Santa Cruz is one of the Canary Islands’ biggest hitters. It shares its capital city title with Las Palmas, on the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria, and more than lives up to the role. In the space of just a few streets, the bustling port area melts into an inviting old town. A century-spanning mix of church towers and hotels peeks above the rooftops, and the whole town’s backed by the silhouette of a mountain range. You’ll find one of the Canary Islands’ most futuristic buildings by the harbour – the Auditorio de Tenerife, which looks like an edgier version of the Sydney Opera House. At the more historic end of the scale is the Basilica of Candelaria, which is dedicated to the patron saint of the Canary Islands. Further afield, you’ll find beaches hugging the south coast and the mighty Mount Teide rising up in the island’s centre.

• You’ll have to travel to Hawaii to see a volcano that’s taller than Mount Teide. Tenerife’s snow-capped giant is the third highest in the world, when you measure from the ocean floor. Head to the national park that surrounds it, and you can explore the wildlife-lined walking trails.
• Take a drive through the Orotava Valley, stopping at the Humboldt viewpoint. There’s a bronze statue of the naturalist it’s named after – look over his shoulder, and you’ll be treated to panoramic views of the island’s vineyards and banana plantations.

Arrives at 8AM

La Gomera is the Canary Islands stripped bare. Its beaches are quiet, its villages are sleepy and its countryside is fleeced with forests and dramatic mountain ridges. The catalogue of valleys and ravines make the island an obvious choice for walkers. But trekking isn’t the only activity on offer here. Scuba divers can swim through bath-warm waters as they search for tuna, parrotfish and trumpet fish.

• Get your money’s worth from your camera in the Valle Gran Rey. This green ravine is corralled by mountain scenery and it looks out over the sea.
• Lace up your hiking boots for a walk in El Cedro Forest. The pearl in the oyster here is El Chorro waterfall, which is nearly 400 metres tall.
• Chorros de Espina is a natural spring set in the heart of a forest. Legend says, it’s waters are medicinal, and can even make a woman fall in love.

Departs at 3PM

Arrives at 8AM

Sweeter than wine, Madeira’s a fine excuse to binge on beautiful scenery to your heart’s content. Funchal is the island’s capital, a bewitching collection of cobbled streets, quaint museums and buzzing café and restaurant life.

• Get to know Funchal. This spellbinding city is a portion of Portugal sprinkled with a dash of Garden of Eden and Edwardian Britain. The whole place seems to be smothered in vivid bougainvillea, jasmine and other exotic blooms. Don’t miss the covered market, a dizzying montage of exotic fruit stalls and flower-sellers wearing traditional costume. And take a look at the city’s impressive Sé cathedral with its ornate ceiling and artworks.
• If you’re really into blooms, meander around Funchal’s tranquil Botanical Gardens, admiring their dazzling displays of orchids, cacti and Madeira’s iconic dragon trees.
• Take a cable car up to the mountain village of Monte and hurtle back down the cobbles towards Funchal in a wicker toboggan.
• Gaze in awe at the colossal Cabo Girao, one of the world’s largest coastal cliffs. Then take in the simple charms of the quaint fishing village, Camara de Lobos, one of Winston Churchill’s favourite retreats.
• Sign up for a jeep tour to explore parts of the island that are usually off limits.

Departs at 2AM

Arrives at 9AM

Its lunar landscape is legendary, its sun-soaked beaches loved worldwide, and its all-round postcard prettiness powerful enough to draw people back year after year. In fact, there’s not much to dislike about Lanzarote. Soaked in sunshine and dotted with whitewashed villages, it’s got a charm all of its own.

• Behold the world famous Timanfaya National Park, the jewel in Lanzarote’s crown. It’s renowned for its Montanas del Fuego or Mountains of Fire, a huge area of solidified lava dominated by enormous, dormant volcanoes. Breathtaking stuff.
• If you haven’t heard of Cesar Manrique before your trip to Lanzarote, you’ll certainly remember him afterwards. A Lanzarote-born artist and designer, his weird and wonderful artistic creations are dotted all over the island. Discover more at the Cesar Manrique Foundation, the artist’s former home. Built around five cave-like lava bubbles, it’s impressive to say the least and the interior looks like something straight out of Austin Powers.

Departs at 10PM

Arrives at 7AM

Fuerteventura is the Canary Island of choice for beach connoisseurs. Its coastline morphs from the 10 kilometre-long blonde sweep in the Parque Natural de las Dunas to the wind-whipped sands in Playa de Sotavento, which hosts the Windsurfing World Championships every year. Away from the coast, the island’s interior is blanketed with lava fields, euphorbia valleys and clock-stopped villages.

• Take a trip to Corralejo’s picture-perfect beach. Lay back on the 11-kilometre-long stretch of sand, tip-toe over the dunes, or explore the town’s pavement bars.
• If you’re after a spot of relaxation, board a catamaran cruise out into the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll drop anchor at a deserted island, where the beaches are footprint-free.
• Aloe vera has been harvested in Fuerteventura for centuries. You can visit a farm to learn more about the medicinal plant and pick up some products to take home.

Departs at 6PM

Arrives at 8AM

Golden dunes drenched in year-round sunshine. Rugged mountains hiding pretty whitewashed villages. Bays and coves linked together like a magnificent sandy necklace. Nature’s been kind to Gran Canaria so little surprise it lures sun-worshippers back year after year.

• Take a trip to the Bandama crater. Standing over 3,000ft high, it’s one of the few inhabited volcanic craters in the world.
• Discover the island’s cosmopolitan capital, Las Palmas, where chic boutiques and tempting tapas bars are tucked in among some breathtaking architecture. In the old town, or Veguetta district, you’ll come across the Christopher Columbus Museum, which is well worth a visit, too.
• Feast your eyes on the incredible wind-sculpted sand dunes of Maspalomas. Then pick a patch of sand and soak up the sun.

Departs at 11PM

Santa Cruz is one of the Canary Islands’ biggest hitters. It shares its capital city title with Las Palmas, on the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria, and more than lives up to the role. In the space of just a few streets, the bustling port area melts into an inviting old town. A century-spanning mix of church towers and hotels peeks above the rooftops, and the whole town’s backed by the silhouette of a mountain range. You’ll find one of the Canary Islands’ most futuristic buildings by the harbour – the Auditorio de Tenerife, which looks like an edgier version of the Sydney Opera House. At the more historic end of the scale is the Basilica of Candelaria, which is dedicated to the patron saint of the Canary Islands. Further afield, you’ll find beaches hugging the south coast and the mighty Mount Teide rising up in the island’s centre.

• You’ll have to travel to Hawaii to see a volcano that’s taller than Mount Teide. Tenerife’s snow-capped giant is the third highest in the world, when you measure from the ocean floor. Head to the national park that surrounds it, and you can explore the wildlife-lined walking trails.
• Take a drive through the Orotava Valley, stopping at the Humboldt viewpoint. There’s a bronze statue of the naturalist it’s named after – look over his shoulder, and you’ll be treated to panoramic views of the island’s vineyards and banana plantations.