The most beautiful natural sites to discover Canary Islands

In the west of the city you will find Playa Jardin. These black sandy beaches have, like Lago Martianez, been renovated by artist César Manrique. It has enriched this area of gardens, as its name indicates, dykes, bars, restaurants and leisure areas. Three new beaches were thought of: Playa del Charcón, Playa del Castillo and the Playa de Punta Brava.

A few kilometres northeast of Puerto de la Cruz, you will find two beautiful beaches: Playa de los Patos (frequented by the nudist) and Playa del Bollullo, both located in El Rincon, on La Orotava commune. Guagua No. 376 will lead you to these huge black sandy beaches. You will have to walk a little to access it.

In the surroundings of Las Palmas, the main point of interest is the Caldera de Bandama. Not far from Santa Brígida, a small road leads to the main volcanic site of Gran Canaria. This circular crater, 1 km in diameter and more than 200 m deep, is due to a violent explosion during a "hydro magmatic" eruption, bringing lava and water from a lake, river or groundwater into contact. The Bandama caldera is a typical example. We will have the best views from the peak of Bandama, at 575 m high, and the small road that leads to it. A path descends to the bottom of the crater, where one is surprised to see the isolated buildings of a still active farm. On the southern edge of the caldera, the green lawns of a renowned golf course contrast with the dryness of the crater. A superb panorama.

It is a large caldera, crater, on which are hung the villages of Santa Lucía and San Bartolomé de Tirajana. This place presents a great landscape singularity because it combines the steep relief of the territory, the architectural ensemble, the richness of the vegetation and the agricultural landscape. The Tirajana gorges are born on the caldera and lead to the sea in the Juan Grande plain. In this basin is the Sorrueda dam. It is in the heart of this environment that you will find the most beautiful and vast palm groves on the island, the Surrueda palm grove located very close to the dam is particularly worth a visit. You can go for camel rides and hikes.

Around Agaete, several beaches deserve a stop. Most of them are isolated and accessible by foot via paths. This is the case of the playa de Guayedra, in the south. It is a nudist beach, located in a pretty pretty bay where we will of course enjoy the sunsets. The beaches of La Caleta and Juncal, between Agaete and Guia, are also very pleasant, with the guarantee of being far from a stream of tourists. These beaches are not easy to find, the best thing to do is to find out before you go and install your towel.

This viewpoint offers a spectacular view of the valley of La Orotava and Teide. The landscape, which opens in front of the traveller from the east and extends up to 3 700 m, is particularly beautiful in the morning, when the volcano is in sunlight. The clouds of the trade winds make the landscape blurred. From there, we admire the extensive banana plantations in a vast circus, probably due to a huge landslide, similar to the one that formed El Golfo Bay on the island of El Hierro. This lookout bears the name of Alexander von Humboldt, the geographer and German naturalist who, in 1799, wrote enthusiastically: " I saw hot areas where nature is more majestic, and its richer forms, but, after wandering along the banks of the Orinoco, cordilleras of Peru, beautiful valleys of Mexico, I confess that I never met, in any part of the world, a more varied, more attractive, and more harmonious view of the disposition of rocks and green spots. " Today, La Orotava Valley has lost a bit of its charm, invaded by urbanization in the th century, but nature still offers a beautiful panorama.

Visit of a colonial house of the th century. The visit applies mainly to the house, its structure and its gardens. The furniture is recent and the rooms have been replaced by lounges. In the evening, the place is transformed into a chic piano bar.

By leaving La Restinga, on the edge of the road (one can stop in a bend on the left), in the middle of a beautiful lava field, lies the cueva of Don Justo. The entrance of the cave, between two black lava plates and tunicate, is not far from the road, but is difficult to find if you don't know the place. It is the best known of the 70 lava tubes found on El Hierro, recognized 6 km in length, but not yet fully explored.

It is not possible to visit it at present as a protective measure of an endemic species sheltered inside. However, if it is reopened during your passage, you must know that you cannot lose it: just follow the thread left by a sighted Ariane. However, do not forget one - or even two flashlight - and replacement batteries. We can stand up at the beginning: the tube goes down and turns up to its own entrance, which shows the light through openings to the ceiling. In order to continue, we must then embark on a passage where the head must be lowered.

The galleries are fairly regular, with large, straight sections. You will notice on the sides the marks of successive levels occupied by the lava casting; on the ground, cordée lava plates. At the ceiling, the orange roots of the surface plants are observed.

A few kilometres from the village, a road leads to a beautiful beach of black sand at the foot of an immense cliff. You can walk on foot, from a small parking lot, along the cliffs for about ten minutes. You can eat at the Milford La Molina Vieja, before the descent to Playa de los Nogales. The restaurant overlooks the sea.

La Caleta has, on the seafront, a natural swimming pool, ideal for small and big! A engraved basalt rock of signs bimbaches has been deteriorated by the development of a path along the sea and by tourists who snip their name on the stone.

Lined with jagged cliffs, these natural pools offer a heavenly setting for a swim in clear turquoise waters, and some huts serving summer house for locals.

A new naturist complex has recently opened in the island of Gran Canaria. Located on the extreme south of the island, Magnolias Natura consists of 28 bungalows and all situated in a quiet and relaxing environment. A 4 hour flight from Paris. Attention, child -12 years not accepted.

Website: www.canariasnatura.com. Telephone: +34 928 770122