The Canary Islands

Tour Code: ESP15

An 8-day tour to Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Gomera in search of the endemic plants, birds, butterflies and cetaceans of the Canary Islands.

8 days from
£2,195 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,995
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

On this wildlife holiday we visit three of the Canary Islands – Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Gomera – in search of the five endemic birds, many of the 600+ species of endemic plants, and other wildlife. We begin our tour with three nights on Fuerteventura, flatter and more arid than the other islands, and home to a totally different flora and fauna, more African than European. On Tenerife we explore the pine forest and high slopes of Teide National Park, then we cross by ferry to the tranquil island of Gomera, where we will spend a full day exploring the marvellous Garajonay National Park. The unusual, exotic and magnificent subtropical Canary Islands with their endemic flora and fauna and spectacular volcanic scenery will make this a memorable and rewarding tour.

  • Mount Teide’s fabulous volcanic scenery … plus endemic Blue Chaffinch & Tenerife Kinglet
  • 5 endemic birds & 3 Macaronesian endemics: Berthelot's Pipit, Plain Swift & Canary
  • Endemic Bolle’s & Laurel Pigeons in Gomera's ancient Laurel forests
  • Fuerteventura Chat and Houbara Bustard on Fuerteventura 
  • Ferry to Gomera – and chance for whales, dolphins, Cory’s & Little Shearwaters
  • Led by expert naturalist guide

Grading

Day walks only.

The Fortunate Islands, so named by early buccaneers and conquistadors, are remarkable for their wealth of unique plant and animal-life. These seven islands have been isolated for long enough to have evolved an endemic flora and fauna, and now provide one of the naturalist’s greatest opportunities to appreciate the evolutionary process first observed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century. From a botanical point of view, the Canary Islands constitute one of the most interesting areas of the world, not only because of the variety of flowers but also because of the large number of endemic species — more than 600 — and their unique origin. During this tour to the islands we will be certain to see many of the endemic Canary species of plants in flower. This is also the peak time to observe the five endemic breeding birds of this magnificent and diverse volcanic archipelago. On this tour we will visit three of the islands — Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Gomera — and cruise or fly between them. Our purpose will be to admire and observe all the endemic bird species and many of the endemic plants, not forgetting the fabulous marine-life!

We start our tour with a 3-night stay on Fuerteventura which, with its considerably more arid climate in comparison to Gomera and Tenerife, provides an excellent home for such north African bird species as Egyptian Vulture, Barbary Partridge, Cream-coloured Courser, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Spectacled Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike and Trumpeter Finch. The star attractions, however, are the endemic Fuerteventura Chat and the endemic race of Houbara Bustard, a species that is becoming seriously endangered over most of its range. We should see most, if not all, of these species.

Next, we travel westwards to Tenerife, our base for a 4-night stay. Tenerife presents an array of habitats of which the pine forest and high mountain zone of Teide National Park are the most interesting. The pine forest has only one native species of tree — the Canary Pine (Pinus canariensis) — and an undergrowth dominated by Myrica faya and heather (Erica arborea). Curiously, this pine’s closest relative is found not in Europe or north Africa, but in the Himalaya! It is in this unique forest that we will be able to look for the two endemic species of Canary Island passerines that occur on Tenerife — the Blue Chaffinch and the Tenerife Kinglet. We should also see the endemic subspecies of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Rock Dove, Kestrel and Chiffchaff (all showing a high degree of differentiation).

The high mountain zone starts above the pine forest at a height of about 1,980 metres. Teide National Park encompasses the vast caldera called Las Cañadas, with its inward-facing cliff walls that rise to about 500 metres, as well as two volcanoes which have obliterated the northern rim of Las Cañadas — Pico del Teide (3,718 metres) and Pico Viejo. The proportion of endemic species of plants in the high mountain zone is amongst the highest for any region in the world. About a dozen species of vascular plants are found almost exclusively in Teide National Park, whilst a large percentage of the other plants found here are either restricted to Tenerife alone or to the Canary Islands as a whole. The vegetation of this high mountain zone is dominated by two species of leguminous shrubs — Teide Broom (Spartocytisus supranubius) and Adenocarpus viscosus — both Canary endemic species. It is in this national park that we will look for the three Macaronesian endemic bird species: Berthelot’s Pipit, Plain Swift and Canary. The Canary Lizard is very common in this zone and Mouflon (Wild Sheep) can sometimes be seen.

From Tenerife we will cross by ferry to the tranquil island of Gomera, where we will spend a full day. On the crossing we will have the opportunity to do some sea-watching, for these waters are the year-round home of Short-finned Pilot Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins, as well as such seabirds as Cory’s and Little Shearwaters, and the rare White-faced Storm-petrel. On reaching Gomera we will explore the marvellous Garajonay National Park and its extensive ancient Laurel forests where a tremendous variety of flowers and butterflies may be found. This is also the home of two endemic birds — Bolle’s Pigeon and Laurel Pigeon — which we should see flying over the forest canopy.

The unusual, exotic and magnificent subtropical Canary Islands with their endemic flora and fauna and spectacular volcanic scenery will surely make this a memorable and rewarding tour. Above all, we will be able to observe and appreciate the fascination of these islands by exploring the countryside beyond the tourist resorts.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Fuerteventura
Day 2
Costa Calma Desert and Jandia Peninsula
Day 3
Central Fuerteventura
Day 4
Transfer to Tenerife
Day 5
Teno Peninsula and Masca
Day 6
La Gomera
Day 7
El Teide National Park
Day 8
Fly UK
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation: Comfortable hotels with private facilities throughout.
  • Food: All included in the price.
Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Thu 13th Feb – Thu 20th Feb FULL £2,195
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,995
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£250
Sat 8th Nov – Sat 15th Nov SPACES £2,195
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,995
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£250

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Thu 12th Feb – Thu 19th Feb SPACES £2,295
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£2,045
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£250
Thu 5th Nov – Thu 12th Nov SPACES £2,295
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£2,045
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£250 
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Botanical Tours – See Wild Flowers with our Expert Botanical Guides


There are few more pleasing sights in the natural world than a meadow filled with wildflowers. Seeing plants in their native habitat is always exciting and our flower tours offer you an incredible choice, from dazzling tropical blooms and the thrill of finding elusive orchids or delicate alpines, to seeing island endemics or British flora. Our tours range from week-long holidays focusing on the ‘Alpine flowers of the Swiss Alps’, the ‘Italian Dolomites’ and the ‘Alpine Flowers of Slovenia’s Julian Alps’, to orchid-hunting on Italy’s Gargano Peninsula and searching for the Autumn Plants of Greece’s Peloponnese. We also visit more remote areas of the world in search of plant-life, from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan where we look for wild tulips, to the rainforests and spiny deserts of Madagascar where over 80% of the flora is endemic.  


Many of us want to know more about the plants we see around us. Whether inspired by an appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of flowers, or a more focused desire to identify individual species, everyone with an interest in botany will derive pleasure from joining one of Naturetrek’s flower tours.


Why choose Naturetrek’s botanical holidays?


    

  • All our botanical holidays are led by expert botanist guides
    • 

  • All levels of interest and expertise are catered for, from hobby gardeners and complete beginners to keen botanists who wish to explore a new area with the help of a knowledgeable leader
    • 

  • We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
    • 



What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?


    

  • Travel with a group of like-minded people
    • 

  • Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
    • 

  • Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
    • 



In addition to our dedicated flower tours, we also offer holidays with a wider theme to encompass birds, butterflies and other aspects of natural history as well as the flora. Our spring tours to 'Crete' and ‘The Island of Cyprus’ are both timed to allow us to enjoy the botanical highlights as well as the spring bird migration, whilst ‘Croatia and Slovenia – Spring in Istria’ also allows time to enjoy a little of the local culture. ‘Romania – the Wildlife of Transylvania’ combines an appreciation of the flora of the Carpathian Mountains with birding, butterflying and a trip to look for Brown Bears from a purpose built hide, and our holidays in both the ‘French Pyrenees’ and the ‘Spanish Pyrenees’ combine birds, butterflies and botany throughout the week.  




Our specialist recommends...






"I'd recommend 'Wengen – Alpine Flowers of the Swiss Alps', 'Crete' and 'The French Pyrenees', which all offer some fascinating European botany, along with plenty of wider natural history and some stunning scenery. If you’re keen to travel a little further afield, I’d suggest joining us in South Africa for our 'Wild Flowers of the Cape & Namaqualand' tour” 

David Tattersfield - Tour Leader




All Botany Tours

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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours


We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.


The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:



Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection


Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader




  


 


All Birdwatching Tours

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Tour Dates or Itinerary Don't Suit?

Allow our experts to create a private, customised itinerary with dates and prices to suit you.

Enquire

Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!