Steamboat Lines. 1. Union Castle Line, fortnightly from London and Southampton, touching alternately at Las Palmas and Teneriffe; fares to either, 1st cl. 14–16, 2nd 9–11 gs. (return about ⅔ more). For summer tours, comp. p. 17.—2. Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., see p. 17.—3. Peninsular & Oriental Branch Service, from London monthly for Australia, calling at Las Palmas; 12l., return (tickets interchangeable with No. 5 from Teneriffe) 20l.—4. Bucknall Line, monthly from London to Teneriffe; 10l., return 18l.—5. Aberdeen (Thompson’s) Line, from London and Plymouth monthly for Australia, calling at Teneriffe; 13l., return (also valid for No. 3) 22l.—6. Aberdeen (Rennie’s) Line, from London, about once every 10 days, for S. and E. Africa, calling alternately at Las Palmas and Teneriffe; 10 or 8l., return 18 or 14l.—7. German East African Line, once every 3 weeks from Southampton for S. Africa, calling at Las Palmas and Teneriffe, 12l. 10s. or 7l. 10s.; no return-fares, but an abatement of 20 per cent is allowed on the fare back to Southampton, either by this line, by the Woermann, or by the Hamburg-American Line.—8. Woermann Line, monthly from Dover to Las Palmas, and monthly to Teneriffe; fares and abatement for return, same as No. 7.—9, 10. New Zealand Line and Shaw, Savill, & Albion, each monthly from London and Plymouth for Teneriffe, 14l. or 11l. 10s.; interchangeable return-ticket 22 or 17l.—11. Yeoward Bros. Line, from Liverpool, weekly pleasure cruises to Teneriffe, Grand Canary, and back (10–12 gs.), also single tickets (6–8 gs.).—12. Natal Line, from London fortnightly for S. Africa calling at Las Palmas, fare 8 gs., return 15l. 2s. 6d.—13. Federal, Houlder, & Shire Lines, see p. 17.—There are also steamers to the Canary Islands from Cadiz (see p. 58), Genoa (see p. 114), Naples, and Trieste (see p. 425).—It should be noted that almost all the British lines have recently raised their fares by ten per cent in consequence, it is said, of a rise in the price of coal. Inquiry as to this ‘surtax’ should therefore be made in every case.—The direct steamers perform the voyage (1707 M. from Southampton to Teneriffe) in 5–6 days; the coasting steamers (viâ Oporto, Lisbon, etc.; about 2250 M.) take much longer.

In addition to the above-mentioned steamers communication among the islands themselves is effected by the small cargo-boats of the Compañía de Vapores Correos Interinsulares Canarios which ply 9 times monthly between Teneriffe and Las Palmas in 6 hrs. (fare 20 or 15 pesetas); and by those of the Servicio de Pailebotes which ply weekly from Teneriffe to Las Palmas, and weekly to Santa Cruz de la Palma. Inquiry as to the sailings, which often vary, should be made on the spot. The Spanish cuisine on board these local boats is not very inviting.

The Canary Islands (Islas Canarias or Afortunadas, i.e. ‘fortunate islands’), the Makáron Nésoi or Insulae Fortunatae of antiquity, in 27° 30′ to 29° 26′ N. lat., and 13° 15′ to 18° 2′ W. long., lie off the coast of Mauretania, the nearest point being Cape Juby (p. 104). There are in all thirteen islands, forming a Spanish province of a total area of 3305 sq. M., with a population of 364,000. They consist of two groups. The E. group is composed of Lanzarote (rising to 2231 ft. above the sea), Fuerteventura (2789 ft.), and five smaller islands (Alegranza, Graciosa, etc.); to the W. group belong Gran Canaria (6400 ft.), Teneriffe (12,175 ft.; once the meridian used by the Spaniards and the Dutch), Gomera (4366 ft.), Palma (7737 ft.), and Hierro or Ferro (4643 ft.), the meridian used by France since the time of Louis XIII. (1634). Teneriffe, Gran Canaria, and sometimes Palma are the islands usually visited by tourists; the others chiefly attract botanists and geologists.

The Canaries, supposed by some geographers to form part of the submerged continent of Atlantis, and by others to have been outlying spurs of the Atlas of Morocco (p. 93), have the same geological formation as Madeira (see pp. 17, 18, 19). ‘In Fuerteventura especially there occur masses of slag and lava, thrown up by countless eruptions, superimposed on the diabase formation, which is still visible in many places; and in Teneriffe we find phonolithic and trachytic rocks as well as the basaltic. Grand old craters (calderas) exist in Ferro, Gran Canaria, and most of all in Palma and Teneriffe. The enormous basin of the Cañadas in Teneriffe has been almost entirely filled up with later streams of lava and scoriæ, which have formed a distinct volcanic cone, the great Pico de Teide, 12,175 ft. in height.’ The last considerable eruptions were those of 1677 in Palma, of 1730–36 and 1824 in Lanzarote, and of 1705, 1706, 1796, and 1798 on the N.W. coast of Teneriffe, all of which caused great havoc. On the occasion of the eruption of 1909 in Teneriffe a large lava-stream, accompanied by the emission of vapour and stones from the central crater (see p. 41), burst forth near the foot of the Chahorra (p. 42) and advanced in a N.W. direction towards Santiago and El Tanque but came to rest before reaching these villages. There was little damage and no loss of human life. In the W. islands, which like Madeira rise very abruptly from the sea, the effects of erosion in the broad valleys, with their rich soil, as well as in the deep ravines (barrancos) of more recent origin, are specially noticeable.

The climate of the Canaries is remarkable for the striking contrasts prevailing between the E. and the W. groups on the one hand, and between the lower and the higher levels on the other. In the almost treeless islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (62 M. to the N.W. of Cape Juby) years sometimes elapse without rainfall, while the dreaded tiempo del sur, the hot and extremely dry wind from the Sahara, covers them with dust and sand and often brings swarms of locusts. Even more disastrous for agriculture are the sandy dunes or coast-hills, thrown up by the currents off the African shores, the sand of which is driven inland by violent N. winds. The Gran Canaria, on the other hand, though by no means free from the locust pest, holds an intermediate position in point of climate and scenery between the more continental E. group of islands and the almost wholly oceanic W. group. Owing to the influence of the gulf-stream (p. 18) and the zone of high air-pressure prevalent in the W. Canaries in winter, the N. coast of Teneriffe and the islands of Gomera and Palma enjoy a remarkably mild and equable winter climate (the mean temperature of winter at Puerto Orotava being 60° Fahr. and the minimum 51°). In the region tempered by the trade-wind clouds, which gather at a height varying from 2300 to 5000 ft. above the sea, even the summer temperature is quite bearable; but on the high mountains, above the cloud-zone, the air is extremely dry, and the burning heat of the day is suddenly followed, as in the tropics, by a severe chill. The rainfall at Santa Cruz de Tenerife averages 12 inches, at Santa Cruz de la Palma 14 in., at Puerto Orotava 17 in., at Laguna 22 inches. The lowest snow-line is about 3300 ft.

The vegetation of the W. islands, the Eldorado of botanists, surpasses that of Madeira in variety, though not in luxuriance; but it is confined to the forest-zone in the region of the trade-wind clouds, and to the low ground irrigated with the aid of these clouds, where the soil consists of disintegrated diabase, tufa, and lava. On the other hand large tracts of land, especially in the Gran Canaria and on the S. and E. coasts of Teneriffe, are entirely destitute of vegetation, even in winter, while in summer the verdure of the cultivated land is often covered with a mantle of grey dust.

The Canary Islands, together with Madeira and the Azores, have been described as a region ‘where the tertiary flora, destroyed in Europe during the glacier epoch, has survived and developed, at least since the pliocene age, in insular solitude’. To the primæval African flora, the same as that of the original ‘diabasic Canaries’, belong in particular the stately Canary pine (Pinus canariensis), several species of laurel, such as the Laurus canariensis, the viñatigo (Persea indica), the aloe, the oleander-leaved Kleinia neriifolia, the cactus-like euphorbias, the balo (Plocama pendula), and the famous dragon-tree (Dracæna Draco). Besides the endemic trees and plants are others of very early origin, the seeds of which were originally brought over from India or America by the gulf-stream. During the Spanish period countless other plants, now cosmopolitan, were imported from America, fruit-trees from Europe, and shrubs from the Mediterranean, which last, favoured by the climate, develop into bushy trees. In the gardens, which are mostly enclosed by high walls, we are struck with the gorgeous wealth of bougainvilleas, gloxinias, poinsettias, bignonias, daturas, walbergias, passifloras, and many other flowers. In the lower and more tropical districts grow, side by side, bananas (plátanos), tomatoes, sugar-cane (caña de azúcar), yams (Span. ñame), tobacco, oranges and lemons, prickly-pear (Opuntia Tuna), coffee-plants, Peruvian pepper-trees (pimenteros), E. Indian bread-fruit, mango and camphor trees, eucalypti, cork-trees, tamarisks (tarajales), araucarias, magnolias, fig-trees, Japanese medlars, palms (about 25 varieties), notably the superb Canary palm (Phœnix canariensis or Jubæ Webb), the date-palm (p. 171), the royal palm (Oreodoxa regia), and, in Palma, the cocoa-nut palm. The vineyards, yielding the famous Malmsey (p. 19) and Vidueño wines, rise on the S. side of Teneriffe from the lower land to a height of 4070 ft. above the sea-level. In the upper cultivated regions the chief crops and fruits are wheat, potatoes, lupins, maize, chestnuts, walnuts, and, among other European fruits, peaches. On the rocky sides of the barrancos occur everywhere the aloe, the cactus-like Euphorbia canariensis (Span. cardón), the tabayba (Euphorbia Regis Jubæ), the orchilla lichen (Roccella tinctoria; woad), and Sempervivum (house-leek; some 60 varieties). At the bottom of the barrancos and in the cloud-region we encounter beautiful underwood, composed of evergreen myrtles and laurels, the strawberry-tree (Arbutus canariensis), ericas, stemless ferns, and a few climbing plants. Above the level of the trade-wind clouds we may still meet with the cistus, the Canary pine (up to 7050 ft. above the sea), the white Cytisus proliferus (Span. escobón), and the Adenocarpus frankenoides (Span. codeso), a kind of gorse. The Alpine retama (Spartocytisus supranubius; Span. retama blanca), a kind of broom, the commonest plant in the Cañadas, grows on the Peak up to a height of 10,300 ft.; but a few mosses and lichens alone reach the summit.

The fauna of the Canaries is remarkably poor. The characteristic bird is the canary (Serinus canariensis), which, as in Madeira, is of a greenish-grey colour, while the yellow canaries are imported. Mosquitoes, especially on the E. and S. coasts of the islands, fleas, and flies, including some whose bite is very unpleasant, abound in summer. The more important fish are cod, tunny, and sardines. Chief among domestic animals is the goat. Camels were introduced from the continent in 1405.

The islands, which were probably known to the Carthaginians and Greeks, were for a time occupied by king Juba II. (p. 244) with a view to the manufacture of purple dye from the juice of the Orchilla (see above). At that period the population consisted chiefly of the so-called Guanches (from guan, son, and Chenerfe, Teneriffe), whose culture down to the middle ages was still that of the flint age, while their inscriptions are Libyan in character. In 1402–96 the islands were conquered, first by the Normans, under Jean de Betancourt, at the instance of the kings of Castile, and later by the Spaniards, with the result that the Guanches, in spite of their heroic resistance, were largely exterminated or sold into slavery. A few survivors still lingered in their cave-dwellings, as at Atalaya (p. 46) and Artenara (p. 46), but others intermarried with Moorish immigrants (1405), and, in the Spanish period, with Norman, S. Spanish, and Irish settlers. Their language has been extinct since the 17th century. A few peculiarities of the present population, which somewhat resembles that of S. Spain and of the W. Indies, survive in the costume of the peasants, consisting of a white blanket (matta) wrapped round the body like a shepherd’s cloak, in their quaint old pottery, in the whistling language of Gomera, and in the national gofio, a kind of porridge of maize and wheat. The Grand Canary contains also several villages of negroes, descendants of the slaves on the sugar-plantations. Among the foreigners there are 2100 English, 600 French, and 600 Germans.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Luz near Las Palmas, the chief ports of the Canaries, as also Puerto Orotava (p. 39), Santa Cruz de la Palma, and others, all declared free harbours in 1852, are rising places and compete with Madeira in provisioning the ocean steamers. The trade is in British, Spanish, and German hands. The chief exports are bananas, tomatoes, early potatoes and other vegetables, and wine. The only industry of any importance is the embroidery and lace-making of Teneriffe (‘calado’ embroidery after Mexican patterns, rosette-work introduced from Paraguay, the rich Vilaflor lace, and embroidery in relief from Venetian and Irish models). The cochineal insect (living on the prickly-pear plant) was introduced from Honduras in 1826, and for many years its culture yielded large profits to the islanders, but the discovery of aniline dyes has well-nigh ruined this industry.

The best Season for a tour in the Canaries is from the beginning of March to the end of May. The best winter-quarters for invalids are to be found at Puerto Orotava or the more remote Güimar in Teneriffe, and at the Monte in the Grand Canary. Good quarters are obtainable also at Santa Cruz and Laguna in Teneriffe, and at Las Palmas in the Grand Canary, where most of the best hotels are in the English style, and English money circulates freely. The Spanish ‘fondas’, where the national currency is in vogue, fall short of modern requirements, while the country inns are mostly wretched taverns.

The chief public conveyances in the islands are, in Teneriffe, the electric tramway from Santa Cruz to Tacoronte, and in the Grand Canary the harbour tramway at Las Palmas; the only others are the dirty and often crowded coches públicos, the very expensive four-seated vehicles, and the tartanas or gigs. For mountain excursions horses or mules are used, the arriero or attendant serving as a guide.

Among numerous Books on the Canary Islands are Samler Brown’s guide (see p. 20); Whitford’s The Canary Islands as a Winter Resort (London, 1890; 7s. 6d.); Ward’s Vale of Orotava (London, 1903); C. Piazzi Smyth’s Teneriffe, an Astronomer’s Experiment (London, 1858); and Olivia Stone’s Tenerife and its Six Satellites (London, 1889).

---

Teneriffe, Span. Tenerife, the largest and most populous of the islands, 51½ M. long, 31 M. in breadth, and 781 sq. M. in area, contains about 140,000 inhab., mostly living on the N. coast. The island is composed of three mountain-ranges, chiefly of eruptive rock of a basaltic character, which have been welded together, probably since the miocene period, by great phonolithic and trachytic eruptions. These are the Anaga Mts. on the N.E., the Teno Mts. on the N.W., and the Adeje Mts. in the Bandas del Sur. Beyond the lofty plain of Laguna the Anaga range is prolonged to the Llano de la Maja by the massive Cumbre. In the centre of the island, from the enormous crater-ring of Las Cañadas, and high above the trade-wind clouds, towers the mighty Peak of Teneriffe, or Pico de Teide (12,175 ft.), visible for 100 M. around.

Approaching the island from the N., we first sight the sombre and wildly fissured Anaga Mts. (3406 ft.). We steer past the lighthouse (Faro; 811 ft.) a little to the N.W. of the Punta del Drago, whose light is visible for 40 M., then skirt the rocky E. coast, with the Punta de Anaga and Punta Antequera, and at length cast anchor in the open roads of the bay of Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife.—Arrival. Passengers are conveyed in steam-launches (falúas) or in rowing-boats to the pier (Muelle; Pl. C, 2; landing or embarkation 1 peseta, each trunk 75 c.). The hotels, which send their porters on board, charge 3–5 shillings for the landing and conveyance to the hotel of each passenger and his luggage.

Hotels (often crowded in Feb., March, and April; mostly closed in summer). *Grand-Hôt. Quisisana (Pl. a; A, 1), on the hill-side (about 330 ft.) to the N.W. of the town, 1 M. from the pier, with fine views, R. from 3s., B. 2, déj. 3, D. 5, pens. 12½–15s. (but more in Feb. and March); *Pino de Oro (Pl. b; B, 1), to the N. of the town, ¾ M. from the pier, also finely situated, with a beautiful old park, pens. 8–12s.; Hot. Battenberg (Pl. c; A, 2), in the Paseo de Ronda, below Quisisana. pens. from 9s.—Camacho’s English Hotel (Pl. d; B, 2), Calle San Francisco 11, pens. 9–12s.; Hot. Orotaya (dépendance of the ‘Humboldt Kurhaus’ at Puerto Orotava, p. 39), Plaza de la Constitución, R. 3–6, B. 1, déj. 3, D. 4½, pens. 8–12½s.; Alexandra (Pl. e, B2; Olsen’s), Calle de Alfonso Treceno, pens. from 7½s., commended; Victoria (Pl. f, B 2; Holmström’s), Plaza de la Constitución, pens. 6–8s.; the last four rather plain; wine is always an extra. Table-water, Agua Firgas.

Cafés. Cuatro Naciones, Europa, and Belge, all in the Plaza de la Constitución.

Theatre. Teatro Isabel Segunda (Pl. B, 3), adjoining the market.—Bull Ring (Plaza de Toros; Pl. A, 2), in the Paseo de Ronda; ‘corridas’. mostly in May.—Music in the Plaza de la Constitución (Pl. B, C, 3) and the Plaza del Príncipe Alfonso (Pl. B, 2) alternately, thrice weekly, 8.30 to 10.30 p.m.

Shops. Teneriffe Handiwork (p. 32): Bazar Nivaria, Calle San Francisco 11; Bazar Taoro, corner of Calle San Francisco and Calle San José. Indian dealers offer defective goods (bargaining necessary).—Bookseller: Benítez, Calle San Francisco 6.—Tinned Foods: Quintero & Co., Calle San Francisco 2.—Photographic Materials: Lohr, Calle San Francisco 34; Espinosa, Plaza de la Constitución.

Bankers. Hamilton & Co., Calle de la Marina 15; Miller, Wolfson, & Co., same street, No. 1; Ahlers, same street, No. 31; Dehesa, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 64.

Steamboat Agents. Hamilton & Co. (see above), for the Peninsular & Oriental Co., Union Castle, Aberdeen (Rennie’s), Aberdeen (Thompson’s), Shaw, Savill, & Albion, New Zealand, Hamburg-American, White Star, and other lines; Teneriffe Coaling Co., for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.; Ahlers (see above), for the Hamburg & South American, German East African, and Woermann lines; Elder, Dempster, & Co., Calle de Alfonso Treceno 84, for the Belge Maritime du Congo, the Italian ‘La Veloce’, the Société de Transports Maritimes, and the Vapores Correos Interinsulares Canarios; Viuda é Hijos de Juan de la Roche, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 35, for the Compañía Trasatlántica; Miller, Wolfson, & Co. (see above), for the Servicio de Pailebotes.

Post & Telegraph Office (Correos y Telégrafos; Pl. 3, C, 2), Marina.

Physicians. Dr. Otto, Santa Rita, and others.—Chemist. Serra, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 7.—Baths (baños), Plaza de la Constitución.—Sea Baths (poor) at the pier; better at the Club Tinerfeño.

Cabs (‘coches de punta’; stands in the Plaza de la Constitución and the Plaza San Francisco): drive in the town, each pers. 50 c. (at night one-half more); per hour 1–2 pers. 2 pesetas, each addit. pers. 50 c.; to San Andrés 10 p., to Tegueste or Tacoronte 20, to Güimar 30, to Puerto Orotava 35, to Icod de los Vinos 60 p. (but bargain advisable).

Electric Tramway from the Alameda de la Marina (Pl. C, 2) through the Calle de Alfonso Treceno, viâ Cuesta and Laguna (1 hr.; fare 1 p. 30 c.; change carriages), to Tacoronte (1¾ hr.; fare 2 p. 60 c.). Cars for Laguna hourly from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; to Tacoronte every two hours till 5 p.m. The cars starting at 7 and 3, in connection with the diligence mentioned at p. 37, are usually crowded; motor-omnibus from Tacoronte to Puerto Orotava, see p. 37.

Consuls. British, J. E. Crocker; vice-consul, R. C. Griffiths.—United States, S. Berliner.

English Church in the upper part of the town; service in winter.

English Club (also for temporary members), adjoining the Governor’s Palace (p. 35).

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a fortified seaport with 30,300 inhab., and the capital of the island since 1821 when it superseded Laguna, lies picturesquely in 28° 28′ N. lat. and 16° 15′ W. long., on a bay 3 M. broad between the Valle del Bufadero (p. 36) and the Barranco de Santos, below the spurs of the Anaga Mts. and the plateau of Laguna. Its beautiful patios, or courtyards, recall those of Seville and the flat roofs with their miradores, or belvederes, are reminiscent of Cadiz. The harbour is entered by 3500–4000 vessels per annum. At Regla, to the S. of the town, is a wireless telegraph station.

The town was heroically defended in 1797 against the British fleet under Nelson, who lost his arm here and had to retire after heavy loss. Near the old Citadel (now Cuartel Almeida; Pl. C, 1) stands the saluting battery. The old Castillo de San Cristóbal (Pl. C, 2, 3) now contains public offices.

From the Alameda de la Marina (Pl. C, 2), near the landing-place, we soon reach the Plaza de la Constitución (Pl. B, C, 3) to the S.W., with the Governor’s Palace (Gobierno Civil; Pl. 5, B 2; fine patio), the club-houses, and the cafés (p. 34). On the side next the sea rises the Triunfo de la Candelaria, a column in honour of the Virgin, the tutelary saint of the Canaries (p. 36), erected by the Spaniards as a memorial of their victories, with four Guanche kings as worshippers.

From the S. side of the Plaza de la Constitución the Calle de la Cruz Verde leads to the Iglesia de la Concepción (Pl. B, 3), the principal church in the town, consisting of a nave with double aisles, and situated close to the Barranco de Santos. It was founded early in the 16th cent., but was rebuilt after a fire in 1652. The tower, 181 ft. high, affords an extensive panorama.

Interior. The central chapel of the aisle on the left contains two flags captured from Nelson’s fleet (see above), of which the town is very proud. Here too, by the high-altar, is a stone cross originally erected outside by Al. Fernandez de Lugo (p. 37) in 1494 as a memorial of his victories. The pulpit, in Italian marble, is by Matias Rodriguez (18th cent.). The burial chapel of the artist (entered to the right of the high-altar) contains several pretty, but unfinished carvings in juniper-wood.

Near this is the Mercado (Pl. B, 3), a covered market for fruit and other commodities (worth visiting in the early morning).

From the N.W. angle of the Plaza de la Constitución the Calle San Francisco leads, a few yards farther on, to the church of San Francisco (Pl. 6, B, 2), built in 1680. The tower, inlaid with azulejos, or ornamental tiles, dates from 1777.

The old Franciscan monastery contains at present the Museum with fine art and anthropological collections (new building being erected near the Ayuntamiento, Pl. 1, B 2). Beyond it lies the Plaza del Príncipe Alfonso (Pl. B, 2).

The long Calle de Alfonso Treceno (Pl. B, A, 2), or Calle de Castillo, the main street, connects the Plaza de la Constitución with the pretty Plaza de Weyler (Pl. A, 2). The Paseo de los Coches and the Paseo de Ronda (Pl. A, B, 2, 1), a charming promenade bordered with pepper-trees, oleanders, and geraniums, lead thence to the N. through the villa quarter (Barrio de Ensanche).

Excursions on the E. Coast (cabs, see p. 34). From the Paseo de Ronda we may go past the Pino de Oro Hotel (p. 33), or by the Hotel Quisisana, to the Conduit (llevada), skirt this and the right bank of the Barranco de Almeida, and thus reach the (1 hr.) tunnels, or we may continue our walk to the (3 hrs.) Aguere Springs.—Starting from the harbour the fine coast-road leads to the N.E. to the mouth of the Valle del Bufadero, which lies at the foot of the Anaga Mts. and is defended by a fort; from here we may go on, crossing some barrancos and skirting the rocks, to the dirty fishing-village of (5 M.) San Andrés (poor inn). Thence to the Cruz de Taganana, see p. 37.—Drive from Cuesta (see below) by the Carretera del Sur, a road shaded by tamarisks, to the S.W., along the slope of the bare sunburnt Cumbre (p. 33), up and down hill, through many barrancos, viâ (8 M.) San Isidro to (10½ M.) the so-called Halfway House (tavern; good wine); then through the deep Barranco Hondo, below the village of that name (1310 ft.), mostly through pine-woods (pinal). To our right, on the hill, lies the village of Igueste; to our left, on the Ladera de Candelaria, is the village of Candelaria, with the famous pilgrimage-church of the Virgen de la Candelaria. Lastly we cross a lava-stream from the Garganta de Güimar (p. 40) to (20 M.) Güimar (975 ft.; Hot. El Buen Retiro, with a fine garden, pens. 8–10s., English, good; Pens. Sunnyside, pens. 7s.), a village of 2000 inhab. in a sunny and sheltered site, in the Valle de Güimar. This fertile valley, 3¾ M. in breadth, bounded on the S. by the Ladera de Güimar, and on the W. by the ash-cone of the Arafo and the Monte de Izaña (7380 ft.), yields sugar-cane, oranges, and bananas. Luxuriant vegetation, including gigantic arbutus-trees, is seen also in the Barranco del Rio, to the W., above the village. From the S. end of the village we may reach (ca. 1½ hr.) two cave-dwellings of Guanches (p. 31), now empty, in the upland valley of the Barranco de Badajoz. Route over the Pedro Gil Pass to Orotava, see p. 40; ascent of the Peak of Teneriffe, see p. 41.

The Excursion to the Orotava Valley, the most charming spot in the island, takes 1-1½ days. We go by tramway (p. 34) to Tacoronte and drive thence to Puerto Orotava (see p. 37).

The shadeless and generally very dusty Carretera del Norte, the continuation of the Calle de Alfonso Treceno (p. 35) and Rambla de Pulido, crosses the Barranco de Santos and ascends the N.W. slope of the Plateau of Laguna in windings affording several fine views. The country is parched and scorched in spite of the numerous reservoirs (estanques), but corn-fields, tamarisks, fruit-trees, and relics of prickly-pear plantations are occasionally seen.

3 M. Cuesta (962 ft.; inn). The road to Güimar (see above) diverges here. Farther on, as we approach the cooler and better watered tableland, the vegetation becomes richer.

6¼ M. Laguna.—Hotel. Hot. Aguere & Continental, Carrera 57, pens. 10–12s., good.

Laguna or La Laguna (1740 ft.), once the capital of the Canaries (see p. 34), now a quiet little country-town (pop. 4900), is a favourite summer residence of the wealthier families of Santa Cruz. The old-fashioned houses, as at Villa Orotava, often have pretty, carved balconies; their unglazed windows, closed with shutters only, generally have a postígo, or flap, from which the inmates can view the street.

The Cathedral, founded in 1513 and since 1908 in course of reconstruction, contains the tomb of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, the conqueror of Teneriffe (1493–6). From the Calle Juan de Vera, diverging to the N., we follow the first side-street, the Calle de San Agustín, to the left, to the old Augustinian monastery, once the university, and now the Instituto de Canarias, which contains the Biblioteca Pública (26,000 vols.) and a small natural history collection. To the right, in the same street (No. 28), is the Palacio Episcopal, whose patio is richly adorned with flowers.

From the E. end of the street a few paces bring us to the Plaza de Adelantado, No. 1 in which is the old Palace of the Nava family.

From the S. side of the Plaza the Calle de Santo Domingo leads to the Priests’ Seminary (Seminario Conciliar), once a Dominican monastery. In the side-street opposite No. 30 the second door on the left leads into the garden of a Farm Building (finca) which contains a venerable dragon-tree (p. 30; fee).

The Iglesia de la Concepción, at the W. end of the town, contains a fine carved pulpit.

Excursions. A fine drive (12–15 p.) may be taken viâ (4½ M.) Tegueste and (5½ M.) Tejina, not far from the gloomy Barranco de las Palmas, to (10½ M.) the fishing-village of Bajamar, near the Punta del Hidalgo, a headland which affords a splendid survey of the precipitous N. coast of the island.—We may also hire a mule (6 p.) to take us to the laurel forests of Las Mercedes or La Mina. From Las Mercedes we may ascend past the Cruz el Carmen (about 2950 ft.) with its rich thicket of bushes (Erica scoparia), and past the Cruz de Afur (3405 ft.) to the (3½ hrs.) *Cruz de Taganana (3068 ft.), a splendid point for surveying the great Peak and the E. coast as far as Santa Cruz. We may then descend to the N., through a magnificent old *Forest of Canary laurel, viñatigo (p. 30), tree-heath (Erica arborea), and Pleiomeris, to the village of Taganana (689 ft.), near which the tall pinnacles of the Hombres de Taganana tower above the abrupt rocky coast. Or we may go on to the N.E. to the Cruz del Draguillo (2205 ft.) and descend thence to Igueste and San Andrés (p. 36) on the E. coast.—Another excursion from Laguna is to the (2 hrs.) ancient Forest of Agua García (p. 38) to the W.

Beyond Laguna the High Road, bordered at first with eucalypti, now crosses the plateau of the Rodeos to the Laguna Saddle (2008 ft.; watershed), and descends thence, affording fine *Views of the Cumbre (p. 33), the Peak itself, and its spurs, and passing the hills of Guamaza famed for their view of Tacoronte, to the Bandas del Norte, the far cooler and greener N. coast of the island.

12 M. Tacoronte (1762 ft.; Camacho’s Tacoronte Hotel, on the road above the town, pens. from 9s., good; pop. 4200), beautifully situated, is well adapted for a longer stay. Near it is produced the best wine in the island, and its orange-groves are famous.

From Tacoronte to Puerto Orotava a motor-omnibus of the Grand Hotel (p. 39) plies daily at noon in connection with the tramway mentioned at p. 34 (½ hr.; fare 12 s.); cab, ordered by telephone from Santa Cruz, in 2–2½ hrs., 20–25 p.; diligence (dirty) at 9 and 5, viâ Villa Orotava (3 hrs.; fare 3 p.), to Puerto Orotava (4 hrs.; 4 p.).

Excursions. The road to the N.E. leads past the slopes of the Montaña del Picón, and through the Valle de Guerra, to (7 M.) Tejina (p. 37).—To the N. we may descend (1½ hr.) the precipitous rocks on the Coast (650–980 ft.), where the numerous caves are said to have once been inhabited by the Guanches (p. 31).—To the S.E. lies the (1½ hr.) primæval *Forest of Agua García (2588 ft.), the finest in Teneriffe, with its huge erica trees overgrown with creepers, its venerable laurels, and superb tree-ferns. Specially charming is a sequestered nook at the Madre d’Agua, the source of the water-conduit.

The Puerto Orotava road (conveyance, see p. 37), whence the route to Sauzal diverges to the right a little farther on, passes through wheat-fields, vineyards, and orchards, and is bordered with tamarisks, Canary palms, oleanders, aloes, and hedges of geranium. The steep slopes of the Cumbre are carefully cultivated in terraces up to the evergreen zone of the cloud-region. Fine view of the rock-bound coast and the blue ocean to the right.

15 M. Matanza (1585 ft.; ‘slaughter’), the scene of the last defeat of the Spanish invaders (1494), is now a village of 2000 inhabitants.

Beyond (17 M.) the little town of Victoria (1240 ft.), where the Guanches sustained a decisive defeat in 1494, the road forks. The new road, to the left, crosses the Barranco Hondo, a ravine about 330 ft. deep, by a viaduct (1909); the old road winds down into the Barranco Hondo. The two roads unite at the church of (20 M.) Santa Ursula, a palm-girt village (886 ft.; 2200 inhab.), on the crest of the Ladera de Santa Ursula, noted for its wine. About 1 hr. above it is the farm of La Florida (p. 40).

Beyond the village we obtain a glimpse, and then, at the Humboldt Corner, a full and glorious view of the **Orotava Valley, the Taoro Valley of the Guanches, famed at once for its harmonious outlines, for its superb colouring, and for its luxuriant vegetation. The valley, about 7 M. long by 6 M. wide, probably formed by subsidence, and descending rather rapidly to the sea in terraces, is sprinkled with smiling villages and countless white country-houses, embosomed among palms, pines, orange-trees, rosebushes, and climbing plants, which are abundantly watered by cuttings and conduits descending from the cloud-region. The tropical character of the landscape is enhanced by the extensive plantations of bananas. On the E. and W. the valley is flanked by the lava slopes, about 1000 ft. in height, of the Ladera de Santa Ursula and the Ladera de Tigaiga, and on the S. it is bounded by the Cumbre, with the ‘organ-pipes’ at the S.E. angle (p. 40). Far above its steep banks, but most often concealed by the trade-wind clouds, towers the majestic pyramid of the Peak. In the middle of the valley rise three eruptive cones of recent origin, the Montaña de la Horca (833 ft.; p. 39), the Montaña de Chaves (p. 42), and the Montaña de las Gañanias, which have sent forth lava-streams descending to the sea.

Beyond the Barranco del Pinito the direct road to (24½ M.) Villa Orotava (p. 40) branches off to the left, and 1 M. farther on another road from that town joins ours. We are next carried through deep barrancos by means of cuttings, with their surprising variety of layers of slag and beds of lava, and at the Montaña de la Horca we come to a point where a new road diverges, to the left, for Realejo Bajo (p. 42) and Icod de los Vinos (p. 43). We descend to the right to Puerto Orotava, passing a private entrance to the Grand Hotel on our right.

27½ M. Puerto Orotava.—Hotels (often crowded in March and April). *Grand Hotel (or ‘Kurhaus Humboldt’; about 330 ft.), in a fine open situation on the N. slope of the Montaña de la Horca, with splendid views from the roof-terrace, beautiful grounds, and sea-baths on the Martianez beach (see below), R. from 4s., pens. 12s. 6d.–20s.; for guests ascending the Peak the hotel provides mule, guide, porter, accommodation in the Alta Vista hut, and food for two days for an inclusive sum of 30s. *Hot. Martianez, at the E. end of the town, not far from the sea, once a nobleman’s château, with a charming garden, pens. 12–15s.; Hot. Monopol, Plaza de la Iglesia, R. 2s. 6d.–3s., pens. 8–10s., good (all three under German management); Hot. Marquesa, Plaza de la Iglesia, pens. 5–6s., Spanish, well spoken of.

Post & Telegraph Office, Calle de Quintana, near the Plaza de la Iglesia.

Banker. T. M. Reid, Calle San Juan.—Photographer. Baeza, Calle de la Hoya.—Teneriffe Work. Franken, Calle de Santo Domingo 10.

Physicians. Dr. Lishman, Casa Montaña; Dr. Perez.—Chemist. R. Gomez, Calle de Santo Domingo.

Music in the Plaza de la Constitución.—Sortija Riding (tilting at the ring) in the grounds of the Grand Hotel.

Carriages. To Villa Orotava or Realejo 10 p.; to Tacoronte 20–25 p.; to Icod de los Vinos 25 p.—Omnibus to Villa Orotava twice daily, 1 p.—Mule (mulo) to Agua Mansa 10 p., to Güimar 12½, to the Peak 20 p.—Donkey (burro), 5 p. per day (according to bargain).—Guide to the Peak 20 p.

English Church (resident chaplain) in the grounds above the Grand Hotel.—English Cemetery and others to the W. of the town.

Puerto Orotava, officially called Puerto de la Cruz, the most popular invalid resort in the Canaries, a poor little seaport with 3100 inhab., lies on a delta formed by lava-streams. The Calle San Juan, the main street, in continuation of the highroad, descends, passing near the Plaza de la Constitución, with its garden-grounds, to the Pier (Muelle), whence the produce of the Orotava Valley is conveyed by small boats to the vessels in the roads.

In the Plaza de la Iglesia, to the E. of the Plaza de la Constitución, are the Iglesia de la Peña de Santa Francisca, with its new tower, and the Casas Consistoriales or town-hall, with its old-fashioned wooden balcony.—Mr. R. Gomez, the chemist (see above), possesses a small Guanche Museum (adm. 1 p.).

To the E. of the town a palm-avenue leads along the Barranco de Martianez to the bathing beach (Playa de Martianez). Beyond the ravine, about halfway up the abrupt coast-hill, is the spring called Fuente de Martianez.—A zigzag path ascends to the Sitio de la Paz (492 ft.), once occupied by Alex. von Humboldt (1814), and now containing several memorials of that savant. A cypress-avenue is the sole relic of the old garden (fee).—A beautiful walk may be taken to the Barranco de las Arenas, 1½ hr. to the E.

To the S. the Camino del Puerto (see below) leads past the Observatorio (belonging to the nautical observatory of Hamburg) to the *Botanic Garden (Jardín Botánico or de Aclimatación), laid out in 1788, which, though sadly neglected, contains exquisite flowers, superb magnolias, and fine specimens of royal, Canary, and exotic palms, dragon-trees (p. 30), and fig-trees (Ficus imperialis and Ficus nitida; p. 233).

A dusty road (donkey 3 p.) leads from the cemetery at the W. end of the town to the Finca los Frailes of Dr. Perez, with its splendid avenue of palms. The road ends at the Risco do Burgado, with its fissured lava cliffs, washed by huge breakers.

Pleasant ride (4–5 hrs.; donkey 4, horse 8 p.) by Los Frailes to Realejo Bajo and Realejo Alto (p. 42), returning, above the three eruptive cones (p. 38), viâ Cruz Santa (p. 41), Perdoma, and Villa Orotava.

From Puerto Orotava the dusty roads mentioned on p. 39, besides the Camino del Puerto, the old bridle-path, lead through a garden-like region in 1¼–1½ hr. to Villa Orotava (1080–1480 ft.; Hot. Suizo, pens. 6–8 p., good; Hot. Victoria, same charges; 3600 inhab.) the Arautápala of the Guanches, now the capital of the Orotava Valley. The antiquated little town, which has fallen into great poverty since the decline of the cochineal culture (p. 32), occupies almost the loveliest site in the whole island.

At the E. entrance is the Plaza de San Agustín, with the old Iglesia de San Agustín and a band-stand, whence we have a fine view of Puerto Orotava and the sea. Near it is the Villa of Marquesa Quinta, now owned by Dr. Perez (p. 39), with its beautiful park; on the highest terrace is a marble mausoleum (adm. to both 1 p.).

In the quarter above the Iglesia de la Concepción are several châteaux of the noblesse. On the S.W. side of the town, near the monastery of San Francisco (now a hospital), are two old mansions with very handsome carved balconies (comp. p. 36).

An excursion, attractive in clear weather only, may be made to the farm of Aqua Mansa (3491 ft.), in the S.E. angle of the Orotava Valley, within the cloud-region, 1½ hr. to the S.E. of Villa Orotava. Steep bridle-path; mule, see p. 39. The chestnut and erica woods are succeeded in the Barranco de la Arena by primæval *Pine Forest, near which is an abrupt slope with huge columns of basalt, known as the Organos (organ-pipes). From Agua Mansa we may either ride back by the W. margin of the Ladera de Santa Ursula (p. 38) and the farm of La Florida, or we may cross the Pedro Gil Pass (6522 ft.; the top of the Cumbre, to the S.W., commands a striking view of the E. coast and the Grand Canary) to the grand basin of the *Garganta de Güimar, and along the lava-stream of 1705, past Arafo, to (6–7 hrs.) Güimar (p. 36).

The Ascent of the Peak of Teneriffe, which is fatiguing but without danger, takes two days and should be made in the warmer season (hotel arrangement for the ascent, see p. 39; tariffs for mule and guide, also see p. 39). The excursion affords an admirable insight into the geological structure of the island, while the view in clear weather is of unparallelled grandeur. The equipment most needed consists of riding leggings, an Alpenstock (lanza), stout boots, a lantern, rugs, drinking-water, abundant provisions, grey spectacles or goggles, and lanoline for the face. In the Cañadas (see below) the guides and mule-drivers often refuse their services when snow is falling. The shortest way to the peak is by the bridle-path from Puerto Orotava, viâ Cruz Santa, to the Portillo. In about 10 hrs. we reach the refuge-hut of Alta Vista, the keys of which are brought by the guide. We may afterwards descend to Icod Alto and Realejo Alto (p. 42; about 8 hrs.), where a vehicle may be ordered to meet us; or we may descend viâ the Llano de la Maja to Güimar (p. 36; 10 hrs.).

Our route ascends through every climatic zone in the world. From the tropical region of Puerto Orotava we pass, beyond Cruz Santa (1500 ft.), through the Taoro Basin into the temperate zone, the region of maize and cereals, where numerous cottages are shaded by chestnut-trees. Leaving behind the thickets of Monte Verde and following the Camino del Brezal with its view of the sombre Ladera de Tigaiga (p. 38), we mount, beyond the cloud-region, a wilderness of lava. A most striking change of scenery is observed at the Portillo (6611 ft.), lying a little to the E. of the Fortaleza (p. 42), and forming the entrance to the *Montañas de las Cañadas, the lowest and oldest crater. This enormous basin, 6–12½ M. in diameter, girdles the base of the Peak with its ring-shaped wall of lava rocks (650–1650 ft. high), the continuity of which has, however, been broken by later eruptions. The summit of the Peak is rarely free from snow except in August and September. We now ride across the Cañadas Plateau (midday-rest; view of the Peak), a desolate expanse of pumice-stone, overgrown with scanty Retama (p. 31), and in summer enlivened by a few goats. Here and there it is intersected by huge lava-streams and covered with isolated eruptive cones. The sky is generally cloudless, the sun intensely hot, and the air marvellously clear. At the foot of the lower portion of the Peak, not far from the spur of Los Rastrojos (7562 ft.), begins the toilsome ascent over the grey-white pumice-stone of the Montaña Blanca (8691 ft.) to the saddle adjoining the pyramid-like peak. The zigzag path now mounts the slopes of slag, inhabited by rabbits, mostly between streams of black obsidian, to the Lomo Tiezo. In the midst of the expanse of slag shady resting-places are formed here and there by great blocks of lava, such as the Estancia de los Ingleses (9711 ft.) and the Estancia de los Alemanes (10,018 ft.). Below the spot where the lava-streams unite to form the sickle-shaped Piedras Negras stands the refuge-hut of Alta Vista (10,728 ft.; accommodation for 15 pers. at the utmost, at 5 p. each). From this point we already enjoy, in clear weather, an imposing view of the E. half of the island, of the Grand Canary (p. 43), and even of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (p. 28), a glorious spectacle more particularly at sunset, when the Peak gradually casts its shadow over the sea as far as the Grand Canary.

Next morning we start early. The winding path ascends a field of lava to (1 hr.) the Rambleta (11,713 ft.), the central crater-basin, out of which towers the trachytic cone, covered with pumice-stone, of the Pitón or Pan de Azúcar (‘sugar-loaf’), the summit of the **Peak of Teneriffe, or Pico de Teide (12,175 ft.; ‘peak of hell’). In ½¾ hr. we climb its slopes to the Corona, the very narrow margin of the Caldera, the insignificant highest crater (77 by 110 yds.; 130 ft. in depth), which was still active in the middle ages, but now emits a few jets of steam only from its fumaroles (comp. p. 29). When the horizon is perfectly clear, the eye ranges over an area of some 2200 sq. M.; floating, as it were, in the midst of the boundless expanse of the ocean, the blue of which seems to blend on the horizon with the blue of the sky, we can sometimes see the whole of the Canaries, from Palma, Hierro, and Gomera on the W. to the far-distant E. group. To the W. we look down upon the grand crater of the Pico Viejo (see below), the Chahorra, and the Talus de Bilma, studded with countless coloured cinder-cones. We survey, from the Fortaleza on the N.E. to the Morro del Cedro on the S.W., the ring-shaped wall of the Cañadas, with the pumice-stone wilderness of the Cañadas Plateau and the coloured lava-masses of the Azulejos (see below). The older serrated mountains in the island (pp. 32, 33) and the green basins of Orotava and Icod are generally shrouded by a sea of clouds of dazzling whiteness.

On the Descent, which experts may shorten at first by glissading down the cinder-slopes, we may visit the Cueva del Hielo (11,044 ft.), a fine lava cavern a little below the Rambleta, always filled with ice and water. From the Montaña Blanca (p. 41) we then turn to the N. to the Fortaleza (8300 ft.), the only considerable height on the N. margin of the Cañadas wall. The bridle-path, very steep and rough, next descends to the Corona de Icod (about 2900 ft.), the highest point of the Ladera de Tigaiga (p. 38), falling away to the E. in a huge rocky slope, and again offering a glorious view of the Vale of Orotava. From Icod Alto (1716 ft.) we may descend rapidly to the N.E. to Realejo Alto (see below), or we may wend our way due W. to Icod de los Vinos (p. 43).

Round the Cañadas is an interesting but toilsome excursion. From the Portillo (p. 41) we strike to the S. across the Cañadas Plateau to the rocks of the Risco Verde (7130 ft.), on the E. margin of the encircling wall, where a lava cavern serves for night-quarters. The path then leads to the S.W., skirting the basaltic rock of Las Pilas (7228 ft.), passing below the Espigón Hill, and along the wildly fissured and variegated Roques de la Grieta (7211 ft.), where a new Observatorio has been built near a spring (1909). This brings us to the Guajara Hill (8908 ft.), near the Guajara Pass (see below). Our route, now running to the W., crosses the so-called Azulejos (9400 ft.), a lava wall consisting partly of blue-green rock, and at the Boca de Tauze (7021 ft.) surmounts the huge lava-streams (of 1798 and 1909, comp. p. 29) of the Chahorra (7743 ft.) and the Pico Viejo (10,289 ft.). To the left rises the Morro del Cedro (8000 ft.), the highest hill on the W. side of the crater-wall. From the N.W. side of the Cañadas, whose girdle-wall was here almost entirely destroyed by the numerous cones thrown up in 1705 and 1706, we next reach the *Pinal de la Guancha, the finest pine-forest in the island. Thence we traverse the huge lava slopes of the Lomo de Vega (5168 ft.) to the basin of Icod de los Vinos (p. 43).

A somewhat shorter path from the Portillo, crossing the saddle between the Rastrojos and the Montaña Blanca (p. 41), leads to the S.W., in 3½ hrs., direct to the Guajara Pass (7992 ft.), which gives access to the village of Vilaflor (4842 ft.; inn), finely situated on the S. slope of the girdle-wall of the Cañadas amid pine-woods and luxuriant orchards, and noted for the ‘Vilaflor embroidery’ (p. 32). From the brow of the Llano de los Quemados we overlook the late-volcanic terraces of the Bandas del Sur, which are bare and thinly peopled. A fine excursion from Vilaflor is made viâ Escalona (3750 ft.) and Arona (2198 ft.), with views, towards the W., of the islands of Gomera and Hierro, to the little town of Adeje (935 ft.), situated behind the Adeje Mts. (p. 32; Roque del Carasco, etc.), the ancient Guanche capital of the island. Near it is the *Barranco del Infierno, the upper half of which is the grandest ravine in Teneriffe.

The *High Road, which at the foot of the Montaña de Chaves (p. 38) sends off a by-road to the village of Realejo Alto (1158 ft.), nears the sea at the rocky headland of Rambla de Castro.

At (27½ M. from Santa Cruz) Realejo Bajo (883 ft.) the Ladera de Tigaiga (p. 38) comes close down to the coast. The next stretch of road, as far as (32½ M.) San Juan de la Rambla (2000 inhab.), situated on a recent lava-stream, is particularly fine. It leads past abrupt rocks and through sombre gorges (Barranco de la Torre, Barranco Ruiz), and often through banana plantations and vineyards extending to the cliffs of the coast.

37½ M. Icod de los Vinos (755 ft.; Hot. Inglés, poor), a small town with 2000 inhab., is the chief place in the *Vale of Icod, which is bounded by the Ladera de Tigaiga, the Lomo de Vega, and the Pinal de la Guancha (p. 42), rivalling the Vale of Orotava in fertility and beauty. We enjoy here a magnificent *View of the Peak, towering almost immediately above the coast, between the Fortaleza and the Pico Viejo (p. 42). A garden near the Iglesia Parroquial contains an old dragon-tree. The Guanches’ Cave below the village is not worth visiting (fee 2 p.).

A pleasant way back to the Vale of Orotava is the bridle-path viâ Guancha, Icod Alto (p. 42), and Realejo Alto (p. 42).

---

The Gran Canaria or ‘Grand Canary‘, the second-largest island in the archipelago, nearly circular in form, with 127,000 inhab. in an area of 626 sq. M., lies about 66 M. to the S.E. of Teneriffe. The best-watered and most fertile parts are the environs of Las Palmas, the capital, and the N. coast. The barren brown mountains in the interior, with their sharp outlines, culminate in the Pico de las Nieves (6400 ft.). On every side deep barrancos or ravines descend to the coast, conspicuous among which, as we near the island from Teneriffe, is the Barranco de Tejeda.

The Isleta (748 ft.), the N.E. promontory of Gran Canaria, once a separate island, has gradually been united to the greater island by deposits of sea-sand which form the Istmo de Guanarteme. The Lighthouse (Faro) on the Punta Morro de la Vieja, on the N. side of the Isleta, is the chief landmark for steamers coming from Teneriffe or the N.

Beyond the Isleta, in the Confital Bay opening to the W., lies Puerto de la Luz (Hot. Rayo, with café, pens. 6 p., a very fair Spanish inn; comp. Plan, p. 46), a rapidly rising place, the chief port of Gran Canaria, and the best harbour in the islands. The entrance to it is protected by a breakwater (rompeolas), about 1100 yds. long, and by the Muelle (mole) de Santa Catalina (landing or embarking in steam-launches or small boats, 1 p., trunk 50 c.). The hotel-agents from Las Palmas come on board.

A dusty Road leads from Puerto de la Luz, passing many new buildings, the mineral baths of Fuente de Santa Catalina (near which is the English Church, p. 45), and the large hotels named at p. 44, to (4½ M.) Las Palmas. (Tramway in about 40 min.; fares 20–40 c.; tartana, a kind of dog-cart, 2, with luggage 3–4 p.)

Las Palmas.—Hotels. Santa Catalina, pens. 10–16s., and Métropole, pens. 10–12s., both on the road to the harbour (comp. Plan, p. 46), ca. ¾ M. to the N. of the town, with beautiful gardens towards the sea, tennis-courts, etc.; both closed in summer.—In the town: Hôt. Continental (Pl. c; B, 2), with American bar and pretty garden, pens, from 8s. 6d., and Quiney’s English Hotel (Pl. d; B, 2), R. 4–6, B. 1, D. 5, pens. 10–15s., both in the Plaza de San Bernardo (p. 45), in a quiet and pleasant situation.—Catalan Hotel (Pl. e; B, 3), Calle de los Remedios 8, pens. 6 p., and Cuatro Naciones (Pl. f; B, 4), Alameda de Colón, with café, pens. 6 p., both quite Spanish.—The best table-water is Agua Firgas.