Safety in the Canary Islands, island by island: the sea, trails that need booking and the new road rules
The Canary Islands don't get serious in just one way. On Fuerteventura it's the open sea at a beach with no lifeguard. On Gran Canaria, a rock you can no longer climb without a booking. On La Palma, a road that a barrier closes if you haven't reserved. And on every island at once, since 1 October, a new way to overtake a cyclist.
This guide brings together what the official sources say for all eight islands, with the numbers up front. If you're spending your days on Tenerife, there's a more detailed version in our guide: Safety in Tenerife: what to know before you swim, climb or drive.
The sea: where the numbers are, and when
In January 2026 the Royal Spanish Lifesaving Federation published its report on the previous year: 472 people drowned in Spain in 2025, 75 of them in the Canary Islands, the second highest of any region after Andalusia. 220 deaths happened where there was no lifeguard.
This year the trend hasn't improved. The association Canarias, 1.500 Km de Costa, which collects the monthly figures from 1-1-2, the Guardia Civil, Maritime Rescue and local services, counted 55 deaths between January and September 2026, 15% more than in the same period of 2025. By island: Tenerife 20, Fuerteventura 11, Gran Canaria 10, Lanzarote 7, El Hierro 4, La Gomera 2 and La Palma 1. 60% of those who died were swimming.
One figure in that report deserves a slow read: 42% of the deaths happened while a Canary Islands Government pre-alert or alert for coastal phenomena was in force. In other words, more than four in ten happened on days when the warning had already been issued. Checking the current alerts before you head to the beach takes a minute.
The flags say more than you think
In the Canary Islands the flag colour isn't just today's sea conditions. Under Decree 116/2018, it starts with the beach's permanent classification, set by each town hall: green for open beaches, yellow for dangerous ones and red for beaches where bathing is prohibited, where you can't swim at any time.
On top of that, on open and dangerous beaches the flag can change because of waves, currents or pollution. A temporary red means exactly the same as a permanent one: no swimming. A temporary yellow means restrictions.
Since 2022 there are also three signals worth recognising:
Purple flag: danger from marine life. It always flies together with a red or a yellow flag.
Red and yellow two-colour flags: when bathing is prohibited, a safe zone can be set up between two of them, watched by lifeguards.
Red flags at both ends of a stretch: bathing is prohibited only along that stretch.
The fine for swimming under a red flag is set by each municipal bylaw, so it varies from one town to the next. What doesn't vary is the first rule: red means you stay out.
> Did you know? In the Canary Islands a beach can fly a yellow flag every day of the > year, even with a flat sea. It's not an oversight: it means the town hall has classified > it as permanently dangerous. That yellow has nothing to do with today's forecast.
Trails and sites that need booking, island by island
Several of the most visited places are no longer open to anyone at any time. It isn't red tape: the quotas are there so there's room for everyone, and in several cases the booking is free.
Tenerife
Teide: there are two different permits, one for trail 10 up to the crater and one for climbing on foot from below on trails 7, 9, 23 and 28. You apply on the Tenerife ON platform. Breaking the rules carries a 600 euro fine, and a rescue is charged at between 2,000 and 12,000 euros.
Masca Gorge: booking only, paid, and only Wednesday to Saturday, walking down to the jetty. Since December 2025 access is by Titsa bus 355 from Santiago del Teide, with no private cars, and the return boat ticket is compulsory. You're given a helmet, hiking boots are required and children under 8 can't go down. The trail's official website points out that there have been more rescues here than anywhere else in the Canaries in recent years.
Barranco del Infierno (Adeje): 300 people a day with advance booking, a helmet for the whole route and no children under 5.
Gran Canaria
Roque Nublo: access is free, but with a booking between 10:00 and 17:00 from the Degollada de La Goleta, with a limit of 60 people per hour. You book on grancanariasenderos.com. To avoid driving up to La Goleta, the Cabildo suggests parking in Tejeda or at Cruz de Los Llanos and taking the shuttle bus, line 18. When there's a wildfire risk alert, bookings are switched off.
Lanzarote
Timanfaya National Park: you can move around it only on the authorised roads and paths. The Tremesana walk and the coastal walk from El Golfo are guided and free, with advance booking. The long coastal route, 9.75 km, can be walked without a guide, but the park rates it as high difficulty.
Fuerteventura
Lobos islet: you need a free, personal and non-transferable authorisation, which you request on lobospass.com from five days before your visit. The limit is 200 people at a time, and the authorisation is separate from the boat ticket: having a ticket doesn't give you the permit.
La Palma
Caldera de Taburiente: camping in the campsite requires an online booking, with a maximum of two nights in summer and six in winter, and fires are forbidden. To drive up to the La Cumbrecita viewpoint you also need to book: a barrier controls access between 8:30 and 16:00, extended to 18:00 in high season. The Roque de los Muchachos car park can be reached without a booking.
For the area around the 2021 volcano, we haven't found an up-to-date official rule saying what is open today. If you want to get close, ask the Cabildo de La Palma first.
La Gomera
Garajonay National Park: no entry permit is needed, and the park offers guided walks with booking. It can close trails, viewpoints and picnic areas because of fire risk or weather alerts, and fires are only allowed in the barbecues at La Laguna Grande, during the authorised periods. We cover it in detail here: Garajonay: the forest that outlived its own era.
El Hierro and La Graciosa
Both islands have marine reserves: Punta de La Restinga-Mar de las Calmas, and the one around La Graciosa and the islets north of Lanzarote. Diving in them requires authorisation, with quotas: dive centres hold it for years at a time, while individuals apply for specific dates. The simplest option is to dive with an authorised local centre.
Alerts and fire: October isn't low season
There are two systems, and they're not the same. The AEMET warning (yellow, orange or red) tells you about the weather. The Canary Islands Government pre-alert or alert is what triggers measures and closures. You can have a yellow warning with the trails open, or the other way round.
For wildfires, the high danger season runs from 1 June to 30 September. October is medium danger, not low, and the Government can declare an alert at any time. During an alert lighting a fire is forbidden even in designated areas, and each Cabildo can restrict access to the areas it decides.
Calima, the dust haze from the Sahara, has its own pre-alerts. Public Health then recommends avoiding physical effort outdoors and keeping windows closed, especially for children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with breathing problems.
Sun and wind, in two lines
According to the Canary Islands Public Health service, the Canaries are the region of Spain with the highest ultraviolet radiation all year round, and it recommends factor 30 or higher, in winter and on cloudy days too. And swell arriving from distant Atlantic storms can bring dangerous waves under a clear sky with no wind at all. The Tenerife guide has the full figures on both.
If something happens
1-1-2: free, no dialling code, with operators in Spanish, English, German, French and Italian. It locates the call automatically. The 112 Canarias app lets you raise the alarm without speaking, sending your position and photos.
At sea: Maritime Rescue on 900 202 202, 112 or VHF channel 16.
In the Masca Gorge there are location plates along the path: if you call 112, give them the number of the nearest one.
On the road: what changes from 1 October 2026
Royal Decree 518/2026 amends the General Traffic Regulations and has been in force since 1 October 2026 throughout Spain, the islands included.
Overtaking cyclists, pedestrians, mopeds or e-scooters: always with at least 1.5 metres of clearance, moving fully into the other lane if there's more than one in your direction. Outside built-up areas you must also slow down by at least 20 km/h below the road's limit for the whole manoeuvre. A group of cyclists counts as a single unit.
A vehicle stopped in the lane after a breakdown, accident or roadside assistance: the same rule, 1.5 metres and at least 20 km/h slower.
Cycle helmets: compulsory on interurban roads for everyone, without the old exceptions, and for under-16s on any road.
Pedestrians outside built-up areas: on the left-hand hard shoulder, in single file, and at night or in poor visibility with a light or reflective item visible at 150 metres.
Emergency corridor: on motorways and dual carriageways, when traffic stops, you must move aside to leave a clear lane.
Two changes arrive a year later, on 1 October 2027: approved helmets for moped riders and daytime lights on e-scooters.
Before you set off
Current Canary Islands Government alerts: gobiernodecanarias.org/emergencias/alertas
AEMET warnings for the Canaries: aemet.es
The Canary Islands Government's official English guide to swimming and sea activities (PDF), in the emergency advice section
If you're renting a car or planning walks, check what your policy covers: Do I need travel insurance for the Canary Islands?
Sources
Royal Spanish Lifesaving Federation (RFESS), National Drowning Report 2025, 05/01/2026.
Canarias, 1.500 Km de Costa association, drowning figures January-September 2026, published 01/10/2026 (reported by elDiario.es Canarias Ahora and Teldeactualidad).
Decree 116/2018 of 30 July on safety on beaches and bathing areas in the Canary Islands, article 9 (BOC 152, 07/08/2018), and Order of 22 July 2022 on complementary signage (BOC 148, 2022).
Cabildo de Tenerife, regulation of access on foot to Teide, in force since 30/11/2024.
Official website of the Barranco de Masca trail and Buenavista del Norte town hall, access regulation; Adeje town hall, Barranco del Infierno.
Cabildo de Gran Canaria, access to the Roque Nublo trail.
Canary Islands Government, Timanfaya, Caldera de Taburiente and Garajonay National Parks: visiting rules, bookings and notices.
Cabildo de Fuerteventura and the LobosPass platform, access authorisation for Lobos islet.
Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, marine reserves of La Restinga-Mar de las Calmas and La Graciosa.
Decree 180/2025 of 1 December on wildfire danger seasons in the Canary Islands (BOC 243, 09/12/2025), articles 3 and 6.
Canary Islands Government, Directorate-General for Public Health: ultraviolet radiation (20/02/2025) and calima (30/03/2026).
1-1-2 Canarias, 112 Canarias app; Maritime Rescue, emergency numbers.
Royal Decree 518/2026 of 24 June, BOE-A-2026-13889, articles 32, 85.4, 88.1, 118.2, 122 and 123 of the General Traffic Regulations, and first and third transitional provisions.
