Canarian Flavours All Inclusive Cruise – Gran Canaria

As you arrive in Funchal on a cruise, your ship will cast anchor in a bay protected by mountains rising straight up behind the port. The name, Funchal, derives from that of the fennel plant, the funcho still used today in the traditional sweets known as rebuçados de funcho, that one can find anywhere on the island of Madeira.

You can visit the town centre, to visit historic churches, from the A Sé Cathedral, with its inlaid ceiling, to the majestic Church of the Incarnation, to the church of Carmo without a vault.

Another option will take you up to the village of Monte, from where one can admire a spectacular view of the Funchal bay. You can visit its 18th century church and the tomb of the last Austrian emperor, Charles I, and stroll around the magnificent botanic gardens. But if you like heights, there’s nothing more impressive than the Cabo Girão and its 589 metre tall cliffs, amongst the highest in the world, at the foot of which lie the cultivated lands known as Fajãs do Cabo Girão.

If you’re looking for an equipped beach during your cruise, another excursion will take you to Machico. Founded in the 15th century, it hosts the oldest religious building on the island, the Capela dos Milagres, and the fortresses of São João Baptista and Nossa Senhora do Amparo built in the beginning of the 16th century.

The more lively tourist attraction is instead in Calheta, on the south-west coast. Splendid yachts cruising across the Atlantic are moored in the port and if you want to go for a swim there are two beautiful beaches of golden sand; in spite of the modern structures Calheta dates back to the mid-15th century. This is where they make the “Aguardente”, the best white rhum, and fundamental ingredient of Madeira’s typical drink, the “Poncha” .

A visit to Arrecife, Lanzarote, will literally sweep you away into another world. When you step aground from your cruise you will find yourself in a lunar landscape created by the coming together of the ocean and the lava. Hard to forget. It is the volcanic nature of the Canaries that makes this a unique land.

Arrecife appears from the distance as a row of little white houses along the coast as your cruise approaches the island. Looming over the port is the Castillo de San Gabriel built in the 16th century but many times restored, which now hosts a museum like the other fort in Arrecife, the Castillo de San Jose.

The town is a quiet location where one can enjoy a pleasant stroll but if you’re looking for something more exciting you should book an excursion to the Timanfaya National Park to take a close look at the volcanic activity that has shaped the hills, canyons and the strange rocky formations that characterize the island. Here Stanley Kubrick filmed some scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Timanfaya volcano is still active.

Fuerteventura, the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, sits in the Atlantic Ocean 100km off the north coast of Africa. It’s known primarily as a holiday destination due to its white-sand beaches and year-round warmth cooled by constant winds. The multitude of beaches that wrap around it are interrupted by cliffs and sheltered coves. It’s popular for water sports, especially surfing, windsurfing and waterskiing.

Following your cruise, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Ireland.