I’ll tell you what souvenirs from the Canary Islands you can bring as gifts for colleagues and friends. Where to buy them, how much they cost, and what to bring from Tenerife or Gran Canaria. In fact, most souvenirs on all the islands are the same, but there are some small differences. You’ll learn more about all of this from the article.

Souvenirs from the Canary Islands: General Information

Here are a few general points about the souvenirs across the entire Canary archipelago.

  • There are 2 million people living in the Canaries, with over 14 million tourists visiting annually. Tourism contributes 60 to 80% of the islands’ GDP.
  • The variety and quantity of souvenirs on the Canary Islands are simply enormous.
  • However, much of it is mass-produced and repetitive. You might find the same magnet on every island, just with a different island name on it.
  • In addition to the mass-produced items, there are also plenty of handmade souvenirs in traditional styles. An interesting article about the history of the Canary Islands will answer many questions and help understand the popularity of certain souvenirs, which I’ll discuss below.
Souvenirs from the Canary Islands
I recommend the Spanish Style stores, which offers a wide selection of Canary Islands souvenirs and other products, especially local alcohol. There’s also a large network of great souvenir shops called Cactus – also offering a huge selection but without alcohol. You can find them in popular resorts on any island.

Main Tip:

The choice of souvenirs is vast, with plenty of magnets, plates, and mugs. If you find something you like, buy it. Prices are more or less the same everywhere. Plus, finding the same souvenir elsewhere is not guaranteed. For example, the symbol of Tenerife and all the Canaries is Mount Teide. Magnets featuring this volcano are widely sold in Teide National Park, but hardly anywhere else. And you won’t find them on a neighboring island.

Here are a few symbols of the Canaries and, consequently, a wide selection of souvenirs with these symbols:

  • Volcanoes, lava, volcanic ash, volcanic sand, and anything related to volcanoes. Read about mountains and active volcanoes in the Canaries in the article linked. You’ll also learn about the risk of eruptions and where it’s highest today.
  • Surprisingly, bananas are another symbol of the Canary Islands. Bananas are the main agricultural crop here.
what to bring from tenerife
Bananas in the Canaries are called Platano Canario.

Made in the Canaries

Canarians highly value their local farm products, local wine, and cosmetics. Everything made in the Canaries. In fact, many tourists bring local products home as gifts for friends and family.

Tip:

Large stores often have entire sections or shelves dedicated to Canary products. Sometimes they’re simply marked with a badge indicating the product is local. The badge is always in the colors of the Canary flag – white-blue-yellow, so keep an eye out for that.
gifts from canaries
I’ve marked an example with arrows of how products made locally on the Canaries are indicated.

What to Bring from the Canaries: TOP-10

And now, here’s a list and prices of the most popular souvenirs from the Canary Islands that tourists often take home:

Important to know:

The Canary Islands are a special economic zone of Spain. There are quite a few business incentives here, so prices for many goods are lower than on mainland Europe. Clothing, groceries, and more are very affordable in the Canaries. Read all about the shops and markets on the islands.
  • The truly Spanish “souvenir,” the only one on the list, everything else will be specifically Canarian, is, of course, ham – jamon. You can buy a six-kilogram leg of Jamon Serrano from €40 in any hypermarket. Jamon Iberico starts from €170 per leg.
souvenirs from canaries
It’s the symbol of all of Spain – ham. If your budget allows, buy Iberian ham, made from the legs of black pigs fed only acorns.

On the islands, they produce a lot of local alcohol that you won’t be ashamed to bring home as a gift:

  • White and dark rum.
  • The Canaries are famous for their wines made from grapes grown on the slopes of volcanoes in volcanic soil. The most popular wines from the islands are from Lanzarote, Tenerife, and La Palma.
  • There’s a wide selection of alcohol made from bananas here: liqueurs, wines, frizzante, sparklings, and aperitifs. About 10 alcoholic beverages are made from bananas here.
  • Prices are reasonable: 1 liter of local rum costs 7-10 euros, wine starts from 10 euros per bottle, and banana liqueurs start from 11 euros.
  • Detailed information about alcohol in the Canaries, wine regions, and tastings can be found in the link.
best canary souvenirs
From left to right: the famous wine made from grapes grown on the slopes of Mount Teide volcano, an assortment of banana liqueurs in the center, and Canarian dark rum on the right.
  • Various souvenirs made from lava. There’s plenty of lava here, so they make anything you can imagine from it: clocks, coasters, ashtrays, magnets, candle holders, and so on.
best gifts from canary islands
Canary Islands souvenirs are always made from volcanic solidified lava.
  • Aloe vera grows abundantly on the Canaries. Almost every island has a farm where they grow and produce local cosmetics from this plant. You can visit any aloe vera farm on any island for free, and there’s always a shop with cosmetics near the farm.
gifts from tenerife
If you see aloe vera cosmetics on the shelves of any store, know that 99% of it is made in the Canaries.
  • Continuing with cosmetics, handmade soap is very popular here. There are hundreds of options and varieties. The most popular soap, of course, contains additions like bananas and volcanic ash. But each island has its own signature additives to soap. The standard price for 1 piece of craft soap made from volcanic ash is 4-5 euros.
lanzarote souvenirs
In the top photo, there’s a gift set with 7 pieces of soap from each island. You can see where and from what they make it; for example, from goat’s milk on Fuerteventura and from cactus on Gran Canaria. The bottom photo shows soap and cosmetics made from volcanic ash, also a very popular series. Absolutely everything is made in the Canaries.

And of course, all tourists, without exception, besides magnets, bring local food products, which are sold in any store and are really of high quality. Here’s what you can and should bring from the Canaries:

  • Goat cheese.
  • Canarian sausages. But try them first; local sausages have a taste feature that not everyone likes 🙂
  • Palm honey (here it’s called syrup).
  • If goat cheese or honey is sold in any country, here’s what you absolutely must bring from the Canary Islands: Mojo and Almogrote sauces.
  • Prices: 2-4 euros per 100ml jar, there are many manufacturers.

What are Mojo and Almogrote:

Traditional Canarian sauses and tapas that you must eat with fresh baguette. Mojo is a sauce similar in consistency to mayonnaise and comes in varieties: Rojo (with paprika), Verde (contains cilantro). Mojo Rojo sauce is often poured over most Canarian dishes. And Almogrote is a pâté made from aged goat cheese, olive oil, and garlic – it’s very tasty.
typical canarian gifts
In the humble opinion of the author, these are the main souvenirs from the Canary Islands that you should bring as gifts. Mojo Rojo sauce and Almogrote spread on a baguette – a delicacy indeed 🙂 And on the right in the photo is natural palm honey.

All about Canarian cuisine and what a tourist should try on vacation.

In conclusion: Canary Islands souvenirs are quite diverse; you’ll definitely find gifts for friends and colleagues here. Besides regular magnets, most tourists bring home local alcohol, banana infusions, cosmetics. And make sure to bring mojo and almogrote – these are traditional Canarian snacks that are only produced here, and their homeland is the Canary Islands

Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.

  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.

    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.

  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.

  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.

  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.

  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.

  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.