Digital Nomad Guide to the Smaller Canary Islands

For digital nomads thinking about the Canary Islands, Benjamin Rhatigan provides One Planet Journey readers with a comprehensive guide to the smaller islands, Lanzarote, La Palma, El Hierro, and La Gomera. Find raw nature, genuine culture, and a slower pace that wins you over. Perfect if you’re a digital nomad craving deep travel, intentional living and immersive experiences.

Small is beautiful – the hidden gems of the Canaries 

The Canary Islands, Spain’s archipelago off the coast of Morocco, are increasingly on digital nomad radars. But of the 8 islands, only a handful make it into itineraries. Although Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura are still wonderful to visit, experienced digital nomads and remote workers looking for a workation or bleisure trip may find them crowded and less novel.

The real treasures for deep travel – especially for a digital nomad experience – lie in the lesser-known islands of Lanzarote, La Palma, El Hierro, and La Gomera. I’m highlighting these islands not only as alternatives but as richer, more intentional destinations for digital nomads.

The smaller islands have authenticity and soul and are usually no more than a 30-minute flight from their larger brethren. They have more human connection, untouched nature, and stories not yet commodified.

As someone who’s visited all the Canaries multiple times, and even lived on one for a period, I’m here to help explain why the lesser-known Canary islands deserve a spot on the deep-travel, digital nomad list.

Why does deep travel matter to digital nomads on the Canary Islands? 

For our purposes, deep travel connotes immersive, slow, intentional, and culturally aware trips, well-adapted to the digital nomad model. Places where the line between travel and life gets beautifully blurry, and where there are opportunities for extended living, not merely popping in.

While the larger Canary Islands often have an undeserved reputation for inexpensive package holidays and tourists sticking close to generic resorts, the smaller ones organically support an opposite experience.

These islands are more remote, require a bit more effort to reach, and have smaller populations and less infrastructure. But for many, that’s a siren call defining exactly what they’re looking for.

Milos Pelucha, a digital nomad expert, points out that “as more places recognise the potential of digital nomads, and nomads seek to discover offbeat locations, smaller islands attract increasing attention.” According to Pelucha, “the Canary Islands has a reputation as the birthplace of European digital nomadism.”

Nomads need a few non-negotiable basics like Wi-Fi, decent transport, access to supermarkets and pharmacies, etc. Let’s look a little more closely at each of the smaller islands that deliver all that and more.

Lanzarote – volcanoes and visionaries 

Lanzarote is my personal favourite of the Canary Islands. Its incredible blend of lunar landscape, art, and architecture helps it stand out not only for natural beauty but also for cultural relevance.

There are tremendous contrasts. The windswept island is on the eastern edge of the archipelago, one of the older islands which has had more time to erode over eons, flattening volcanoes and mountains. This compared to the “younger,” western islands whose lofty peaks trap moisture sweeping across the Atlantic, contributing to jewel-like rainforest vegetation.

This absence of water gives much of the island its characteristic vistas of bone-dry lava fields; bare rock contrasting with crashing cerulean seas and strong African sun most days of the year.

This landscape remained sacrosanct for Lanzarote’s most important protector: the artist, architect, and designer Cesar Manrique. His vision for the island was to defend it at all costs from overdevelopment, and his work, in parallel to that of the local government, led to regulations that are still in place today, decades after Manrique laid out his original thesis.

Keeping it authentic 

Limitations on construction areas on the island, an absence of highway billboards, strict white-and-green colour regulations plus height restrictions for buildings, and a myriad of other guidelines have kept Lanzarote looking the same since Manrique’s time.

The digital nomad appeal is that Lanzarote has many of the services and sophistication of the larger islands, while still offering deep travel experiences, especially in areas like Famara, Playa Honda, and the island’s capital, Arrecife.

You can access the island’s incredible natural beauty through kilometres of virgin coastline, plus the Timanfaya National Park, one of the few protected areas in the world devoted only to volcanos.

Then, for those interested in Manrique himself, residences where he lived and worked are open to the public, in addition to larger installations like the Jameos del Agua and the Islote de Fermina ocean-fed pool complex.

Lanzarote is also an oenologist’s dream, with the wine region of La Geria utilising a centuries-old grape-growing technique where they plant the vines directly in volcanic ash, watered by overnight moisture trapped in the porous rock, lending a distinctive, mineral taste to the island’s wines.

Pro tips: rent a car if you can and head to the less built up resort areas. There are some great cafes to work in, for example, the semi-outdoor cafeteria in the Islote la Fermina or the rooftop cafe in the Grand Hotel in Arrecife. Also check out Pitaya Coliving if you’re looking for a longer-term spot to stay in with other nomads.

La Palma – sleeping inside the stars 

Known locally as “La Isla Bonita,” the entire island of La Palma is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, ideal for hikers, nature lovers, and astro-tourists.

That latter point is one of the key differentiators for the island. Coded into law are strict regulations against light pollution, encouraging world-renowned astronomical research through several observatories on the island.

I’ve been to La Palma twice, stunned by the thick blanket of stars draped across the island each night. It feels like you’re literally in the middle of the cosmos, and it’s a humbling experience that strips away whatever more pedestrian worries you might be mulling over.

The island was almost completely off the radar until a highly publicised 2021 volcanic eruption attracted more international visitors.

Apart from stargazing, the island is ideal for hikers and nature lovers, with criss-crossing trails and mountains, like the Ruta de los Volcanes trail or the hike to the Roque de los Muchachos observatory.

Pro tips: Los Llanos de Aridane and the capital of Santa Cruz are two of the best-connected digital nomad spots, the former a relaxed, previous hippie enclave and the latter full of colonial-era wooden houses and quaint cafes. Vitamina Cafe in Los Llanos is a brilliant spot to park with a smoothie and a laptop for a spell, while El Cafe de Don Manuel is a beautiful cafe in a tucked-away courtyard. 

El Hierro – the slowest island 

El Hierro is the smallest and least visited island in the archipelago, but certainly caught my attention. It’s for the silence-seekers, the minimalists, those of us who really want to feel that we’ve escaped from it all, to disappear along dramatic cliffs or into ancient forests.

The island is a sustainability paradise, almost completely geothermal- and wind-powered, and is the first island in the world aiming for 100% renewable energy.

El Hierro, known for diving and other water adventures, for example, the natural swimming pools in La Maceta or the diving near La Restinga.

Pro tip: a cool experience overall, but some impracticalities for digital nomads. There’s limited infrastructure, but that’s kind of the point. La Restinga in the south has cafes and restaurants that don’t mind if you set up a mini-office as long as you buy some lunch. 

La Gomera – whistles and rainforests 

Often considered the most cultural of the small islands. Not bad for an article on deep travel. The island has a number of ancient, living traditions matched with spectacular natural beauty.

First off, the “silbo gomero,” a whistled language still taught in schools, used to communicate across vast valleys and distances where normal speech or even shouting is impractical. If you’re a linguistic nerd, welcome home.

My favourite part of the island is the Garajonay National Park, a mossy, UNESCO-listed laurel forest, ideal for digital nomads who are into hiking. There are lots of volunteer opportunities in reforestation and eco-tourism.

Pro tips: similar to El Hierro, La Gomera is better known for its lack of infrastructure, but sports a few co-working cafes in San Sebastian and a ferry from Tenerife makes it easily accessible. In San Sebastian, check out the Bar Restaurante Los Leones and the Asador de Lara for eats. There’s also a great co-living community at Cactus Coliving. 

A practical guide for digital nomads on the smaller Canary Islands 

Transport 

Yes, the islands are out in the middle of the ocean and pretty far south from continental Europe, but they’re anything but inaccessible. Multiple daily flights land in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, while the Canary Islands carriers Canaryfly and Binter Canarias serve La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma.

There are also ferries (Fred Olsen, Armas) between most of the islands if you’re looking for some aquatic bliss for your deep travel.

Where to stay?

Mostly rural guesthouses and eco-stays, with some “hoteles emblematicos” in beautifully restored old buildings. In the tourist areas, a few of the major chains have representation. A handful of co-living communities have popped up as well, but again, confined to the larger islands.

The islands are affordable relative to most of the rest of western Europe, though rental availability can be tight during the high-season (winter) or in more remote areas. Best to book in advance, especially on the smaller islands. 

When to go?

As with many digital nomad destinations, shoulder or off-season is cheapest, April-June or September-November. The weather, near-perfect, is mostly consistent year-round, slightly cooler and windier in winter on most islands, but the brave can swim all year long; you’re on an island paradise. The sun is strong, bring that hat and sunblock. 

Wi-Fi, Language, and Visa in the Canary Islands

High-speed internet is available on the larger islands but appears spotty in more removed spots. Triple-check with your accommodation provider before booking.

Most residents speak at least passable English given the islands’ tourism roots, but it never hurts to pick up a few common phrases to blend in a bit. 

European Union citizens can travel freely to the Canaries, but non-EU citizens remain only for 90 out of every 180 days. The EU border policies have gotten stricter recently, so remember to mark your calendar with your arrivals and departures in order to avoid running into problems. If you want to stay for longer, check out Spain’s popular Digital Nomad visa. 

On the smaller Canary Islands, you don’t just chase Wi-Fi and sun. You choose intention and depth.

Have you been to the Canary Islands as a digital nomad? Which island did you go to? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.