A New Year’s Dream Cruise Itinerary
Day 1 – Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Golden dunes drenched in year-round sunshine. Rugged mountains hiding pretty whitewashed villages. Bays and coves linked together like a magnificent sandy necklace. Nature’s been kind to Gran Canaria so little surprise it lures sun-worshippers back year after year.
Day 2 – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife
Santa Cruz is one of the Canary Islands’ biggest hitters. It shares its capital city title with Las Palmas, on the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria, and more than lives up to the role. In the space of just a few streets, the bustling port area melts into an inviting old town. A century-spanning mix of church towers and hotels peeks above the rooftops, and the whole town’s backed by the silhouette of a mountain range.
Day 3 – Santa Cruz de La Palma, La Palma
Mother Nature had a field day with La Palma. All rolling mountains, plunging valleys and sweet-smelling pine forests, the little island certainly isn’t short on breathtaking scenery. Things are just as good looking along the coast, where dramatic black-sand beaches give way to hidden coves.
Day 4-5 – Funchal, Madeira
Sweeter than wine, Madeira’s a fine excuse to binge on beautiful scenery to your heart’s content. Funchal is the island’s capital, a bewitching collection of cobbled streets, quaint museums and buzzing café and restaurant life. Get to know Funchal. This spellbinding city is a portion of Portugal sprinkled with a dash of Garden of Eden and Edwardian Britain. The whole place seems to be smothered in vivid bougainvillea, jasmine and other exotic blooms. Don’t miss the covered market, a dizzying montage of exotic fruit stalls and flower-sellers wearing traditional costume. And take a look at the city’s impressive Sé cathedral with its ornate ceiling and artworks.
Day 6 – Day at sea
Day 7 – Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura is the Canary Island of choice for beach connoisseurs. Its coastline morphs from the 10 kilometre-long blonde sweep in the Parque Natural de las Dunas to the wind-whipped sands in Playa de Sotavento, which hosts the Windsurfing World Championships every year. Away from the coast, the island’s interior is blanketed with lava fields, euphorbia valleys and clock-stopped villages.
Day 8 – Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Disembark the cruise and travel home.
