La Graciosa, the eighth Canary island, where the streets are sand

For decades the Canaries were 'seven islands'. La Graciosa counted as a dependency of Lanzarote, even though hundreds of people lived there. In 2018 the Spanish Senate recognised it as the archipelago's eighth inhabited island.

About seven hundred people live there, nearly all in Caleta de Sebo. The streets are not paved: they are sand, and you get around on foot, by bicycle or in the licensed four-wheel drives. There are no hotels in the usual sense, only rental houses and a small campsite.

How the day works

The ferry leaves from Órzola and takes half an hour. Day visitors usually hire a bicycle at the harbour and head for Playa de las Conchas on the north side, or the closer, more sheltered Playa Francesa.

The island is part of the Chinijo Archipelago Marine Reserve, the largest in Europe. Bring water: outside Caleta de Sebo there is nothing, and there is no shade.

Sources: Cabildo de Lanzarote; Reserva Marina del Archipiélago Chinijo, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación.