January 1, 2022 to January 18, 2022
Canaries, all exclusive
Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria
Lanzarote – Fuerteventura – Gran Canaria
Resorts and package deals may be what come to mind when thinking about the Canary Islands. However, the real beauty lies once you explore beyond the serviced apartment blocks and all-day breakfast deals. Our Christmas/New Year trip in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria revealed quite distinct landscapes in each island and an absolute cyclists’ paradise.
Lanzarote
Arrecife – Playa Blanca – Yaiza - Timanfaya NP – Haría – Mirador del Río – Órzolo – Costa Teguise – Tahiche – La Geria – Playa Blanca
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Lanzarote is like Iceland for beginners! This lunar wonderland boasts an expansive lava field with volcanic craters as far as the eye can see without the hardship of gravel roads or debilitating headwind. Needless to say, we weren’t alone! It happens to be a winter training ground for iron-man/woman hopefuls and from a logistic perspective, the whole island could be visited on day trips from one base. We chose to move around and stay in villages where possible, which certainly paid off.
The festive season is a great time to visit these islands as temperatures hover between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. But the secret is out! Accommodation was low on the ground, and we were forced to adjust our route based on what available and affordable rooms we could find. It meant that we got to stay in a couple of fabulous emblematic/boutique hotels in tiny villages: La Casa de los Naranjos in Haría and Hotelito La Era in Yaiza.
The Timanfaya National Park covers an area of 50 km2 totally covered in ash/lava during the most recent volcanic eruption in Lanzarote (1736). Rusts and browns mingle with blacks and greys in this magnificent showcase of nature. Guided trips on camels or on the official bus are the only way to see the park, and we can highly recommend the 45-minute bus gander up and down the volcanic hills and around the countless craters. There are even a couple of demos demonstrating the 400-degree temperature below ground: dry hay thrown into a 10m hole bursts into dramatic flames; water shoots up in a spectacular geyser. There are obvious reasons tourists are not allowed wander aimlessly around the park!
The north of the island is a whole lot greener because of cooler evening temperatures, a damper climate and limited ground water. The cacti are interspersed with fig and almond trees and a string of beautiful white-sand coves complete the picture in this resort-free part of the island.
Now, cycling through black lava fields, the last thing we had expected to find was vineyards. Well, as it happens, the local farmers in La Geria have an ingenious way to grow their vines successfully. The hollow out a large funnel-shaped hollows in the ground through the volcanic ash until they reach the topsoil. Then they plant their vines and stabilise them with a pile of little volcanic pebbles. Their porous nature allows them to absorb dew in the evening and thus irrigate the vines. The hollow also protects the vines from the prevailing north wind that we experienced in this area.
Lanzarote certainly amazed us and for an easy ride through spectacular scenery with magnificent architecture, it’s hard to beat.
Cyclists are welcome here
I'll add the next islands as soon as they are ready, here
Until then, cheers
Fuerteventura
Corralejo - La Oliva - Valles de Ortega - Betancuria - Ajuy – Pájara – Morro Jable – Cofete – Morro Jable 207km
Who would have thought that such a short ferry ride would take us to such contrasting scenery? In no time we were cycling though the magnificent the Corralejo Dunes Natural Park. A place where kite and wind surfers congregate year-round in idyllic wind and wave conditions. This east coast stretch was a whole lot busier than anything we had experienced in Lanzarote, but the road was wide, and the wind was in our favour.
Again, we had to plan our route based on the accommodation available and were lucky enough to land on Curro and Gabi’s doorstep at La Oliva Inn. Curro’s genuine hospitality and ability to bring people together coupled with Gabi’s creativity and attention to detail make La Oliva Inn a real gem of a hostel that could easily be used as a base for visiting the island. It was like a home away from home.
What really sets Fuerteventura apart from Lanzarote is the mountains. Our climbs up and down to Betancuria and then in the area of Montaña Cardón were at times a hard slog because of the wind, but the views were certainly rewarding. The desolate landscape dotted with isolated farmhouses and tall windmills was quite reminiscent of Patagonia.
While on Lanzarote we saw very little in the line of farming, in Fuerteventura there were a lot of goats, but seeing the sparse vegetation, we found it quite surprising, that there is enough milk to keep the local cheese production going.
In the middle of nowhere, way down on the Jandía Peninsula in the southwest of the island lies a beautiful villa known as Casa Winter.
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2 years ago
Built in the 1930s by a German engineer, this villa hides a sinister story that Pedro, the house caretaker, has been unfolding chapter by chapter these past few years. Pedro remembers his grandfather (former caretaker) telling him how German officials would arrive with one face and leave with another. Now, decades later as Pedro uncovers underground tunnels leading to the coast, and numerous artifacts including submarine batteries, newspapers, surgical tools, uniforms and badges, Nazi connections are coming to light. Even the cellar layout and furniture have an ominous similarity to those in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Our visit to the house left no doubt in our minds as to the dark past of this enchanting villa. Pedro is a brave man fighting against the clock to have this chapter of history acknowledged before it is turned into a resort by its recent purchasers.
Our 200km route of Fuerteventura avoided the busy east-coast in favour of the mountains in the west. Being the oldest island of the Canaries, with the last volcanic activity some 5,000 years ago, adjectives like arid and desolate compete with vast and majestic. Fuerteventura's attraction lies precisely in the fact that it is a landscape that has not really waited for people. And the wind will probably continue to howl over the rocks even after the last doomsday film has run out of viewers.
Some impressions:
Gran Canaria
Las Palmas – Gáldar – La Aldea de San Nicolas –Tejeda - La Garita – Airport
Gran Canaria was the island on this trip that had a proper big city to offer. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has a population of almost 400,000, a lovely old town with colonial architecture and a long beach promenade lined with palm trees.
It’s definitely worth an explore and we can highly recommend a visit to the Casa Colon, where Cristopher Columbus used to stay en route to the Americas. The exhibitions cover exploration from all sorts of angles and boast a number of historical maps and documents from the 16 th century.
The northern coast is a wild one, but we got to enjoy it from a bike lane leaving Las Palmas and afterwards on a very generous hard shoulder. What also makes Gran Canaria stand out from the other two islands is the amount of shrubbery that is present making it very green in comparison. Banana and citrus plantations abound and there is no shortage of plastic tunnels with market gardening. Water is in more plentiful supply and picturesque gorges are a dime a dozen.
The Canary Islands are thought to have been initially settled by the Guanches (probably a Berber tribe) around 500 BC. They lived a peaceful primitive life until Italians, Portuguese, and Catalans arrived in the 14 th century. The Spanish weren’t far behind, and their conquest was fiercely fought by the locals, many of whom chose to take their own lives rather than surrender. It’s a tragic history of slavery and religious conversions; all forgiven by the pope in the name of the Crusades.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Guanches had developed quite a number of traditions, the remains of which can be visited today. High up in the hills, they used to carve out caves (Cenobios) into the rocks to store their grain, safely out of harm’s way should pirates head on the rampage.
Dwellings were also hollowed out into the rock face, and many are still occupied today. The painted cave in Gáldar dating back to the 11 th century, contains geometrically shaped paintings thought to be a lunar and solar calendar.
Burials took place in stone graves marked with mounds of stone; the size and shape dictated by the social standing of the deceased. In Maipés Archaeological Park in Agaete there are about 700 tombs in the lava field thought to date back 1,300 years.
The west coast road meanders in and out up and down the mountain with beautiful glimpses of the coast below. While there is no hard shoulder, we found the truckers very considerate and the ride quite pleasant.
What we certainly didn’t expect was the grand welcome we received on approaching a 3km tunnel outside La Aldea. The right lane was immediately reserved for us cyclists and the traffic was diverted to the left lane with constant reminders of our presence. Even without this luxury, the hard shoulder was very generous.
The ride of the whole trip has to be that from La Aldea de San Nicolas to Tejeda. This quiet road leading up to a string of reservoirs with fabulous mountain scenery the whole way didn’t come for free though.
We climbed 1200 altitude meters in 34km with another few hundred the next morning before freewheeling back down to the coast.
What made the descent special were the almond blossoms in their prime earlier than usual because of a mild winter.
While we had delicious meals on all three islands, Gran Canaria topped the bill for variety and creativity. Papas arrugadas (potatoes with a salty crust) and seafood were the common denominator, while ropa vieja (old clothes) is an amusing term for a casserole made of leftovers!
Original desserts included bienmesabe (lit. it tastes good to me), a very sweet almond honey cream and gofio (toasted flour) was often the preferred flavour of mousse and ice-cream.
On the whole trip, we found the Canarios exceptionally friendly and very supportive of cyclists, opening their doors to us for a one-night stay even though they would normally only rent their accommodation for a minimum of three nights.
The Canary Islands are perfect for a short winter break. These little gems off the coast of Africa offer quite distinct landscapes and different grades of challenge to suit every type of cyclist. Those willing to venture beyond package deals and coastal resorts will certainly be rewarded. Watch this space – there are seven islands in all!
The whole trip in more details is to be found here and the 3rd and last video is here.
We hope you enjoyed this contribution, may the road rise to meet you
Kurt & Darina
Today's ride: 250 km (155 miles)
Total: 250 km (155 miles)
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