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Canary Islands: Day 1
My hike started at a resort town of Maspalomas, and headed straight north. While the first few kilometers were quite boring, they offered a view of nearby protected dunes and a bird sanctuary. After escaping the urban area, the trail headed through picturesque desert valleys with variety of exotic (for a European) vegetation.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Canary Islands: Day 1
My hike started at a resort town of Maspalomas, and headed straight north. While the first few kilometers were quite boring, they offered a view of nearby protected dunes and a bird sanctuary. After escaping the urban area, the trail headed through picturesque desert valleys with variety of exotic (for a European) vegetation.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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A bird sanctuary. A pond of shallow water is surrounded by tall grasses housing a lot of different birds. Some trees and looming hills in the background give the picture an exotic look

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A wall of semi-arid desert valley rising above, overgrown with lots of succulents and bushes 

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A road through a desert area, with mountain tops lit by the setting sun.

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An evening panorama of a mountain valley, with a distant valley wall lit by the setting sun. A road could be seen climbing up the valley,clinging to its side.

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Canary Islands: Day 2
I never get tired of mountain sunrises! The day started with a dazzling mix of pinks and purples.
After a brief stop for lunch at a hamlet of Ayagaures, I have continued to climb the eponymous valley. Soon, cacti and shrubs gave way to fluffy Canary pines.
I've met only a couple of other hikers, and had the trail just for myself.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Canary Islands: Day 2
I never get tired of mountain sunrises! The day started with a dazzling mix of pinks and purples.
After a brief stop for lunch at a hamlet of Ayagaures, I have continued to climb the eponymous valley. Soon, cacti and shrubs gave way to fluffy Canary pines.
I've met only a couple of other hikers, and had the trail just for myself.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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Early morning in the mountains. The walls of the valley lit pink by the sun still hidden behind the ridges.

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A village of Ayagaures is sitting down in the middle of a natural bowl of dark volcanic rock. 

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A panoramic shot of mountain valley covered with rows and rows of Canary Island pines, stretching to the distant horizon.

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A closeup shot of a group of Canary Island pines, with their unique fluffy arrangement of needles. 

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The hamlet of Ayagaures. This was the first place where I encountered the friendly nature of local people.
When I asked to charge my phone at a local bar, the waiter gave me his personal powerbank!
Later on a road, a driver has stopped and offered a me lift. It was hard to explain that I hike across the entire island for fun, and don't need any help.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

# first.items[].contentMap.en
The hamlet of Ayagaures. This was the first place where I encountered the friendly nature of local people.
When I asked to charge my phone at a local bar, the waiter gave me his personal powerbank!
Later on a road, a driver has stopped and offered a me lift. It was hard to explain that I hike across the entire island for fun, and don't need any help.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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A hamlet of Ayagaures. A group of whitewashed houses is sitting along a winding mountain road, surrounded by small groups of trees at the bottom of a mountain valley.

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Canary Islands: Day 3
On this festive Christmas day, following a scenic hike through a mountain pass, I made a stop in the town of Tunte. To my delight and surprise, a bakery was open, even on the holiday!
Refreshed, I ascended the old stairs of the Camino way, leading me towards the magnificent views from the central mountain massif of Gran Canaria.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Canary Islands: Day 3
On this festive Christmas day, following a scenic hike through a mountain pass, I made a stop in the town of Tunte. To my delight and surprise, a bakery was open, even on the holiday!
Refreshed, I ascended the old stairs of the Camino way, leading me towards the magnificent views from the central mountain massif of Gran Canaria.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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A look down a mountain pass at the start of a new day. The sun is waiting the picture in the hues of yellow. The hills in front are richly overgrown with vegetation. The silhouettes of many mountain ridges are stretching on the horizon.

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Midday panorama from one the mountain ridge. The hills and valleys covered with pine forests are stretching into the distance under a clear blue sky.

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An evening sun highlights the twists and folds of the mountainous terrain. A large rock is stand in the foreground, stout, in contrast to the almost flowing terrain behind it.

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A Canary Island pine is seemingly impossibly clinging to the bare rock surface.

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Canary Islands: Day 4
High-altitude pine forests offer both a hiking challenge and a whimsical charm. The forest floor, blanketed with a layer of needles, adds a spring to every step.
And hidden in the northern mountain slopes, there's another ecosystem, unlike the rest of the arid island, where the ground is covered in a carpet of clover and ferns.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Canary Islands: Day 4
High-altitude pine forests offer both a hiking challenge and a whimsical charm. The forest floor, blanketed with a layer of needles, adds a spring to every step.
And hidden in the northern mountain slopes, there's another ecosystem, unlike the rest of the arid island, where the ground is covered in a carpet of clover and ferns.

#GranCanaria #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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A view of the town of Artenara nestled to the side of a pine-covered mountain.

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A mountain vista stretching to the horizon. The mountains are covered in pine trees. A silhouette of Teide mountain on the Tenerife island could be seen in the distance due to clear weather. 

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A high-altitude pine forest, with both grown-up trees, and a lot of small growth, sticking through a think carpet of pine needles on the ground.

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A shady and wet microclimate in the shadows of the northern edge of the mountains. The mountains a sloping down, hiding lush vegetation at their side. A forest on the top of the mountain is lit by the rays of the setting sun.  

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Canary Islands: Day 6
Teide National Park was definitely the highlight of my entire trip! The area is shaped like a giant bowl with curious rock formations and mountain Teide dominating the landscape.

To get there, I first had to ascend almost 1.5 km from the village of Vilaflor. Hence why most guides recommend hiking the route in the opposite direction.

#Tenerife #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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Canary Islands: Day 6
Teide National Park was definitely the highlight of my entire trip! The area is shaped like a giant bowl with curious rock formations and mountain Teide dominating the landscape.

To get there, I first had to ascend almost 1.5 km from the village of Vilaflor. Hence why most guides recommend hiking the route in the opposite direction.

#Tenerife #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography

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A panorama of Teide National Park with a conical shape of mountain Teide in the centre

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An angular blade-like rock formation in a grey high-altitude mountain landscape.

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A multi-layered rock formation in a high-altitude mountain landscape. Despite the warm weather, small patches of ice could be seen in the deep shade.

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A hill of fine dark volcanic sand gives the landscape a moon-like otherworldly look.

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Canary Islands: Final
Riding the high from the Teide National Park hike, the final leg the trip came with a massive mood whiplash. Most the forest to the north of the national park was damaged in a wildfire.
There were a few intact areas and some signs of recovery, but having to walk through a blackened forest for two days was a somber ordeal.

#Tenerife #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Wildfire

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Canary Islands: Final
Riding the high from the Teide National Park hike, the final leg the trip came with a massive mood whiplash. Most the forest to the north of the national park was damaged in a wildfire.
There were a few intact areas and some signs of recovery, but having to walk through a blackened forest for two days was a somber ordeal.

#Tenerife #TravelPhotography #Backpacking #Spain #Photography #Hiking #Walking #Nature #Outdoors #Mountains #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Wildfire

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A pine forest damaged by a wildfire. The trees are blackened, but the signs of new growth could be seen in places.

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A view of mountain Teide from the north, with a pine forest damaged by a wildfire in the foreground.

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A pine forest damaged by a wildfire. The trees are blackened, but the signs of new growth could be seen in places.

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A forest partially surviving the wildfire clinging to the edge of the mountain. 