National Parks & Protected Areas
The Canaries have four national parks — more than any other autonomous community in Spain — and almost half of the total area is under some form of nature protection.
Parque Nacional del Teide (Tenerife)
The most visited national park in Europe — and rightly so. The Teide (3,718 m) is not only the highest mountain in Spain but, measured from the sea floor (over 7,500 m), one of the largest volcanoes on Earth. The Caldera de las Cañadas — a gigantic volcanic crater 17 km in diameter — offers an unreal lunar landscape of bizarre rock formations, cooled lava flows, and in spring, the bright red Tajinaste flower towers. UNESCO World Heritage since 2007.
Parque Nacional de Timanfaya (Lanzarote)
The Fire Mountains — a surreal lava landscape, formed during the eruptions of 1730–1736, which buried a third of the island. Just a few centimeters below the surface, temperatures still exceed 400 °C — in the restaurant kitchen of "El Diablo," food is grilled with volcanic geothermal heat. The park is accessible only by bus on the "Ruta de los Volcanes" — a decision that preserves its unique character.
Parque Nacional de Garajonay (La Gomera)
The Laurel Forest National Park — UNESCO World Heritage and one of the most important relics of Europe's Tertiary flora. Moss-covered trees, mystical fog, absolute silence. Here grows what covered all of Southern Europe before the Ice Age.
Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente (La Palma)
A vast erosion crater (not a volcanic crater, as long assumed) 10 km in diameter and up to 2,000 m deep. Pine forests, waterfalls, hiking trails through one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Canaries. The night sky over La Palma is protected by law — the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the crater rim is one of the most important observatories in the world.
Other Protected Areas
- Biosphere Reserves: La Palma, Lanzarote, El Hierro, Fuerteventura, and Gran Canaria are (partially or entirely) UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
- Anaga Mountains (Tenerife): Biosphere Reserve with ancient laurel forest and the most remote villages of the island
- Dunes of Maspalomas (Gran Canaria): Nature reserve — a 400-hectare dune field that looks like a piece of the Sahara
