One of the best places to go on vacation is the Canary islands.
This string of islands located off the northwest coast of Africa has all the elements for a great vacation. There are beautiful turquoise seas, beaches with both white and black sands, brilliant sunshine and the cooling Trade Winds. But the Canary Islands are more than just a collection of beaches. The islands have intriguing wildlife, a wide variety of plants and flowers and a series of mountains that are the highest in the Spanish lands. This combination of elements makes the Canary Islands one of the best and most popular vacation destinations in the world.

The Canary Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands. One of the volcanoes there, Mount Teide is the third tallest in the world.
It stretches over 12,000 feet into the air. The islands are a province of Spain and Mount Teide is Spain's tallest mountain. The mountain is in Teide National Park on the island of Tenerife. Each year millions of people travel to Tenerife on their Canaries holiday to marvel at this natural wonder. Many visitors to the Canary Islands choose to spend most of their time on Gran Canaria, the second most populous of the islands. Much of Gran Canaria is scientifically important and as such there are 32 protected areas including nature preserves, protected landscapes, sites of scientific interest and natural parks.

Over two million people come to the island each year. There is so much to see there. Aside from the protected areas there is the lighthouse in Maspalomas, Jardin Canario, the botanical gardens, Cenobio de Valeron with its almost 300 caves, the restored Neo-Gothic Temple known as Arucas Cathedral and the Bird Park in Palmitos. Add to that the green ravines, quaint villages, miles of white-sand dunes and incredibly beautiful golden beaches and there is enough to keep you occupied and entertained in Gran Canaria for several weeks. Many people choose Canaria holidays in Spain for two things- Las Canteras Beach and the annual Carnival celebration. They relax on the beach and party in the Carnival and go home with great memories of their trip. Taking Canaries holidays is almost the national pastime of the well to do in Spain. They get a chance to experience the extremes of nature and have some fun and all they have to do is travel 838 miles to experience it!