Insulele Canare, Spania

THIS MUNTOASE ISLAND WITH A SURFACE OF 2,000 KM2 is divided into two: the southern coast, very developed, with a dry climate and golden beaches; and the northern coast, wetter, windy, where the black sandy beaches at the foot of steep cliffs remind you of the volcanic origins of the island, these two areas are the highest peak in Spain, Teide, permanently covered by snow, at 3,718 m.

The capital and main port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in the south-west corner of a spectacular bay. The February carnival here is the most exuberant in Spain. It rivals Auditorio (opera) in Santiago Calatrava, worth $ 90 million, with its 330 m high vault (www.calatrava.com). A new seafront promenade is the work of Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron, whose contemporary art center (Instituto Óscar Domínguez) and botanical garden are underway. Do not miss the hospital turned into the excellent Museo Arqueológico (Calle Fuente Morales, tel 922 53 58 16, closed on Monday). 8 km further to the northeast is the Playa de las Teresitas, a golden slate of golden sand in the Sahara, with great seafood in the port of San Andrés. For the historical past, go to La Laguna, the first capital of Tenerife, now a university town with many museums and very beautiful houses.

In much more optimistic tones is the green of Puerto de la Cruz, the oldest resort in Tenerife. It bloomed in a mirage of hotels built on the lava rocks. And it is better at Lago Martiánez, a series of saltwater pisces, made by César Manrique, a Lanzarote artist to harmonize with the lush vegetation and volcanic rocks. You can enjoy several subtropical plants at the Jardín de Adimatación de La Orotava, a 18th-century botanical garden.

All of the beautiful surroundings of La Cruz include Valle de La Orotava, a divide from Teide to the waterfront. A 27 km drive leads to the Mirador de Humboldt (named after the German naturalist Humboldt pexander), giving you impressive views of the bankers' seafood. The nearby town of La Orotava is a jewel of traditional houses with wooden façades, with balconies with lattices and shady patches. Do not miss the Baroque church of La Concepción, the beautiful Casa de los Balcones, actually two 17th-century houses built of tea tree (a local pine species), or the museum of crafts housed in a 17th- century, Museo de Artesanía Iberoamericana.

42 km southwest of La Orotava, the road winds down to the Parque National del Teide, declared in 2007 as a world heritage site and where you enter another lunar world.

The Cañadas del Teide is a volcanic plateau and a former crater with a circumference of 80 km. Here, the whims of mineralogy have left bright layers of turquoise iron oxide. Los Roques de García, like sculptures in the lava stone, is near the only building of the park, the parade, where there is an information center. You can take a cable car off the C821 road, just below the slope, or you can climb for 5 hours. You can see the Teide violets, Teide daisies, and Teide blues. Join daily hiking at the El Portillo Passport.

On the northern coast, 22 km west of Puerto de la Cruz is Icod de los Vinos, once famous for the Malvasia wine production, which has been revived successfully after centuries of oblivion. The city also has a traditional architecture, baroque churches, lush vegetation, good traditional restaurants, and the dragon tree (named for its nodular, monstrous appearance), a thousand years old. Slow development and inclination for wild places make this town a very rare place and it is hoped to keep it as long as possible.