a few steps to the beachfront kiosks for an icy rum cocktail.
BEST LANDSCAPE – With spiky rocks and desolate craters, the barren lava fields of Lanzarote’s Timanfaya National Park, the result of multiple volcano eruptions in the 1730s, are about as close to a lunar experience as you’ll get on this planet. You need a car to get around here, unless you’re a serious cyclist and want to work up a real sweat. Drive up to the top of the still-active volcano for otherworldly vistas and a head-clearing wind. It’s fun creating your own geyser by pouring water down the boreholes.
BEST BEACH – According to local surf instructor Manuel Lezcano Cruz, the top beach in the Canaries is Famara on Lanzarote. It’s a popular spot, thanks to 3km of pretty, sandy shores on an island where many of the beaches are rocky. But if you want serious waves head for La Santa, where Cruz teaches at the Surf Procenter. ‘There’s a left, a right and El Quemao, which is the place for big swells and hollow waves. People may call Lanzarote the European Hawaii, but its waves are more unique. It’s a special place to surf.’
