From Volcanic Roads to Coastal Routes: Filming in the Canary Islands

Looking for road filming locations in the Canary Islands? Locationow provides location scouting, permits and full local production services for international productions across the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands offer an unusually diverse range of filming environments within relatively short production distances. Volcanic landscapes, high-altitude mountain roads, coastal routes, open terrain and urban environments make the islands a versatile destination for automotive, commercial, film, TV and international productions.

For international productions, filming in the Canary Islands also means managing location scouting, technical recces, permits, traffic management, local crew, suppliers and production logistics. Working with an experienced local production partner can make the difference between simply finding a location and being able to actually shoot there efficiently.

Road Filming Locations Across the Canary Islands

Each island offers a different combination of road environments, landscapes and production possibilities.

Tenerife: High-Altitude and Volcanic Road Locations

High-altitude roads · Volcanic landscapes · Coastal routes

Tenerife offers a particularly broad range of road locations, from high-altitude volcanic terrain around Teide to winding mountain roads and coastal routes. Its geographical variety makes the island a strong option for productions looking for multiple road looks within a relatively short production radius. Mountain environments, volcanic backgrounds and coastal locations can provide significantly different visual identities without requiring a major change of island.

Gran Canaria combines winding mountain roads, switchbacks and significant elevation changes with coastal routes and access to more urban environments. The island is well suited to automotive, driving and action-oriented productions where road geometry, changes in perspective and different environments are part of the visual concept.

Its compact geography also allows productions to combine different location types while keeping travel and logistical requirements manageable.

Gran Canaria: Mountain Roads and Driving Sequences

Mountain roads · Switchbacks · Coastal routes · Urban access

Gran Canaria combines winding mountain roads, switchbacks and significant elevation changes with coastal routes and access to more urban environments. The island is well suited to automotive, driving and action-oriented productions where road geometry, changes in perspective and different environments are part of the visual concept.

Its compact geography also allows productions to combine different location types while keeping travel and logistical requirements manageable.

Lanzarote: Volcanic Roads and Controlled Visual Environments

Volcanic roads · Open landscapes · Minimal infrastructure

Lanzarote provides one of the most distinctive road environments in the Canary Islands, with volcanic terrain and open landscapes offering relatively little visual clutter. For productions requiring a clean, graphic and controlled road aesthetic, the island can be particularly effective. The relationship between the road and the surrounding volcanic landscape also creates strong visual continuity for automotive and road-focused shoots.

Its distinctive terrain can give a production a very specific visual identity without relying heavily on set construction or extensive art direction.

Fuerteventura: Open Roads and Long Sightlines

Open roads · Arid landscapes · Long sightlines

Fuerteventura is characterised by open, arid landscapes, long sightlines and relatively low-density surroundings. These characteristics make it especially useful for vehicle-led productions, tracking shots and sequences where space and visual continuity are important.

The combination of open roads and large-scale landscapes can also provide a strong sense of scale while maintaining a relatively clean background for vehicles and talent.

Production Services for International Productions in the Canary Islands

Finding the right filming location is only the starting point. At Locationow, we work as a local production partner for international companies shooting in the Canary Islands, supporting productions from the first location search through to the shoot itself. Our team can coordinate the local requirements needed to turn a location into a workable production environment.

Our Production Services

• Location scouting & location management
• Technical recces
• Local production coordination
• Filming permits & road closures
• Casting
• Traffic management
• Police and security coordination
• Production logistics
• Local crew and suppliers
• On-set production support

This means international production companies can work with one local partner on the ground, rather than coordinating multiple local suppliers and authorities independently. Whether the requirement is a specific road, a remote volcanic location, a coastal sequence or a multi-location shoot across several islands, our role is to connect the the creative requirements of the production with the practical realities of filming in the Canary Islands.

Film Permits in the Canary Islands

Permits can be one of the most important considerations when planning a shoot in the Canary Islands, particularly for productions involving coastal areas, protected environments, public roads or traffic control.

Locationow’s local presence and established relationships with the relevant authorities allow us to manage these requirements as part of the production process.

Coastal Filming Permits

Locationow holds annual permits covering coastal filming in both Canary Islands provinces:

• Las Palmas
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife

This provides an important operational advantage for productions planning shoots in coastal environments and allows us to manage the relevant requirements directly.

Environmental and Protected Locations

The Canary Islands include areas subject to environmental and landscape protection, where filming may require specific authorisations and coordination with the relevant authorities.

Our established working relationships with Environmental Authorities, combined with our local knowledge of the permitting process, help us navigate these requirements efficiently and reduce unnecessary delays when accessing protected or environmentally sensitive locations. For an international production, this local expertise can be particularly valuable when the shooting schedule is tight and several permissions need to be coordinated simultaneously.

Why Work With a Local Production Partner in the Canary Islands?

Choosing a filming location is not only about what looks right on camera. It is also about access, permits, logistics, crew, traffic, timing and production feasibility.

A local production partner can provide:

• Local knowledge of filming locations and road environments
• Faster communication with local authorities and suppliers
• Support with filming permits and access
• Technical location assessment before the shoot
• Local crew and production resources
• On-the-ground coordination throughout the production
• A single point of contact for international production teams

At Locationow, we combine location expertise with local production services, allowing international companies to approach the Canary Islands not simply as a filming destination, but as a production environment that can be planned and managed efficiently.

Plan Your Next Shoot in the Canary Islands

Whether you are looking for road filming locations in Tenerife, automotive locations in Gran Canaria, volcanic roads in Lanzarote or open landscapes in Fuerteventura, Location Now can help you take the project from initial location search to production.

Locations are where the shoot begins. Local production is what makes it happen.

Locationow — Location Scouting & Production Services in the Canary Islands.

Contact our team to discuss your next production in the Canary Islands.