In December 2023 we embarked on a new vanliife adventure to the Canary Islands. To get there we had to take a long 28-hour ferry from Spain to Lanzarote. To get to the Canary Islands with your van or motorhome there are 2 ferry companies that you can choose from. These are Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas and they go from either Cadiz or Huelva in the south of Spain. From here you can go to either Lanzarote, Gran Canaria or Tenerife. For our crossing, we went from Huelva to Lanzarote with Naviera Armas.
The price of the ferry varies based on your own needs and is anywhere between 800-1800 euros each way with a vehicle (van/motorhome). Our booking was at the higher end and included a pet friendly cabin, 2 people and a 6.5m van. The night before our ferry we slept in the car park just outside the port, as expected it was quite noisy but it was worth it for an easy check in the following day.
The pet cabins consist of 2 bunk beds, there is also a small shower room and the shower was surprisingly good with high pressure and lots of hot water.
At the back of the ship there’s an outdoor bar and seating area, there’s also a small pool which at this time of year was empty.
The food was not great but was included as part of our cabin booking. The cost is €17 per person per meal. We’d recommend bringing your own food on board, particularly if you have dietary requirements or preferences as there are very limited options.
If you don’t have a pet cabin, you need to use the kennels which are on the top deck of the ship. You can access these at any time to let your dog in and out, there were a few dogs in there to begin with but quickly most people took them out and just sat on deck with them. It’s worth noting dogs are not allowed in the communal areas inside the ship unless you’re walking them to your cabin.
The area for dogs is in front of the kennels but there’s no specific AstroTurf or enclosed area. This made it difficult for us as the dogs wouldn’t go to the toilet on the metal deck.
Overall the travel experience wasn’t fantastic for us with the dogs, but it was worth it for what waited on the other side.
