ParrotMom

Hi everybody.. now it's my time to ask for help.. We are cruising to Lanzarote and Las Palmas in December and wonder if anybody has hints and reliable guides... we will probably end up with more than four.. Do we need to reserve a guide or can we just pick up somebody at the pier. Parrot Pop speaks "caribbean spanish"..lol [email protected]

kaisatsu

We're cruising to the Canaries in December as well! Since you didn't mention Tenerife, I'm guessing that you're not on our sailing (Voyager of the Seas) though.

Did you ever figure out what you're going to do in port? In Lanzarote, I think we'll head up to the volcano and then maybe over to Jameos del Agua if we have time. I'm still not sure about Las Palmas. We might just take it easy and explore the city on foot instead of renting another car. Otherwise we'll probably head up to Caldera de Taburiente and do a little hiking.

I don't know about guides, but I think they should be easy to do on our own. I'm just concerned about how much we'll be able to squeeze in at Lanzarote. I think I'm being a little optimistic timewise!

Maria_H

The main things not to be missed on Lanzarote are the volcano and the Cesar Manrique related places. We particularly enjoyed seeing Los Jameos del Agua, the Foundation (his home, which is built into a lava flow) and the cactus garden. You won't need your Spanish as English is widely spoken.

http://www.lanzaroteisland.com/english/cesar_manrique/

hetismij

Las Palmas the town or La Palma the island?

hetismij

The reason I ask is that the Caldera is on La Palma island. Depending on how long you have in port you may be able to do a short hike there but a full day hike to see it all is taxing and difficult. I have done it an know - not one for people with a fear of heights, like me. How are you planning on getting there? Santa Cruz de La Palma is not very big and won't fill a day. Consuder the volcanoes in the south by Fuencaliente. There is an interesting visitors centre there and you can also visit some of the smaller towns on the east coast.
The west coast is actually the nicer coast on La Palma, with the best weather. Villages like Peurto de Tazacorte, Puntogordo and Garafia are lovely, but maybe too far if you only have a few hours on La Palma.
Carribean Spanish will be fine - they speak a mix of European and Southe American Spanish on La Palma - and lots of people speak a little English. Even more speak German.
My dog comes from La Palma - he is a Garafiano. I have been a few times and may go back leter this year for a bit of sun.