Photo Essay: The Canary Islands in Winter

Canary Islands

If you want to escape the European winter there is a place that offers decent temperatures and very pleasant climate throughout the season. I am speaking about the Canary Islands. This beautiful spot sits right in the Atlantic not too far from Africa. The various islands owe their existence to a series of very active volcanoes. The landscapes range from luscious greens to dark lava fields and picturesque towns. Just a few days ago, I had the opportunity to travel to some of these gems on board the new German cruise ship ‘Mein Schiff 3’. Here is a small collection of photographs from that trip. Once again, the fabulous Fuji X-T1 acted as my trusted travel companion.

Mein Schiff 3
Sunrise viewed from the deck

La Palma

Our first stop was the island of La Palma. It’s a fairly quiet place that has not been fully opened up to large scale tourism. As a matter of fact, getting there is a bit challenging. You will either have to take a ferry from one of the larger islands such as Tenerife/ Gran Canaria or catch one of the ten daily flights that land on the tiny airport. One of the main attractions is the set of volcanos in the Southern part of the island. Hiking around the Caldera de Taburiente National Park is an amazing experience. We spent a few hours hiking from the top of the park (605 m) all the way down to the sea. I can highly recommend spending some time in this area.

Volcan Taburiente
The blow hole of the Taburiente – the site of the most recent eruption in 1971
Caldera de Taburiente
One of the well-marked hiking paths. We encountered an almost spooky atmosphere.
Teneguía
You can find some amazing colors in this area
Teneguía
Devastation
Fuencaliente
The end of the trail: The lighthouses of Fuencaliente
Fuencaliente
The salt evaporation ponds of Fuencaliente

Madeira

Our tour included a stop on the island of Madeira (Portugal). It does not belong to the Canary Islands but shares some of the common geographical traits. We rented a taxi to take us to some of the amazing spots. Let me just say one thing: this island is magical. We are definitely going to spend more time there.

Funchal
The amazing fireworks of Madeira
Pico do Arieiro
Pico do Arieiro
Brilliant colors on top of the Pico do Arieiro
Brilliant colors on top of the Pico do Arieiro
Funchal
Dried catfish in a small fishing village
Funchal
A small fishing village right outside of Funchal

Other adventures

We also stopped on the islands of Tenerife and La Gomera. Those places are ideal for hiking and biking. My friend Bernhard and I took advantage of that and joined a guided bike tour. My Garmin Virb and  GoPro came in handy to capture the fun.

Mein Schiff 3
Ready, set, go
La Gomera
Biking on La Gomera
La Gomera
Enjoying the view
La Gomera
A small and quiet valley on La Gomera

Live on board

Taking a vacation on a cruise ship is an excellent opportunity to see a number of places within a very short amount of time. We certainly enjoyed our holiday on the brand-new Mein Schiff 3.

Mein Schiff 3
The pool deck
Mein Schiff 3
Running with a view
Mein Schiff 3
Imagine yourself with a coffee in hand

 Cruising & Photography

Just a final word about photography and cruising. It’s a difficult relationship. You get to see a lot of great stuff within a very short amount of time but you typically arrive at a scene when the light is not the best. Most boats dock around 8am and stay for 8-12 hours. There is no way to take advantage of the preferred photography times such as the golden or blue hour. But that leaves more time for other fun things such as spending time with your family and friends.

Thanks for reading!

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