CANARY ISLANDS NATURE TOUR, Part 2: Guest Post by Susan Kean

 

View from the top of crater over to Las Palmas. Canary Islands.

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George recently toured the Canary Islands on a nature tour. I thank her for sharing her impressions and terrific photos with The Intrepid Tourist.

Today’s adventure in the Gran Canaria was learning about their indigenous people and checking out the main volcanic crater on the island. Relevant to today’s times, the Canary Island folks were very grateful to the CIA who gave them a heads up in 1971 about an impending earthquake. In those days Spain had no earthquake prediction systems and the CIA were in the Atlantic and observed some activity. This early warning helped save lives.

Cave. (Note tiny cars on lower right for scale.)

It is believed that the earliest people came to Gran Canaria in the 3rd Century. They were from North Africa, similar to the Berbers in Morocco. It is not known how they got there but they may have been brought by the Romans. 

Skeleton.

The early people came prepared--bringing seeds, animals, everything they needed for existence. They lived in caves, similar to those of some indigenous people in the North America.

We had a Tapas lunch in a cave restaurant. Our restaurant was in a cave dug into the hillside.

Center statue is a model of an indigenous statue found on a hillside.

The last day of our Nature Trek trip to Gran Canaria was spent near our hotel at Valley Agaete Necropolis where we learned how the indigenous people buried their dead in raised stone tombs because it was impossible to dig graves in the lava rock. This was during 7th to 11th century.

Stone tomb.

We also had a wonderful time wine tasting and lunch at Finca La Laja farm where they grow coffee, grapes, all kinds of citrus, bananas and every fruit you can think of--almost. The climate is a bit cooler than California and has more rain.

Winery at Finca La Laia.

Opuntia.

Opuntia (prickly pear cactus) was imported from America to grow the cochineal insect to produce red coloring. The cactus is everywhere now.

Feral cats.

Ferry approaching the pier in small harbor near our hotel. I found the lava cliffs coming down to the ocean spooky. 

Part 1 of Susan's trip to the Canary Islands posted last week, May 26, 2025. Part 3 will post next week, June 9, 2025.

CANARY ISLANDS NATURE TOUR, Part 1: Guest Post by Susan Kean

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George recently toured the Canary Islands on a nature tour. I thank her for sharing her impressions and terrific photos with The Intrepid Tourist. The islands are not named for the canary bird. Rather, the name Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin name Canariae Insulae, meaning "Islands of the Dogs", perhaps because monk seals or sea dogs were abundant.

View from our hotel balcony.

We arrived in the Canary Islands, specifically Gran Canaria yesterday. The islands, which include Tenerife (the only one I’d heard of), are about 100 miles off the coast of Africa. They are an autonomous community that is part of Spain They claim to have the best climate in the world. They are volcanic islands of various ages--2-3 million years-- and are still active. The volcano on La Palma erupted last year.

Church of St John the Baptist, Arucas. Built about 100 years ago in volcanic rock

Gran Canaria is a circular island about 30 miles across. Our hotel is on the Northwest side of the island in a beautiful setting.

Dragon fruit tree…no dragon fruit do not come from this tree. They only flower every ten years. So the bag on the top is to collect the seeds.

We are on a nature tour. It’s amazing that a small island like this has so much to see.

Limonium, very rare Canary variety.

Today we visited the Botanic Garden to be introduced to all the different plants and birds on the island.

Our guide explaining that this is not a cactus. The only true cactus are in the Americas. It evolved down a separate line. It developed similar water retaining features but has a milky sap.

Sunset.

Part 2 will post next week, with Part 3 in the following week.