Storm in the Canary Islands (page 4 of 7)

you need some texture in the sky

I completely agree, but also some contrast—so a source of light (even a small one) somewhere. If it's uniformly gray... And I couldn’t have said it better than Agnès 😉

The problem is when the rain shows up like a shower...

Barely is the camera out before it becomes unusable, the lens looking like a windshield without wipers...

The smartphone then saves the day.

Well, gray or overcast days still rarely give good results...

You discovered Puerto de Las Nieves under a kinder sky than we did 😉



I think I still prefer the all-blue sky 😎

Since you were able to access the Mirador del Balcón, I gather it was closed during our visit because of the storm 🏴‍☠️ I might find out if we also missed something at the Laguna de Playa de la Aldea, which was flooded and inaccessible after Thérèse...

I agree with you about the accommodation prices. We paid more (for accommodation) on this trip than in the Seychelles, which are known for being an expensive destination, and that was for places similar in size and comfort, or even a little better 😕. It was much cheaper in Tenerife in 2022—I wonder if prices there have gone up the same way.

Yes, the weather was really mild around Agaete. 🙂

For the viewpoint, the road was closed like for you, but since there were no police, those who wanted to get there just walked.

The last photo is the only one I have of La Aldea beach. We didn’t go back the next day, and I wasn’t impressed at all...

Prices were gentler in El Hierro. 😛

Will we find a patch of blue sky along our way today?

I doubt it...

The sky is heavy, the clouds bursting into torrents.

We’re hitting the road again anyway for our final leg, Tufia, a tiny village near the airport.

The GC 200 winds through stunning landscapes.

This part of Gran Canaria is almost uninhabited, and we finally feel like we’re far from everything.

The population density on this island is actually quite high: 561 inhabitants per km² (France: 121 – Puy de Dôme: 84...), and most towns and villages lie along an arc from the south to the northeast.

On the eastern side, one village ends only to give way to the next—it’s a bit overwhelming!

Here, it’s nothing like that.

Mountains, greenery, a ribbon of asphalt twisting up and down.





We take a detour to take the GC 204.

This road starts on a balcony before plunging toward the sea.

Gorgeous despite the rain and the low clouds on the heights!







A U-turn at Tasartico, and soon we’re near the Azulejos de Veneguera.

The light doesn’t really bring out the color of the rocks, but it’s the waterfalls that amaze us.











If there were no one around, we could almost imagine we’re in the Faroe Islands! !

All good things must come to an end, and we’re back to the overcrowded Gran Canaria in Puerto Mogán.

We park at the first lot we find, right at the entrance of town near the Radisson Blu.

It’s free, and it’s only a kilometer walk to the beach.



We wander through the little streets, then grab lunch on a terrace.

It takes a pretty wild imagination to compare this place to Venice...





That said, it’s the cutest option on the coast.

What comes next looks more like a run-down housing project left to its sad fate than a tropical paradise...



Who dared allow such eyesores to be built???

The concrete buildings are eating away at the cliffs, completely disfiguring the coast from Puerto Mogán to the airport.



And where there aren’t buildings, there are plastic greenhouses and factories...

Avoid this area!

We still make a stop in Maspalomas to check out the dunes.

The lighthouse is closed, the beach is ugly, the restaurants reek of grease, and their bills are a total rip-off...





The famous dunes don’t look like much under the gray skies and are surrounded by hotels with questionable taste.





A tip: if you want to see beautiful dunes, head to the Atlantic on the Côte Sauvage in the Landes instead...

I’m not sure we made the right call ending our visit to Gran Canaria with the worst the island has to offer!

Luckily, our evening stop has a lot more charm.

Tufia is a hamlet of a few fishermen’s houses.





It’s got soul, something the various beach resorts along the coast are missing.

Unfortunately, it’s right at the end of the airport runway, and we can count the landings...

The comings and goings stop for the night, but we’ll still sleep soundly.

What a difference from our day in the south: the colors of Veneguera, the amount of water in the waterfalls... and the population density in Puerto Mogán 😲 How important the weather is 😏

Yeah, this time, you were the lucky one! ;)

I really liked the west side of Gran Canaria.

You’ve probably gathered that the south, on the other hand, isn’t my cup of tea...

$168 for a mediocre room in the off-season—yeah, that’s not exactly a steal either! Muriel’s made up her mind: better to head to the Seychelles 😄

I also prefer the (relative) chill of the center to the crowds in the south, even in the sun 😉... but for just one day, it’s fine!

I really liked the west side of Gran Canaria.

Same here. I didn’t quite get what you meant when you mentioned rampant urbanization all along the coasts because, honestly, the west coast is pretty well preserved in that regard. On the other hand, the beaches are far from paradise. Plus, it was a (very) relatively untouched area in terms of rain during the first two days of our trip 😎

Muriel decided: better to go to the Seychelles

Plus, when it rains, we dry off faster! But still, in terms of flight duration and cost, the Canary Islands definitely have the edge...

Rentals were still more affordable though! !😉

I didn’t quite get what you meant when you talked about rampant urbanization all along the coasts

I probably didn’t explain myself well.

What I meant was that pretty much all the easily accessible land below 500–600 meters in the southern, southeast, eastern, and early northeast parts is heavily urbanized.

For example, there was hardly any countryside between the airport and our first rental.

Wake up in there, the plane to El Hierro won’t wait for us!

We grab a quick breakfast, rush to Cicar, and drop off our suitcases at the Binter counter.

All in barely sixty minutes, timed to the second...

Could we have woken up an hour later, though?

We pace around the airport, killing time, until our boarding is announced.

The flight will be on a propeller plane—luckily, Thérèse won’t act up this time!



Now we’re in sight of El Hierro—we shouldn’t be long now.

The ATR touches down gently on the runway, and passengers soon pour into the terminal where their luggage is already waiting.

The Cicar employee has everything ready—just sign the contract, pay, and pick up the keys to the Fiat parked right outside.

Twenty minutes from landing to getting our car—record time!

Okay, it’s way too early to pick up the house keys.

What do we do? I suggest checking out the HI 30 and the Roque de la Bonanza! Let’s go, we’re off.

El Hierro is the opposite of Gran Canaria.

A sparsely populated island whose capital has only 1,677 inhabitants.

What’s more, its tourism industry is limited, and there are no all-inclusive resorts.

In other words, the roads aren’t crowded, and no village is disfigured by soulless concrete blocks!

We’re in our element here!

The weather isn’t cooperating when we reach the famous arch.

Maybe we’ll have better luck on the way back?

The road ends in a dead end at the Parador.

If you’ve got the budget and enjoy solitude, this hotel seems like a great option for exploring El Hierro, even if it’s a bit far from the main sites.



The gray skies aren’t lifting.

Maybe it’ll clear up after a good lunch?







Bingo—the sun’s making some big appearances now.

Oh wow, but you didn’t say we had to take a plane to get there! 🤪

So I Googlemapped the Canary Islands to understand the deal—it’s true that El Hierro isn’t very big!

I really like ATRs, planes where you still feel like you’re flying… …

We return to Roque de la Bonanza and decide to take a short walk beyond the viewpoint.



We walk along the old road, which has been abandoned since the construction of a single-lane tunnel.









Nature doesn’t take long to reclaim the island!

We then receive a message via WhatsApp—everything’s ready for our arrival.

Off to meet our host!

The house is charming and very bright.



We should be comfortable here.

The proximity to the airport isn’t an issue since there are barely a handful of flights per day.

And no A380s...

We get settled, then head to park at the starting point of the hike our host recommended in the nearby village of Tamaduste.

The well-maintained trail crosses lava fields and follows the coastline.

It’s so wild and remote!









We’ll fall asleep happy after this first day on El Hierro.

You can get there by ferry or by plane.

By ferry from Tenerife, or non-stop by plane from Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

It’s not actually very big, but because the terrain is so rugged, it still takes a while to get from one place to another.

I really like ATRs—planes where you still feel like you’re flying...

Yeah, I think they’re pretty cool too. 😉

The only downside is that when it gets bumpy, you feel it more...

This first day on El Hierro was pretty nice. If there aren’t too many people around either... 🙂

In 2023, El Hierro only welcomed 20,300 visitors, while Tenerife had 6.57 million...

That says it all, I think! !😉

The sky is pretty blue this morning, and the temperatures are much more pleasant than in Gran Canaria.

Even if it's not quite warm enough to enjoy this lovely pool...



I have to say, this time our accommodation is almost at sea level, and that makes all the difference!

We plan our route for the day and then set off on a road trip.

Hey, isn’t that La Gomera over there?



Look, you can even see Tenerife in the background!



Teide looks snow-capped—I hope it stays that way for the next few days.

Darn, my camera isn’t working! I forgot to charge it. Oh well, I still have my smartphone.

The Fiat takes us first to Charco Manso, a natural pool being battered by the storm today.







Over time, the force of the elements has carved arches and caves into the basalt lava flows.

It’s pretty mesmerizing to watch the waves attack the rocks, rush into every crevice, and cascade over the lava.





Next, we head to Pozo de las Calcosas, a village of traditional houses with volcanic stone walls and rye-thatched roofs.

Access to the village is via a trail currently under repair.

So we’ll only see this hamlet from the modern village built much higher up.



Too bad—it looked really nice! !