The volcanic crater of Mount Teide, the major landmark of Tenerife, was designated as a national reserve in 1954 along with the Taburiente crater on La Palma. Teide is the third tallest volcano in the world (after two in Hawaii) and its 3,718-metre peak is the highest in the whole of Spain. The Caldera del Taburiente on La Palma is the world's largest erosion crater with a diameter of nine kilometres and a depth of 770 metres.
Teide (pronounced "Tay-dee") or Pico del Teide (traditional English: the Peak of Tenerife), is a volcano on Tenerife, Canary Islands. At 3,718 m (12,198 ft) above sea level - (the actual summit stands 3 m (10 ft) higher than the triangulation station and associated bench mark which has an altitude of 3,715 m (12,188 ft) ), and approximately 8,000 m (26,000 ft) above the adjacent sea bed, it is the highest mountain in Spain and the highest mountain in any Atlantic island. The island of Tenerife itself is the third largest volcano by volume on Earth making Tenerife the third largest volcanic island on Earth. Teide is also the third highest volcano on a volcanic ocean island. Due to its eruptive history and location close to population centres, the volcano has been designated a Decade Volcano worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters.
In June 2007, it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
La Gomera Island
Few places in the world can match the astounding natural beauty of La Gomera. This circular volcanic island has a surprising variety of contrasting landscapes that are informed by its singular prehistoric character. In particular the Garajonay National Park, which was declared a Mankind Heritage Site by UNESCO, in 1986, offers an unprecedented range of breathtaking gorges, grand rock monoliths, crystal clear waters and lush laurel forests. This ecological treasure is, after El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands and is the centre of the westernmost islands, with a surface area of just 378 square kilometres. Access to La Gomera is facilitated by the many ferries and jet foils that run regularly from the harbour at Los Cristianos on the neighbouring island of Tenerife
Garajonay is a 40 sq km of thick sub tropical forest, located in the crater of the volcano that formed the Island of La Gomera about 2 million years ago. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1986.
Lanzarote's Timanfaya Park was declared a national reserve in 1974 and the island as a whole, which has one of the most extraordinary volcanic landscapes on the planet, has been designated a globally-protected "Reserve of the Biosphere" by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). The island has eerie fields of petrified lava, beaches of black volcanic sand and vineyards growing in the very bowels of volcanic craters. This is a place where restaurants grill meat on volcano-powered barbecues!
