138 / / JANUARY 2017
CANARY ISLANDS
CLOUDFOREST
The Canary Islands’ sunny skies,
lunar landscape and black and
white sands make it the perfect
place for the family to catch some
affordable winter sun, but it’s also
home to Garajonay National Park,
where the ancient laurel rainforests
are so dense, subtropical and
mist-soaked, you expect dinosaurs
to appear. If you’re holidaying on
the popular island of Tenerife, take
the ferry over to La Gomera then
catch a taxi up to the forest. The
islands are also one of the top three
year-round whale and dolphin
spotting destinations in the world.
As well as the resident bottlenose
dolphins and pilot whales, a raft
of migratory species pass through
Canarian waters, not to mention
turtles, sharks and rays. Whales
and Dolphins of Tenerife runs
ethical trips and if you book with
them, you’ll also be supporting
conservation projects in the region.
Whalesanddolphinsoftenerife.org
offers trips from £8. Seven nights
self-catering costs from £370 per
person including flights with
Thomson.co.ukFLAMINGOS IN ANDALUSIA
Lying in the popular province
of Malaga, the Fuente de Piedra
lagoon is one of the most important
wetland reserves in Europe.
Thousands of birds, including
cranes, eagles and black kites,
migrate here for the winter months,
to join permanent residents such
as avocets and Montagu’s harriers.
It is also the only inland site in
Europe where greater flamingos
come to breed. From late February,
up to 10,000 pairs fly in to build
nests, and chicks can be seen from
late April. The reserve is easily
reached by road or rail from Malaga.
For more info, visit Andalucia.com.
Expedia.co.uk offers seven nights
on the Costa del Sol from £295 per
person, including flights