We spent 3-4 days on each major island in November, renting a car on each island, and traveling between them by ferry or plane, depending upon schedule and cost.
We were a little concerned about possible overcrowding, especially on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, given their popularity among British and German tourists, but that was not an issue. In fact, that popularity assists US travelers because English is extremely common. (November is probably the least popular month to go there, which undoubtedly helped. But we saw no reason to regret our timing.)
The landscapes are amazing--and the ecological diversity among the islands (and sometimes within a single island) was astounding.
Our primary activities were sightseeing by car and hiking, both of which were quite good--the hiking did tend to have elevation gains, but definitely not as Patagonia. The food was consistently good, and the wines were sometimes great (the malvasia volcanica whites on Lanzarote in particular). The islands' wines are noteworthy for two reasons. 1. No phylloxera, so the "native" wines are on ungrafted rootstock; and 2. The impact of historical volcanic eruptions is such that vines are sometimes grown in what appears to be the middle of lava fields!
The trip was good enough that the islands are on a very short list of places that we will likely return to. Particularly for those on the east coast, this is an option other than the Caribbean to consider. Overall pretty affordable, no glaring poverty, and very comfortable.
FWIW, we did not dive or snorkel, even though it is touted as a warm water destination. That is a relative term for those coming from the UK and Germany. DW wasn't going to get wet, after getting used to Indonesian water temps earlier this year!
As always, DW documented our trip on her blog if anyone wants to delve deeper. https://www.lisajtravels.com/ (that entire landing page is Canary Islands trip, in reverse chronological order).
We were a little concerned about possible overcrowding, especially on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, given their popularity among British and German tourists, but that was not an issue. In fact, that popularity assists US travelers because English is extremely common. (November is probably the least popular month to go there, which undoubtedly helped. But we saw no reason to regret our timing.)
The landscapes are amazing--and the ecological diversity among the islands (and sometimes within a single island) was astounding.
Our primary activities were sightseeing by car and hiking, both of which were quite good--the hiking did tend to have elevation gains, but definitely not as Patagonia. The food was consistently good, and the wines were sometimes great (the malvasia volcanica whites on Lanzarote in particular). The islands' wines are noteworthy for two reasons. 1. No phylloxera, so the "native" wines are on ungrafted rootstock; and 2. The impact of historical volcanic eruptions is such that vines are sometimes grown in what appears to be the middle of lava fields!
The trip was good enough that the islands are on a very short list of places that we will likely return to. Particularly for those on the east coast, this is an option other than the Caribbean to consider. Overall pretty affordable, no glaring poverty, and very comfortable.
FWIW, we did not dive or snorkel, even though it is touted as a warm water destination. That is a relative term for those coming from the UK and Germany. DW wasn't going to get wet, after getting used to Indonesian water temps earlier this year!
As always, DW documented our trip on her blog if anyone wants to delve deeper. https://www.lisajtravels.com/ (that entire landing page is Canary Islands trip, in reverse chronological order).
