With its black volcano almost 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) high and endless white beaches along the coastline, the island of Gran Canaria displays a huge variety of landscapes. It is a "continent in miniature" with rugged rock formations, dense pine forests, dry valleys. and reservoirs in the interior, lush vegetation in the north, shimmering dune landscapes in the south, and weirdly shaped cliffs in the west. Almost half the island has been registered by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. The capital, Las Palmas, is no less colorful, with its port and history stretching back 500 years. The showpiece of this historic old town is the magnificent Santa Ana Cathedral.

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Even from afar you can see the impressive panorama with Tenerife's landmark, Mount Teide. Its peak is the highest in Spain at 3,718 meters (12,200 feet) and is often covered in snow. Las Cañadas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a high volcanic plateau at the foot of Teide, surrounded by a circle of rock that rises up steeply. Volcanic activity has created strange-looking rock formations here which are adorned with a huge range of colors and seem like a unique synthesis of nature's art. In contrast to this are the fertile valleys of the north, a barren, almost desert-like south, and the island's vibrant capital city, Santa Cruz.

Volcanic activity has created a wildly romantic and varied natural landscape. A black lava desert and strange rock formations with oddly shaped, wind-defying juniper trees in the south, orchards, vineyards, fig and almond groves in the north, lush green meadows and pastures in the high plateaus, and perhaps the most beautiful pine forests in the archipelag - El Hierro, the smallest and newest of the Canary Islands, is almost completely edged with steeply sloping, rugged cliffs and the spray from the surging ocean. UNESCO has designated it a Biosphere Reserve.

Los Cristianos is a town on the southwest coast of Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. A wide promenade skirts the harbor along Los Cristianos Beach, a hub for water sports. Vendors at the nearby Los Cristianos market sell crafts and clothes. To the northeast is Monkey Park, a hands-on zoo with various primates, plus parrots and iguanas. Whales swim offshore.

The combination of small size and great height make the lush green volcanic island of La Palma one of the steepest islands on earth. The white houses in the island's capital shine out from wooded mountain slopes and the old town center of Santa Cruz is covered by a preservation order principally because of its Canarian houses with their artistically decorated wooden balconies. The Caldera de Taburiente towers above the north of the island. With a diameter of nine kilometers (5.6 miles) and surrounded by crater walls more than 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) high, it is one of the world's largest volcanic craters. Behind the caldera is the cloud forest of Los Tilos. The Biosphere Reserve was extended by UNESCO to cover the whole island of La Palma.

Las Palmas is a capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain's Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. A major cruise-ship port, the city is known for duty-free shopping and for its sandy beaches. At Playa de Las Canteras, a coral barrier lines the beach and shelters swimmers. The annual Las Palmas de Gran Canaria carnival brings together flamboyantly costumed performers, music and dancing.

Disembark after breakfast and return home individually.