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Walking through Teno is like finding an island within an island. This mountainous area, at over 1,300 metres above sea level, covers the extreme eastern part of Tenerife and is almost completely surrounded by the sea. In fact, in the distant past Teno was a small separate island, which then joined with other sections to become a single mass of land that is today called Tenerife. This relative geographic isolation has meant the ravines and narrow valleys have conserved a unique biodiversity, architecture and set of customs and habits, which you probably won't find in the Tenerife of mass tourism and populated resorts.

The Tamadaba Natural Park is one of Gran Canaria’s most pristine areas. Its 7,500 hectares stretch from the highlands down to the coast in the fast west of the island within the Unesco Biosphere Reserve. You can choose between forests of indigenous Canary pine trees, the steep, almost inaccessible, cliffs of the west coast and the rich biodiversity of its valleys.

Those who still doubt that there is no better artist than nature herself should visit this landscape of incredible random shapes hidden the highest slopes in the south of Tenerife. The Lunar Landscape is formed by numerous conical shapes with a stylised appearance that looks, for all the world, like a very modern cathedral. Over thousands of years erosion has chiselled the slopes and the thousands of beige layers of fine volcanic ash. The result is a spectacular sight which is out of this world – hence the name.

The Cumbre Vieja National Park extends from the centre to the south of La Palma. Here you can see some of the oldest, prehistoric lava flows to the most recent, including the eruption of the Teneguía volcano in 1971. Some of the volcanoes in the Cumbre Vieja National Park are home to a diverse range of protected plant and animal species. The pine trees that occupy a fair part of the park contrast well with the dark colour of the volcanic earth to create a magnificent landscape.

The Las Niñas reservoir is a great spot for anyone looking to spend the day surrounded by nature in the centre of Gran Canaria. This man made reservoir is surrounded by pine forest and has a large recreation area with tables, barbecue stations, bathrooms and parking. It also has a camping area. Several hiking trails run through the area and allow you to explore the reservoir and surrounding area.

The Frontera Rural Park is a large area where nature and rural tourism are combined in the youngest of the Canary Islands. El Hierro is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve and at 268 square kilometres is the most western and southern of the Canary Islands. It’s also the point where, centuries ago, the world ended as far as the European cartographers were concerned. The southern and western part of the island is a rural tourism idyll: Frontera Rural Park, where man and nature still co-exist in peace.

Located in the east of Tenerife, the Special Natural Reserve of the Malpaís de Güímar is one of those zones that look like they have been plucked straight from a science fiction film. The land is practically desert and combines the black of solidified lava with red sand, leaving visitors believing that they are on another planet. The areas where you can see where the hardened lava flows sprouted through the fissures of the Montaña Grande are especially interesting to see.

On the west coast of Lanzarote, near Yaiza, we come across a very contrasting landscape. Here, the crater of an extinct volcano submerges into the Atlantic ocean forming a lagoon known as the Charco de los Clicos (Green Lagoon), declared a Natural Reserve. Its green colour, caused by the algaes at the bottom, contrasts with the blues of the sky and sea and the black sand on the beach known as El Golfo which is just 100 metres from the lagoon.

North Gran Canaria is home to one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in the Canary Islands due to its huge size: The Cenobio de Valeron. This giant communal granary was used by the pre-Hispanic Canarians to store their staple food. It consists of over 300 grain silos cut into the soft rock and linked on several levels. It’s was a significant engineering feat and worth a visit due to its cultural and historical value to Gran Canaria.

The best proposals and plans to do during the month of September in the Canary Islands