Island Hopping in the Canary Islands
From Fuerteventura to Gran Canaria
Charlie had been spending yet another great week at the Billabong Surfcamp in Corralejo for New Year’s Eve. This time had been a little different because of COVID-19: Less party, more surf! After a week in Corralejo, Charlie was going to spend the rest of the winter in the Canary Islands. First up on her list was Gran Canaria. She had booked a coliving with a coworking space in Las Palmas. She would share an apartment with other digital nomads for a whole month.
You could easily get a flight between the Canary Islands, but Charlie wanted to take the ferry to enjoy a bit more time in the sun. Most of the ferries to Gran Canaria leave from the south of Fuerteventura, Morro Jable. From Corralejo, that would be easily 3 hours on public transport. Charlie found an alternative connection from Puerto del Rosario which was only 40 minutes away. She took the ferry on the first weekend in January.
Naviera Armas
Charlie had booked the ferry via directferries.com, the company she travelled with was Naviera Armas. She had taken such a ferry a few years ago for a trip from Fuerteventura to Lanzarote and knew that she’d be in good hands.
Charlie was travelling for a few months and had a bit more luggage than usual and was unsure how it would work on the ferry. It turned out to be really simple. There was a van waiting outside the ferry next to where foot passengers would board. Charlie could leave her luggage with them, and it would be brought onto the ferry for her.
On the ferry, Charlie got a coffee and took a seat outside. It was warmer than she expected. She walked up to the rail and watched the coast of Fuerteventura getting smaller and smaller as the ferry took off to the sea. Some elderly men were chatting in the background and Charlie could hear that they were locals. They were lorry drivers who brought fruits and fish from one island to the other. One of them approached Charlie and started talking to her. They had been worried that she might want to jump. She explained that she simply enjoyed the view.
She took a lot of photos of the Eastern and Southern coast of the island. Once they had reached the most Southern point, she put the camera away and went up to the deck of the ferry. There was a pool (although without water) and some sunbeds. There was barely any wind, and the sun was shining. Charlie took her jumper off and slept a bit in the sun.
She walked back down a little later and got another coffee. She took a seat at the back of the ferry again and slowly started sipping her hot drink. She watched out to the sea and suddenly saw something coming out of the water and jumping back in: dolphins! She saw two of them appear in the air and disappear back into the water. The moment was too quick to take any pictures, but it was impressive to see.
Arrival in Gran Canaria
After 5 hours on the ferry, she arrived at the harbour of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. All foot passengers were guided out, took a bus and picked up their luggage again. It was similar to the arrival at an airport. There was a taxi rank just outside the ferry terminal and Charlie didn’t even have to wait for one. She took the cab towards the city. She had booked a room in a coliving in Las Palmas called The Roof. It was a 10-minute ride and cost €8. Once there, she met Nic, Tom, Julien and Giulia whom she would share the penthouse flat with for the next 4 weeks.
Charlie had already been added to their WhatsApp group a few days earlier and they had made a booking at an Escape Room. They did very well considering that they had only just met. They made it out in time at Way Out Las Palmas. They bought some groceries on their way home and finished the evening off with a barbecue on the roof terrace.
