In 1832, a wooden ship furled its sails and dropped anchor among a remarkable cluster of volcanic islands. On board was a young English naturalist eager to set foot on an archipelago that had ignited his imagination. The ship was HMS Beagle, the naturalist was Charles Darwin, but the islands were not the Galapagos — they were the Canaries.

The stark contrast between the modern Canary Islands — with their high-rise hotels and gaudy tourist traps — and Darwin’s insistence that they were “one of the most interesting places in the world” seems laughable.

Tenerife, the largest island, has a well-earned reputation as a cheap and tacky annual destination for 10 million European package tourists. The island’s most popular resorts, such as Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos in the southwestern corner, are paradise for vacationers looking for raucous fun in the sun but can be a nightmare for travelers searching for cultural and scenic fulfillment.

Yet when you leave behind the thumping sound systems of the 24-hour bars and the beaches paved shoulder-to-shoulder with pink sunbathers and the crowded hotel pools, you soon find quiet country roads rambling through a landscape that resembles, by turns, mainland Spain, Hawaii, North Africa and — at the upper elevations — the moon.

The highest point is the 12,000-foot summit of Mount Teide, Spain’s tallest mountain and the third-largest volcano in the world. From the top (provided the mountain is not wearing its regular ruff of cloud) there is a breathtaking view of the entire expanse of Tenerife, of the islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma to the west and of Gran Canaria to the east. The two other major Canary islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, lie low beyond Gran Canaria. Sixty miles beyond them is the coast of Morocco.

The encompassing panorama of the Canaries is not the only amazing view on offer from Mount Teide. Since 1964, the mountain’s heights have been the location of the Teide Astronomical Observatory. Its powerful telescopes provide a window on the entire universe.

Humans have lived in the Canary Islands since around 200 B.C. The original inhabitants were known as the Guanches — Men of the White Mountain — and are thought to have arrived from North Africa.

At Guimar, on the eastern slopes of Mount Teide, explorer Thor Heyerdahl discovered a complex of flat-topped pyramids that he claimed provided evidence of contact between the Guanches and the Mayans of Central America. Recent research suggests these stone structures may have been agricultural terraces from the 1800s. Visit the site and draw your own conclusions.

The most ghoulish legacy of the Guanches can be seen at the Museum of Nature and Man in Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. For centuries they practiced mummification, burying the preserved bodies in caves. Withered Guanche mummies are on display in the museum, along with a wealth of excavated artifacts.

The city of Santa Cruz is testament to Spain’s long influence in the Canaries. The Spanish conquered the islands during the 15th century and have ruled here ever since, bringing with them an enduring passion for late nights, siestas and fiestas. The best fiesta of all is the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, held annually in the week before Lent. For noise, color and riotous celebration, it rivals even the Rio Carnival.

In keeping with many cities in Spain, Santa Cruz is an exhilarating mix of tradition and modernity. In the shaded backstreets you can find Baroque churches and colonial townhouses dating to the 17th century, while on the waterfront the city has acquired a brand-new architectural icon that looks like a deconstructed version of Sydney Opera House.

This is Tenerife Auditorium, designed by the renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. Immediately beyond it, ferries shuttle in and out of the harbor, plying the route between Tenerife and the neighboring island of Gran Canaria. In doing so, they are not just crossing a 40-mile stretch of water, but also are traversing a political gulf that has polarized the two islands for centuries. The rivalry is so intense that they cannot bear to coexist within the same province of Spain.

Since 1927, the Canaries have been split into two administrative provinces. Santa Cruz de Tenerife gives its name to a province that incorporates Tenerife itself as well as the green, precipitous islands of La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro.

These three islands off Tenerife’s western shore have escaped the ravages of mass tourism, largely due to their impenetrable geography. They are each flanked by severe cliffs which occasionally give way to secluded coves. What they lack in glitzy resorts and frenetic nightlife they make up for in the rugged beauty of their wild interiors. You’ll want to pack your hiking boots as well as your swimsuit.

La Gomera is easily accessible by jetfoil from Tenerife, arriving at the attractive town of San Sebastián, with its On the quayside, you can gaze out to sea and vividly imagine the fears that must have tormented him on the eve of his voyage into the unknown.

The hinterland of La Gomera has changed little since Columbus stood here. He may even have heard for himself the unique whistling language — Silbo — used by the locals to communicate across the windswept valleys.

La Palma, “The Pretty Island,” lives up to its billing. For its surface area, it is the world’s steepest island, dramatically rising to a height of 7,949 feet. Its interior is particularly beautiful, riven with hidden valleys cloaked in pine forests and banana plantations. The black-sand beach at Puerto Naos is the ideal spot to soak up some rays between mountain treks.

El Hierro is the smallest and least-visited of the principal Canary Islands. The entire island is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is a rewarding retreat for those wishing to leave the modern world behind.

At the other extreme — and across the political divide that severs the archipelago — is Gran Canaria, home to half the resident population of the Canaries. This large, circular island (originally known as El Rondo) is fringed with gorgeous sandy beaches and huge holiday resorts. The majority of visitors confine themselves to the shore, which is their loss. With good reason, the inhabitants claim that their island is a “continent in miniature.” The question is: Which continent?

Among the dunes of Maspalomas in the south you could be in the Sahara. Some of the highland valleys have the misty lushness of the Himalayas, while others exhibit the cacti-studded aridity of New Mexico. Culturally, the capital, Las Palmas, is as eclectic as the island’s geography, drawing its population from Spain, India, South Korea, South America, Russia and West Africa, among other places.

To the east of Gran Canaria, the large islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote arecharacterized by desert landscapes sparsely covered in prickly vegetation. The best beaches are in the south of Fuerteventura, lapped by azure water reminiscent of the Caribbean, while the interior of that island has strong echoes of nearby Morocco.

Adjacent Lanzarote is otherworldly. The rust-red hinterland is dotted with more than 300 volcanic cones and is disrupted by black lava fields. Belying its forbidding appearance, this landscape is remarkably fertile and supports the main wine region of the Canaries. Lanzarote’s vineyards are not exactly conventional — each vine is protected from the wind by a half-moon stone wall.

After island-hopping around the Canaries, you will have no doubt Charles Darwin’s assessment was right. Collectively, they are one of the most remarkable places on the planet. You will therefore be able to appreciate the overwhelming disappointment that Darwin felt when, due to quarantine restrictions, the Beagle was forced to sail away before he had the chance to step ashore.

Info To Go

There are no direct flights to the Canary Islands from the United States. Tenerife (TFN and TFS), Gran Canaria (LPA), La Palma (SPC), Fuerteventura (FUE) and Lanzarote (ACE) airports are served by flights from many European cities, with London Gatwick (LGW), Madrid (MAD) and Amsterdam (AMS) among the most convenient for trans-Atlantic travelers. La Gomera and El Hierro are served by flights and ferries from neighboring islands. Visit www.turismodecanarias.com.

Diversions

Mount Teide dominates the western half of Tenerife. Its slopes are crisscrossed by a network of 50 trails that provide endless hiking options, or you can scale the mountain the easy way, by cable car. The Mount Teide Cableway (www.teleferico-teide.com) takes you close to the top of the mountain in just eight minutes, though you might have to queue for an hour or two to board one of the 35-passenger cable cars. The top of the mountain can be extremely cold, so take warm clothing, and try not to gaze too smugly at your shivering fellow tourists who make the journey in shorts and T-shirts. Only 150 people are allowed to trek from the upper cable station to the summit each day; arrange your permit in advance from the office of Servicio de Uso Público in Santa Cruz. While in Cruz, be sure to visit the Museum of Nature and Man (www.museosdetenerife.org), with its excellent displays devoted to the Guanche people. The Military Museum is also worth a visit — exhibits include the cannon that blew off Admiral Horatio Nelson’s right arm.

There are abundant natural attractions on La Gomera. Some of the best hiking is within the dense forests of Garajonay National Park. If you want to find out more about Silbo, the whistling language, ask locally about the Silbo classes that take place regularly around the island. Visitors are welcome.

La Palma is the most volcanically active of the Canaries. In Caldera de Taburiente National Park you can walk within a six-mile-wide depression that was caused when one of the largest volcanoes caved in on itself. On the nearby peak of Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma’s own observatory (www.iac.es) has trumped the observatory on Tenerife by installing the world’s largest telescope. Private visits can be arranged in advance during the summer months — book early.

Geologically, El Hierro is the youngest island. It is a self-styled eco destination and offers great inland hiking as well as the best scuba diving in the Canaries. At the outdoor Guinea Eco Museum in the center of the island you can visit the remnants of several ancient houses and also witness a captive breeding program for the endemic El Hierro giant lizard.

Gran Canaria offers all the facilities and attractions you’d expect of a major package tourism destination, from watersports to theme parks. Sioux City (www.siouxcity-grancanaria.com) is the most bizarre of the theme parks, offering a “genuine” American Wild West experience. Mundo Aborigen (www.mundoaborigen.com) has more authentic cultural credentials, featuring a recreation of a Guanche village.

One of the prettiest spots on Fuerteventura is the palm-shaded inland village of Betancuria, which sits oasis-like within the arid heart of the island. Off the northeast tip of Fuerteventura, Isla de Lobos makes for an interesting half-day excursion for birdwatchers and also offers the opportunity for scuba divers to swim among hammerhead sharks.

If Lanzarote looks vaguely familiar, that could be because of its backdrop role in movies such as One Million Years B.C. Filmmakers and artists have long been inspired by the dramatic landscape, none more so than the native-born genius César Manrique (1919–1992), who is to Lanzarote what Gaudí is to Barcelona. Manrique’s distinctive buildings dot the island, and his home has been turned into the César Manrique Foundation (www.cesarmanrique.com), where you can view an unrivaled collection of his paintings and sculptures.

Lodging

Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque, Tenerife
This 5-star in the relatively quiet resort of Costa Adeje is inspired by 19th-century Canarian architecture and opens onto an attractive public beach. Av. Bruselas, Costa Adeja, Tenerife, tel 34 922 746900, $$$$.

Hotel Casa del Embajador, Lanzarote
This 13-room family-run hotel occupies a diplomatic residence of the early 1900s. No pool, but it’s close to the beach of Playa Blanca. Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, tel 34 928 519191, $$.

Hotel Jardín Tecina, La Gomera
Comfortable retreat with spacious rooms set within luxuriant gardens is an ideal base for heading into the interior. Pool has views of Mount Teide. Playa Santiago, La Gomera, tel 34 922 145850, $$.

Dining

La Bocaina
A local favorite for more than four decades. British chef Paul Ecob and his wife, Nina, offer a modern European menu. Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, tel 34 928 518388, $$$

Marqués de Oristano
If rabbit served with marmalade sounds good, head to this popular restaurant, which adds a gourmet twist to Gomeran specialties. 24 Calle Real, San Sebastián, La Gomera, tel 34 922 141541 $$$

La Vieja
Fresh seafood in a seafront location. The head chef, from Galicia, Spain, favors the unfussy cuisine of that region. Av. Las Gaviotas, La Caleta, Tenerife, tel 34 922 711548, $$$