Jiří Klein | archiv Canaria travel
Everyone probably has some idea about the Canary Islands. But what is really unique about them? We asked Lenka Vikova, founder of the Canaria travel agency, who has been working with this destination for more than 30 years.
Your travel agency, Canaria travel, celebrated 30 years on the market last year. That’s a really long time.
Yes, that’s right, we’ve been around for three decades now. In that time, more than a million clients have flown with us, and I dare say with all humility that over the years we have become true specialists in the Canary Islands. We don’t just sell our clients traditional all-inclusive holidays by the sea; we try to show them how unique a destination the Canary Islands really are. When I look back I recall hundreds of our clients’ stories about falling in love with this destination so much that they decided to spend part of their lives here. And that in itself says a lot. We’ve always wanted to share what we love with our clients and this narrow specialisation combined with our passion gives us the opportunity to offer so much more.
What do you mean by ‘more’?
Thanks to our long-standing personal connections, we can procure just about any service you can think of in the Canary Islands outside of a traditional holiday. We can cover sports outings for professionals or amateurs, large corporate events, incentive programmes and weddings, or our popular exclusive adventure trips. Let me give you an example: at this very moment we are preparing
a unique sightseeing trip to Lanzarote, an island that has an incredible atmosphere. On the tour, we will take the participants through the entire ‘life’ of the island – from its volcanic birth, to the unique architecture of Cesar Manrique, to the best of the local gastronomy and wines. This is the kind of travel that proves that the Canaries are not just about lounging on the beach.
We often think of the Canary Islands as a single island destination. Are there any significant differences between the islands that are talked about?
There are. Huge differences actually! Each island is really quite unique. Fuerteventura will amaze you with its unending white beaches, Tenerife has the majestic Teide, Spain’s highest mountain, and mountain scenery. Gran Canaria is sometimes called the ‘miniature continent’ as it offers everything from sand dunes to green mountains to a cosmopolitan city. Lanzarote, on the other hand, is quite unique in its landscape and architecture. And I could go on and on – each of the islands has its own face, its own atmosphere, and that’s the appeal. Our aim is to show the Canaries from this point of view. To help the destination get under your skin and ensure you realise that you don’t have to fly halfway around the world, because in the Canaries you will find everything from African deserts, to rock massifs, to laurel jungles.
And besides the diversity you mentioned, what are the main highlights of this destination?
By far the biggest highlight is the stable weather, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 29 degrees all year round. In summer, there are no Mediterranean heatwaves, and in winter the weather is very pleasant, similar to our summer. Another huge advantage is political stability. The archipelago belongs to the Kingdom of Spain and therefore the infrastructure, including medical facilities, is the same as in our country. In addition, there are daily flights between the archipelago and the Czech Republic, so you can really fly to the Canary Islands any day you wish.
