The Canaries are in the Atlantic Ocean, not far from the northern coast of Africa. The islands have a warm, dry climate throughout the year, making them a popular destination for sun-starved Northern Europeans.
The Canary Islands are made up of a number of individual islands, namely Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera y El Hierro. Of course the main tourust sites are based in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Tenrife is dominated by the giant snow capped volcano Mount Teide, which at 3,700m high is Spain's highest peak. This will be the first sight you see when flying in, and it never ceases to take your breath away!
Mount Teide effectively splits the island in two. The cooler northern part is a lush tropical paradise with banana plantations and palm trees. Here, you will have a number of more cloudy days, and perhaps even a few rain days. In contrast the south of the island is hot and dry with almost a desert like landscape. Flights to Tenerife from the UK take around 4.1/2 hours.
Gran Canaria is the third largest island out of the seven larger islands in the Archipelago of the Canary Islands (Isla Canarias). The weather in Gran Canaria is very similar to the rest of the Canary island with a wonderful warm climate throughout the year! During the winter months the temperature varies between 18 - 20 degrees Celsius and for the rest of the year 22 degrees Celsius and up! The South of the island is where you will find the water and theme parks, shopping malls, disco's and main nightlife and many hours of sun with the beautiful beaches! In the North of the island you will find Gran Canarias cosmopolitan Capital Las Palmas - which is the islands business centre. The North itself is more oriented towards business than the South. You will also find here the busy port of Puerto de la Luz which is one of Europe's most important harbours. But with the sandy beaches of Las Canteras and Las Alcaravaneras, and the city of Las Palmas, there is still a stable income from tourism in the area.
As with the other Canary Islands, Lanzarote is Volcanic in origin. Despite the Volcanic nature of the island, Lanzarote has several beautiful white beaches such as at Playa Blanca and Papagayo. Local authority regulations on the amount and style of development mean that there is no billboard advertising and no high rise buildings in Lanzarote (with the exception of the Grand Hotel in Arrecife).