Secret Places in the Canary Islands: the corners the locals know
The postcard Canary Islands are the ones everyone knows: the big beaches, the theme parks, the Teide. But there are other islands underneath, the ones the locals show you once you have earned their trust: a turquoise rock pool at the bottom of a staircase, a village of cave houses, a many-coloured waterfall inside a ravine. This guide gathers, island by island, real and less-travelled spots, along with what you need to know to reach them and enjoy them sensibly. They are not total secrets, but they will not show up in the first brochure either.
Island by island: the corners the locals know
Tenerife
On the north coast, the Charco de la Laja (San Juan de la Rambla) is an oval natural pool at the foot of a long staircase, with volcanic rock and crystal-clear water; swim only when the sea is calm and the tide is low, because the swell comes in strong. Inland, in Anaga, Chinamada still has around thirty inhabited cave houses and ends at the Mirador de Aguaide, a balcony 600 metres above the Atlantic reached on foot along the PR-TF 10 trail. If the underground appeals to you, the Cueva del Viento (Icod) is one of the longest volcanic tubes in the world, with a guided visit and advance booking. More rock pools in the guide to charcos and natural pools of Tenerife.
Gran Canaria
The Cenobio de Valerón (Santa María de Guía) is a collective aboriginal granary with more than 350 cavities carved into a volcanic cliff: a feat of pre-Hispanic engineering that impresses and offers a break from the mass tourism of the south (it has a visitor centre and an entrance fee). In the Agaete valley, the Charco Azul is an inland pool of clear water fed by a small waterfall, unsigned, reached on foot along the ravine.
Lanzarote
The Charco de los Clicos (El Golfo, Yaiza) is a lagoon of an impossible green inside a crater, tinted by phytoplankton; it is a protected reserve, so you look at it from the viewpoint, you do not go in or bathe. In the north, below the cliffs of Famara, the Playa del Risco is a cove of fine golden sand facing La Graciosa, reached by descending the Camino de los Gracioseros, the historic zigzag path from Yé (medium-to-high difficulty, about 4.5 km); no services and no crowds.
Fuerteventura
The Aguas Verdes (Playa del Valle) are a succession of transparent natural pools on the west coast, far from the tourist resorts; the final stretch is a dirt track and you have to scramble over some rock, best at low tide and with good footwear. In Ajuy, the Cuevas de Ajuy are large sea caves in some of the oldest rock in the archipelago, next to the black beach, 500 metres of trail from the village. It is not a secret (it gets plenty of visitors), but its geological value makes it a must.
La Palma
The Charco Azul of San Andrés y Sauces are seawater pools sheltered from the swell on the northeast coast, with a children's area, parking and services: a quiet plan little known outside the island. For the walkers, the Cascada de los Colores, inside the Barranco de las Angustias (Caldera de Taburiente), falls with yellow, red and green streaks from the minerals; you reach it via a demanding ravine route, with river crossings.
La Gomera
Los Órganos are a cliff of basalt columns up to 80 metres tall that look like the pipes of a giant organ; they are only seen properly from the sea, on a boat trip from Valle Gran Rey. In the forest of Vallehermoso, Los Chorros de Epina are seven stone spouts deep in the laurisilva, tied to an old legend of love and luck, a ten-minute walk down from the road.
El Hierro
In the north, the Charco Manso is a natural pool among arches and small basalt caves, marked with little piles of picón; it is exposed to the sea, which leaps over the rocks, so it is wise to check the state of the swell. And in the west, El Sabinar is a forest of juniper trees twisted almost horizontal by the wind: the bent tree is the symbol of the island. Photograph them from the ground: climbing these centuries-old trees is forbidden and fined.
La Graciosa
The island without asphalt keeps the Playa de las Conchas, a golden, wild expanse of sand below the Montaña Bermeja, without a single beach bar (careful, there is a current and it is not easy to swim), and Pedro Barba, a hamlet of little white houses almost without inhabitants with a calm 110-metre cove. Everything is reached by bike, on foot or by 4x4 taxi from Caleta de Sebo.
Did you know? Los Órganos of La Gomera formed when a lava flow cooled very slowly and contracted into vertical basalt columns, the same phenomenon as the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. The sea then ate away at the cliff until it exposed those stone "pipes", which can only be seen whole from the water.
How to visit the secret corners (sensibly)
The rock pools depend on the sea. Swim only when the sea is calm and, where we say so, at low tide. Download a tide app and plan your visit for low tide: that is when the water is safest and most beautiful. A lovely charco with a bad sea is dangerous; if the swell is breaking inside, that is not the day for it.
Footwear and water. Many of these spots are ravine, rock or trail: bring shoes with grip, water and something to eat, and set out with plenty of time before the afternoon closes in.
Leave the place as you found it. These are fragile corners and many are unsupervised: do not leave litter, respect the vegetation and do not make noise. Whether they stay secret depends on how we treat them.
Ask in the village. The best details (where to park, how the access is today) are known by the people next door. A coffee and a question are worth more than any map.
Discover your island from the inside
Each island keeps far more corners than fit here. At islas24 we gather them island by island, with their location and how to get there, so you can build your own route away from the crowds. Pick an island, climb up to the medianías or drop down to a hidden cove, and if you want to carry on by the tastier route, take a look at the guide to where to eat home-cooked food on each island.