Tenerife and Lanzarote 8 days among the ocean, volcanoes and Canarian traditions

On arrival at Tenerife South Airport, your French-speaking guide welcomes you and accompanies the group during the first part of the tour.

The journey begins with a visit to a banana plantation. The mild climate of the Canarian coast allows this fruit to be grown year-round. Discover the plant’s life cycle, harvesting methods and the banana’s historical importance to Tenerife’s economy.

Then drive to the north of the island. The route crosses several vegetation zones and reveals the difference between the drier south and the greener northern slopes influenced by the trade winds.

Arrival in Puerto de la Cruz, a former port town that became one of the Canary Islands’ main historic tourist resorts. Check in for four nights in a 4-star hotel, welcome dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: dinner.

After breakfast, head to Los Gigantes, a village beneath immense volcanic cliffs. These dark walls, called Acantilados de Los Gigantes, fall almost vertically into the ocean and reach several hundred metres in height.

Board a cruise lasting approximately three hours. The waters of southwestern Tenerife are frequented year-round by short-finned pilot whales and dolphins. Your crew introduces the observed species and the rules for approaching them without disturbing their behaviour.

Lunch on board while enjoying views of the coast and Teno’s terrain.

In the afternoon, drive to Icod de los Vinos, a former agricultural and wine-growing town. It is known for Drago Milenario, a large dragon tree considered one of Tenerife’s natural symbols. Also discover the squares, churches and traditional houses of its historic centre.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch on board and dinner.

Depart through La Orotava Valley, a vast fertile slope descending from Mount Teide to the ocean. Trade winds bring more moisture here, explaining the crops, forests and much denser vegetation than in the south of the island.

Ascend to Teide National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mount Teide rises to 3,718 metres and is Spain’s highest peak. The road passes through pine forests before reaching the great Las Cañadas caldera.

In the park, observe lava flows, craters, rocks of varied colours and formations sculpted by erosion. This landscape helps explain the different volcanic phases that shaped Tenerife.

Lunch in a local restaurant featuring Canarian specialities.

On the return journey, visit La Orotava. Its historic centre is known for stately houses, carved wooden balconies, courtyards and sloping streets. The town reflects the prosperity of Tenerife’s major farming and trading families.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After breakfast, head to San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife’s former capital and a UNESCO World Heritage-listed city.

Founded in the late 15th century, La Laguna has an urban layout organised around straight streets and squares. Its architectural model later influenced several colonial cities in the Americas. Discover the centre’s colourful façades, courtyards, churches and historic residences.

Visit the local market, where stalls display tropical fruits, vegetables, cheeses, fish, spices and products from Tenerife’s different regions.

Lunch in a Canarian house converted into a restaurant, offering a discovery of traditional interiors and several local recipes.

In the afternoon, continue to Candelaria, the Canary Islands’ principal pilgrimage destination. The basilica houses the Virgin of Candelaria, patron saint of the archipelago. In the square facing the ocean, large statues of the nine menceyes represent the ancient Guanche kings who ruled Tenerife before the Castilian conquest.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After breakfast, head to a traditional winery. Tenerife’s wines are produced in several wine-growing areas with very different soils and microclimates. Some vines are still grown on terraces or volcanic terrain.

Visit the estate and enjoy a tasting to discover several Canarian grape varieties, some preserved thanks to the archipelago’s isolation.

Take part in a mojo-making workshop, preparing the Canary Islands’ iconic sauces. Mojo verde generally combines coriander or parsley, garlic and oil, while mojo rojo uses chilli or paprika among its ingredients.

Lunch featuring local produce, including Canarian black pork according to the confirmed menu.

Then transfer to Tenerife North Airport for an inter-island flight to Lanzarote. On arrival, welcome arrangements and a private transfer to your hotel in Costa Teguise.

Check in for three nights, dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After breakfast, visit the Cactus Garden, created by César Manrique in a former volcanic ash quarry. The site brings together hundreds of cactus species and illustrates how the artist combined architecture, vegetation and landscape.

Continue to Cueva de los Verdes, the accessible section of a long volcanic tunnel formed by the eruption of the La Corona volcano. The underground galleries reveal different lava layers and the geological history of the island’s north.

Lunch in Haría, a village set in a valley more fertile than the rest of Lanzarote. Its many palm trees earned it the nickname “valley of a thousand palm trees”.

In the afternoon, visit the Mirador del Río, integrated by César Manrique into the Famara cliff. From the terraces, admire La Graciosa, the El Río strait and the islets of the Chinijo archipelago.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Head to Los Hervideros, a coastal area where lava flows formed cliffs, arches and cavities. When the sea is rough, waves rush into the rocks, making the ocean appear to boil.

Continue to El Golfo and Charco de los Clicos. This green lagoon occupies part of an old crater open to the sea. Its colour comes from microorganisms in very salty water.

Visit the Timanfaya National Park, protecting the Fire Mountains and vast lava fields from the eruptions of 1730 to 1736. The coach route crosses an almost vegetation-free landscape of craters, ash and solidified flows.

Geothermal demonstrations reveal heat still present at shallow depth. Lunch in the park area, where some dishes may be cooked using the natural heat underground.

In the afternoon, travel through La Geria, Lanzarote’s main wine-growing region. Vines are planted in pits dug into ash and protected by small stone walls. Tasting at a winery before returning to the hotel.

Dinner and final night in Lanzarote.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After breakfast, free time according to your flight schedule.

Private transfer to César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport and assistance with departure formalities.

Leave the Canary Islands after discovering two complementary islands: Tenerife, with historic cities, the ocean and high mountains, then Lanzarote, where volcanic landscapes interact with architecture and local traditions.

Meals: breakfast.