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Organised Excursions |
This is intended as a guide to the more popular excursions on the island. If you're coming over with a tour operator and have your own rep to provide you with excursions, many of these will be on his/her list along with a couple of extras such as "rep's cabaret night". Maybe you haven't got a rep service with your holiday and you'd like me to chat more about these trips or be your rep one morning?
These are the excursions provided to me for my own job as a rep and if you wanted more info on any listed (maybe something that's not listed?) or to prebook anything before you arrive or once you're here, email me at info@canaryforum.com. Prices are in euros and from Puerto Rico, in most cases add a couple of euros if departing from Taurito or Mogan and deduct a couple of euros for Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles.
LAZAROTE ISLAND TOUR
 Tuesday & Thursday
departs around 6:30am and returns 9pm; adults €146 children €106
Flying from Las Palmas airport the flight over is around 40 minutes. Once there, the first stop is breakfast in the village of "Yaiza", known as one of the most picturesque villages in Europe (I forget which award it one but that's what it was for!). Passing through the villages of Macher and Uga the next stop is for a panormaic view of the spectacular Salt mines. Next has to be one of the main highlights of the tour, the journey into and around the park of volcanoes "Timanfaya". Geothermic shows are offered from the most active volcano there. Afyer lunch (back in Yaiza) you head north through the inw region, Teguise and Haria to "Los Jameos del Agua", the other highlight of the tour. Cesar Manrique's spectacular vision of a brought to life in the form of underground caves and spectacular building and water constructions. Back to the airport and back home.
TENERIFE
 1) Island Tour - Wednesday and Friday - Adults €75 & children €37.50
2) Loro Parque - Wednesday - Adults €70 & children €38
3) Half day Loro Parque and Half day tour - Wednesday - Adults €70 & children €38
Departs around 7:30am and returns around 7pm
Each of the Tenerife choices take you accross by jetfoil to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island's capital.
1) The island tour takes you up through the towns and countryside of the north to the luna-like volcanic center of the island and the peak of Teide, Spain's highest mountain. Plenty of stops and time for a brief guided walk before lunch up there. Afterwards, down through the two largest and most picturesque towns of La Oratava and Puerto de la Cruz (free time in the latter for shopping or wandering around) and then home.
2) Loro Parque you can read more about here
has to be one of the most spectacularparks/ zoos I've ever visited and well worth a full day to appreciate and experience everything.
3) Spend the morning
touring to the center and highest parrt of the island, Teide, then the afternoon in Loro Parque.
GRAN CANARIA NEXT ....
ISLAND TOUR
 Wednesday and Saturday, departs around 8am and back around 5pm. Adults €38 & kids €19
First stop is the traditionally Canarian town of Ingenio where there's a stop to visit the local craf museum. Next, heading through the island's second city (Telde) and the rich town of Tafira up to the Bandama volcanic crater, one of the most perfectly formed and largest volcanic craters in Europe. From there, via Santa Brigida to my favourite town, Teror (free time for a bit of a wander) then for lunch in Valleseco. Next to the highest and most central points of the island, Cruz de Tejeda and Roque Nublo and down through the canyons of the south, San Bartolome and Fataga.
CASA ROMANTICA ISLAND TOUR
 Tuesday & Friday, 8am to 5pm, Adults €48 and kids €29
Heading up through the canyons of the south, Fataga and San Bartolome with stops along the way for the spectacular views accross the mountains. To the highest point of the island Roque Nublo and then down through the Pine Forests of Galdar and "Juncalillo" village (of caves!) lunch is at "Casa Romantica", a mountain retreat offering lush gardens and a gourmet lunch. Afterwards, to the north east Puerto de las Nieves, to a banana plantation (stop and walkaround), and back via the northern towns/city of Galdar, Guia and Las Palmas.
PAISAJES CANARIOS
 Thursdays departs around 8am to
6pm, Adults €52 and kids €29
First stop Ingenio with a visit to the craft museum and breakfast (included). Next, through Las Palmas to one of my favourite places, Arucas (read more about that here) where there's a stop at the rum factory. Next to Firgas, famous here for the mineral water and underground springs. Free time for a walk around the village. Next to the spectacular, historical cave formations of "Cenobio de Valeron". Afterwards, travelling via Galdar and Guia to Las Palmas where there's a stop at Las Canteras strand and beach closest to the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. Back home via the motorway.
LAS PALMAS SHOPPING
 Thursday & Saturday departs 08:30 to 5pm, Adults €17 and kids €8.50
If you don't fancy making your own way there (which is pretty easy to do) this is another option. Let a guide and coach take you to the main shopping areas of Las Palmas (the first at Triana is also next to the historical part of the capital).
PALMITOS PARK & MASPALOMAS MARKET (from Puerto Rico)
Wednesday departs 9:30 and back around 5pm, adults €30 and kids €16 includes entry to the park.
Spend the morning wandering and haggling at the big and busy market at Maspalomas and then the afternoon in Palmitos Park. (More on the park here - something you can also do under your own steam).
PALMITOS PARK & MOGAN (from Maspalomas & Playa del Ingles)
 Tuesday & Friday departs around 8:30 and back around 4:30.
Spend the morning wandering around the pretty "little venice" style village of Mogan (read more about that here) The Tuesday trip is more4 peaceful and relaxed as the Friday trip takes tyou there for the weekly market day. Afterwards, visit the pearl factory in Maspalomas and then on for the afternoon in Palmitos Park. (More on the park here - something you can also do under your own steam).
CAMEL SAFARI IN THE DUNES
 Sunday, departs 11:30 and back around 2:30pm. Adults €30 and kids €15
First to the sand dunes for a 40 minute camel ride round the desert-like dunes. Afterwards, to the camel park (where the camels go after work to relax, have a drink ....) Lunch (pretty basic pork chops, canarian potatoes and sangria) with fruit for desert. Keep the fruit and take it out to the park after lunch to feed to the baby camels.
JEEP SAFARI / ISLAND TOUR
 Departs Tuesdays to Thursday plus Saturdays around 8:30am and back around 4:30pm. Adults €33 and kids €23
One of the more popular and fun ways to see the island; great atmosphere and you get to see protected parts of the island only jeeps are alloowed to visit.
READ MORE ABOUT THE JEEPS HERE
QUAD SAFARI
Departs daily from Playa del Ingles. You set off on the quad and head along roads to Fataga. Once there it's off road around the dusty tracks and countryside of the south for some sightseing and fun. Adults € 64.50 with option for one child (€19) to sit on the back also.
HORSE RIDING
 Daily - Horse riding in the mountains of the south of the island around 10am and gets you back around 3pm. Travel up to the ranch, a quick instruction speach and then mount up for a 90 minute horseback ride around the countryside (with some panoramic views over the south coast). Back to the ranch with a little free time as the BBQ lunch is prepared. (They have a swimming pool so if you're hot and dusty and took swimwear, you can have a dip in the pool before lunch). Adults €40 and kids €31 includes lunch.
WILD WEST NIGHT
 Fridays from 6pm at €45 for adults and €22.50 for children including BBQ and a 90 minute "wild west" extravaganza. A very entertaining evening out to a western theme park that offers a wild-west town with saloon, bank, general store, sheriff's office, church, houses, indian reserve with buffalo and more. Shows include a bank hold-up, sudden shoot out, cattle stampede, knife throwing indians, lasso tricks and dancing saloon waitresses! There are cowboys, indians and Mexicans. For an extra charge you have the chance to ride a horse here too. Origionally built as a movie set for wild west films (Fist Full of Dollars), this is now put to very good use.
In addition to everything listed above, there's a very good choice of day cruises and fishing trips around the south of the island but you're in walking distance of all of them, at the main harbor in Puerto Rico. So, there's no point booking them as a tour, just go down and have a look at the choice for yourselves. If you have a holiday rep, check if he/she gets discounts as they often have days exclusively to themselves. Expect to set sail around 10am, return around 3-5pm and expect to pay around 35 euros per adult, half price for children. You could also hire a private car with English-speaking driver to take you where you want to go and tell you about the places and things you see, this costs 30 euros per hour.
If you are traveling with a small group, you could hire a private, air-conditioned mini-coach with English-speaking driver (no guide) for
up to 8 people = 180 euros for the day
9 -12 people = 260 euros for the day
13 -18 people = 375 euros for the day
19 to 29 people = 550 euros for the day (guide included)
30 to 52 people = 800 euros for the day (guide included)
A guide for smaller groups is an extra €50. You can decide where you want to go, how long at each stop or you can tell me what's interesting for you and let me pick a route. Groups of 12 or more are often enough to make it worthwhile hiring a boat or small catamaran all to yourselves for the day.
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