The seven major Canary Islands are scattered over 300 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, starting about 60 miles northwest of Morocco in Africa. The archipelago is part of Spain, and the islands have a diverse climate and topography. When reading about the Canaries, I thought their formation sounded much like that of the Hawaiian Islands. Both the Canary and Hawaiian islands are strings of underwater volcanoes, and because of the millions of years separating each island's development, they are all very different. Much like Kauai is the oldest Hawaiian island and Hawaii is the youngest, the Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are both over 20 million years old, followed by Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Gomera (12 million years old), and the "baby" islands of La Palma and Tenerife (two to three million years old). Our Silversea Silver Whisper cruise stopped at Lanzarote and Tenerife, providing guests with a look at two geographically diverse islands. Canarios claim that all of the islands have spring-like weather year round, with lots of sunshine. Most of the small amount of rainfall comes between October and May.
The largest Canary Island is Tenerife. It is about 790 square miles, and the landscape is dominated by the 12,198-foot Mount Teide, the highest peak on Spanish territory. Called the "Island of Eternal Spring" by the locals, Tenerife is covered by fields of such diverse flora as bananas, oranges, and tomatoes. The Silver Whisper spent the day at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the ship offered three shore excursions. |
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