MARCH 16 - 23 - GRAN CANARIA, THE MINATURE CONTINENT

Backabush is going to the Canary Islands to hike the volcanic landscapes of Gran Canaria.

Cost - £649. Nights - 7. Group size - 18. Accommodation - Hotels.

Kickstart your hiking season with an injection of spring sunshine by joining us for a week of hiking in Gran Canaria. Known as 'The Minature Continent' this island has a huge diversity of landscapes, even rivaling some continents, hence the name. Everthing from desert like sand dunes to lichen filled cloud forest and rocky mountain peaks, this island has it all.

During our 6 days of hiking we will have the chance to explore a huge variety of scenery the island. We will hike through some of the islands deep gorges as well as through the 'laurisilva' cloud forest and sunny pine woods. Several of our hikes will take us up along the ridgelines of ancient volcanic craters with far reaching views out to the coast and beyond.

ACCOMMODATION

We will be staying in 2 different places on this trip, first we will spend 4 nights in a rural hotel converted from a traditional Canarian house 1500m above sea level in the volcanic centre of Island. From here we can enjoy hikes in the national park to the highest points on the island without driving long distances on the twisting roads.

Then on Wednesday we head to the coast to stay in the island's capital and enjoy 3 nights at a 3 star hotel right in front of one of the best urban beaches in europe. Our beachfront hotel will serve a dinner buffet each evening (included) and we can also take advantage of the rooftop terrace bar overlooking the long sandy bay, a great spot for a sunset cocktail.

Shared twin room - £649
Private single room - £849

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• 7 nights hotel accommodation
• All breakfasts
• 3 evening meals
• An itinerary of organised hikes
• Financial protection in accordance with package travel regulations

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

• Travel insurance
• Packed lunches & 4 evening meals
• Transport on the island - we will help organise hire cars and costs can be shared, historically this has been around £60 each
• Flights to Gran Canaria

DIFFICULTY

On this trip you will need to be capable of walking 9 miles with up to 1000m of ascent and descent each day, the steep nature of this volcanic island means that trails are rarely flat and often exposed or loose underfoot so a good head for heights is also necessary.

RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS

Our airport transfers will be arranged with the following flights, if you choose to book different flight times then please meet us at the airport arrivals at 19:00 or make your own way to the hotel.

Outbound - Saturday 16 March
easyJet EZY8131
Departs LGW Gatwick 14:15
Arrives LPA Gran Canaria 18:40

Return - Saturday 23 March
Vueling Airlines VY6603
Departs LPA Gran Canaria 11:40
Arrives LGW Gatwick 16:00

(There is a return flight to gatwick 1hr later with easyJet if you would rather book a return ticket with the same airline, however at time of writing Vueling is significantly cheaper and includes cabin baggage.)
There are also flights to Gran Canaria from Bristol and East Midlands so it might be worth searching for the most convenient option for you.

HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP

To confirm your place on the trip please use internet banking, please use 'GranCanaria' as your payment reference:

Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622

Only payment secures your place. Your RSVP is not sufficient for us to hold a place for you. Please email nathancapay@googlemail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks. :)