Travel guide
Canary Islands

The 12 keywords Canary Islands

1. Trade winds

These winds blow from east to west and have a decisive influence on the climate and vegetation of the Canary Islands. They always push the clouds in the same direction, and the clouds are blocked by the mountains. Their passage makes the Canary Islands an ideal destination for all kinds of board sports, windsurfing, paragliding and kitesurfing, etc

2. Aloe Vera

Nicknamed the miraculous plant, silent healer, Doctor of Paradise or elixir of longevity, it is a plant known for its cosmetic action on the epidermis and its nourishing properties. You will find it everywhere, markets, souvenir shops or at the supermarket. Available in sun oil, shampoo, shower gel or fruit juice

3. Barraquito

The barraquito is a very sweet latte that is only drunk in the Canary Islands. But on all the islands and often. It is traditionally served in a small glass, with multiple herbal liqueur, lemon, cinnamon, but the vast majority of bars and cafés will serve it simply with a good dose of condensed milk

4. Carnival

In the Canary Islands, this festival is as important as in Brazil. With the one in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but which also takes place on the islands of La Palma, in Santa Cruz de La Palma, and Gran Canaria in its capital, Las Palmas. Festivities that end with the traditional burial of the sardine, which is burned around a good table

5. Cigars

For the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, a puros smoker now before the eternal, some Canarian puros were quite equivalent to those of Cuba. Nothing strange since since since the 19th century the Canarian immigrants to Cuba have brought this unique know-how to the country. To be discovered in particular on the small market of La Palma or in shops

6. Rooster

Their fights are officially forbidden, but they still exist clandestinely. In 2017, the Canary Islands government introduced a bill to ban them more effectively than the 1991 law, which triggered strong protests, particularly on the island of La Palma, which has the largest number of associations in this area

7. Desert

Of sand or lava, these islands abound in desert expanses. It is in the heart of the Teide Park in Tenerife and Timanfaya Park in Lanzarote that the volcanic deserts are the most spectacular. Lava flows draw breathtaking lunar landscapes. In Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria you can admire sand dunes as far as the eye can see

8. Lizard

You will be surprised by the presence of big lizards in the rocks. The Blue-throated Lizard is a beautiful endemic species that is often seen. And what about the presence of geckos, or salamanders, the nocturnal reptiles that enter homes to hunt all kinds of insects, which are considered commonplace if not desired

9. Canarian Wrestling

It is an ancestral native sport still rooted in the local culture. Two teams of twelve wrestlers compete in the matches. However, the bregas (matches) only pit two wrestlers against each other. In a 10-metre circle covered with sand, the player who puts his opponent to the ground twice in less than three minutes wins the game

10. Rum

It is a great local Canarian production, especially in La Palma, Aldea rum, and in Gran Canaria, honey rum, and is drunk as an aperitif as well as a digestive. It has its origin in a plant, the sugar cane. The sap ferments for several months to turn into alcohol. After distillation, we obtain a cane brandy, rum

11. Silbo

Used for centuries, this whistling language of the Gomeros allowed the inhabitants of this steep island to talk to each other, from one valley to another. Roads and new means of communication have contributed to the decline of the silbo, but it still persists in some parts of the island and has been listed as a UNESCO intangible heritage site since 2009

12. Volcano

The Canary Islands were born of significant seismic activity in this region. The best known is that of Teide, in Tenerife. The last eruption was the eruption of Teneguía, in La Palma in 1971. El Hierro was the object of an underwater volcanic eruption on 12 October 2011, off the coast of La Restinga. With a main cone 120 meters below the sea