Smart Travel: Canary Islands offer interesting one-time visit

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Linda and Dr. Don Overend are principals in The Travel Group, a full-service travel agency.|ret||ret||tab|

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The Canary Islands lie off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic and were a stop on a recent cruise that crossed the Atlantic from Lisbon, Portugal, to Fort Lauderdale. We cruised on the Seven Seas Voyager and enjoyed two stops in the Canaries Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, the main island, and Arricefe on Lanzarote, the second in importance of the several islands in the chain.|ret||ret||tab|

The Canaries were created by volcanic upheaval some 20 million years ago and, indeed, the area is still volcanic, the most recent eruption occurring in 1971 on Gran Canaria. There are a variety of microclimates on the islands, from fertile valleys to desert hills. Where water is plentiful, the volcanic soil is very fertile and crops consist mostly of vineyards and vegetables. Farmers conserve water by adding a three-inch layer of picon (lava pebbles) to their fields that holds moisture in the soil below. Some areas of the island's landscape are red-and-black lava fields with an eerie other-world look. |ret||ret||tab|

Gran Canaria is a major trans-shipping port for this part of the Atlantic, and is busy day and night. There is little industry on the islands and most foodstuffs and manufactured products must be imported, and tourism provides a large part of the economy. The pleasant year-around climate draws throngs of winter tourists, mainly from England and Germany, where generous and beautiful beaches attract the shivering visitors from the north. Beach areas are lined with hotels, condos and cottages for the winter crowds. There are some spectacular volcanic craters to visit and several excellent golf courses on the island. |ret||ret||tab|

Lanzarote is less populated, but is graced with more beaches. It is a relatively dry island with less vegetation, but has a couple of interesting features for visitors. Volcanic activity created a huge underground tube that extends from one of the central volcanic cones to deep off the coast, and parts of this have been developed into interesting resort areas with underground lakes, and a fascinating concert theater with near-perfect acoustics.|ret||ret||tab|

There is also an interesting cactus garden with nicely displayed cacti from all over the world of every conceivable size and shape. There are expansive beaches ringing the island, some with black volcanic sand. The north beach tends to be windy with rough waters; all the rest are ideal for swimming and sunning.|ret||ret||tab|

The Canary Islands are a great distance from the United States, and, although they are served by scheduled airline flights, they do not offer any special enticement for Americans to winter there. If you happen by them in your travels, they will prove interesting for a one- or two-day visit, but once you've seen them, there is little to prompt a second visit. We're glad we visited, but doubt that we will return.|ret||ret||tab|

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