Art & Culture
A Nature Traveller’s Guide to Tenerife (With a 7-Day Itinerary)
south coast does exactly what it promises. But Tenerife is an island of extraordinary geographical and ecological variety, and the version of it visible from a resort terrace is perhaps the least representative of what the island actually is.
Tenerife is home to Spain’s highest mountain, three distinct rural parks, a UNESCO biosphere reserve of ancient laurel forest, villages perched at elevations above 1,400 metres, volcanic landscapes that look like the surface of Mars, and a western coastline of sheer black cliffs falling 600 metres into the Atlantic. It has colonial cities with 16th-century architecture, cave-dwelling communities, stargazing sites that rival professional observatories, and natural tidal pools carved into lava rock where locals have swum for generations, completely uninterested in tourism. The island has a population of around 930,000 people living real, varied lives, and understanding a little of that life makes a visit significantly richer.
This guide is for travellers who want more of that Tenerife.
Understanding the Island’s Geography
Getting oriented matters here, because the island’s regions are genuinely distinct and travelling between them takes time. The central volcanic massif, dominated by Mount Teide at 3,715 metres, divides the island climatically: the north is wetter, cooler, and dramatically green; the south is dry, sunny, and more arid. The three main rural areas — Anaga in the northeast, Teno in the northwest, and the Teide highlands in the centre — each offer a completely different landscape and character. A rental car is essential for exploring any of them independently, and it is worth noting that many mountain roads are narrow, steep, and genuinely demanding to drive.
Where to Stay: Choosing Your Base
The most interesting places to base yourself are not on the resort strip. Here are four alternatives worth considering.
La Laguna (northeast) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful colonial towns in the Atlantic islands. It was the original capital of Tenerife and its historic centre is a grid of 15th and 16th-century streets filled with carved wooden balconies, baroque churches, and a genuinely lively student population from the nearby university. Staying here puts you within easy reach of Anaga Rural Park and Santa Cruz, without sacrificing urban infrastructure. Hotel Laguna Nivaria, housed in a 16th-century mansion, is one of the finest small hotels on the island. 1
Garachico (northwest) was the most important port in the Canary Islands until the volcanic eruption of 1706 destroyed much of it and permanently altered the coastline. What remained was rebuilt thoughtfully, and today it is arguably the most architecturally coherent small town in Tenerife. The natural lava pools at El Caletón, formed in the same eruption that destroyed the port, are now a beloved public swimming area. Boutique Hotel San Roque, an 18th-century mansion facing the sea, and Hotel El Patio, a 16th-century farmhouse set in a 60-acre banana plantation, are both exceptional places to stay. 2
Vilaflor (central highlands) at 1,400 metres above sea level is the highest municipality in Spain, and sitting within it feels genuinely remote. Pine forest surrounds the village, the air smells of resin and altitude, and Teide National Park is just a short drive away. For travellers prioritising time in the volcano landscape, basing yourself here rather than driving up from the coast every day changes the experience entirely.
Anaga villages (northeast) — in particular Taganana, the oldest agricultural settlement in Tenerife, set in a steep valley running down to a black-sand beach — offer a different kind of immersion. Accommodation here is small-scale and basic, but the location inside the biosphere reserve, with walking trails directly from the door, is hard to match.
The Three Landscapes You Must Understand
Teide National Park and the Volcanic Interior
Teide is the obvious centrepiece, and it deserves its reputation. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited natural sites in the world, but it is large enough that you can find solitude if you walk beyond the car parks. The caldera, known as Las Cañadas, is a 17-kilometre wide depression formed by the collapse of a previous volcanic edifice, and the landscape within it — lava rivers, ash plains, volcanic cones in shades of ochre and rust, and the extraordinary Roques de García rock formation — is unlike anything else in Europe. 3
The summit of Teide itself requires a permit to access the final 200 metres to the crater rim; permits are free but must be reserved well in advance through the national park website. The Telesforo Bravo trail, when an entry permit is obtained, is one of the most extraordinary hikes on the island, ascending through multiple volcanic zones. For those without a summit permit, the trail around Roques de García is an accessible and genuinely beautiful alternative, taking roughly ninety minutes and offering Teide in full view throughout.
After sunset, the altitude and absence of light pollution make Teide one of the finest stargazing locations in the northern hemisphere. The Mirador de Llano de Ucanca and the Portillo area are good spots for amateur stargazing; guided telescope tours depart from various operators in the park. 4
Anaga Rural Park: The Ancient Forest
Anaga is, in a very literal sense, one of the oldest living things in Europe. The laurisilva — the laurel forest — that covers much of this UNESCO biosphere reserve is a relic of the subtropical forests that covered much of southern Europe and North Africa before the Pleistocene ice ages. When those forests vanished from the continent, pockets survived in the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores. Walking through Anaga’s mist-covered ridges and moss-draped trees is not merely walking through an old forest; it is walking through a landscape that has not fundamentally changed in millions of years. 5
The trails here range from gentle ridgeline walks with Atlantic views in both directions to more demanding descents into the deep barrancos (ravines) that separate the Anaga massif’s many ridges. The trail from Punta de Hidalgo up to the cave village of Chinamada — where several families still live in traditional cave houses carved into the hillside, some of them inhabited for centuries — is one of the most culturally and scenically rewarding hikes on the island. The coastal walk from the hamlet of Benijo to the Faro de Anaga lighthouse and back through Chamorga is longer and more demanding but offers one of the most remote feelings achievable in Tenerife. 6
The Cruz del Carmen visitor centre, at the main road through the park, is a useful orientation point and has staff who can advise on trail conditions.
The Teno Massif: Cliffs, Gorges, and Masca
The Teno Rural Park in the island’s northwest corner is geologically the oldest part of Tenerife, and it looks it — angular, layered, deeply eroded by millennia of wind and rain. The main road through the Teno mountains to the village of Masca is one of the most dramatic drives in Spain: a single-lane road that clings to cliffsides above thousand-metre drops, with a viewpoint that looks out across the Atlantic toward La Gomera.
Masca itself is a small village of stone houses that seems to cling to the mountainside by force of will. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, and an early start is strongly recommended to avoid the worst of the crowds. From Masca, the descent into the Barranco de Masca gorge to the black-sand beach at its base is one of the island’s iconic hikes, though it requires an advance permit and careful planning; boat collection from the beach rather than the return ascent is the standard approach. 7
Elsewhere in the Teno, the Chinyero Special Nature Reserve protects the site of the last volcanic eruption on Tenerife, which took place in 1909. The lava fields here are still raw and largely unvegetated, and the circular trail around the Chinyero cone gives a visceral sense of the island’s ongoing geological life. 8
Cultural Touchstones
Outside of nature, several experiences offer genuine insight into Canarian culture. La Laguna’s historic centre merits at least half a day of unhurried walking — the cathedral, the convents, the narrow streets of the Casco Histórico, and the Aguere cultural space. La Orotava, a town in the Orotava Valley on the northern slope of Teide, has some of the finest examples of traditional Canarian architecture anywhere in the islands: carved pine balconies, stone mansions, cobbled streets. The Casa de los Balcones is the most visited building in the town, though the whole historic centre is worth wandering. The valley below, filled with banana and potato terraces and still farmed in traditional strips, is a reminder that Tenerife had a complex agricultural life before tourism arrived.
The Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos — a Dracaena draco, or dragon tree, estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 years old — is one of the botanical landmarks of the Atlantic islands. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands and Madeira and was sacred to the indigenous Guanche people; its red sap was known as dragon’s blood and had ceremonial and medicinal uses. The tree in Icod is the largest specimen known. 9
For an encounter with the island’s pre-Hispanic past, the Pyramids of Güímar in the east of the island are a genuinely puzzling site: six stepped pyramidal structures of uncertain origin, oriented to the solstice sun. They were brought to international attention by the explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who believed them to be of pre-Columbian significance. The on-site museum presents multiple interpretive perspectives with appropriate caution.
Suggested 7-Day Itinerary
This itinerary is designed to move through the island’s distinct regions at a pace that allows genuine engagement with each. A rental car is essential throughout.
Day 1 — Arrive, La Laguna Check in to La Laguna. Spend the afternoon walking the historic centre. Evening in the city’s restaurant and bar scene.
Day 2 — Anaga Rural Park Full day in Anaga. Morning: drive the Anaga mountain road with stops at viewpoints above Taganana and the Cruz del Carmen visitor centre. Afternoon: hike the Punta de Hidalgo to Chinamada trail (roughly 4 hours round trip, moderate difficulty). Return to La Laguna.
Day 3 — Santa Cruz, then drive north to Garachico Morning in Santa Cruz: the Tenerife Auditorium, the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África, and the seafront. Early afternoon: drive to Garachico (roughly 1 hour). Check in. Explore the town and swim at El Caletón tidal pools before sunset.
Day 4 — Teno Massif and Masca Early start. Drive the Teno road to Masca (arrive before 9am). Walk the Barranco de Masca if booked in advance, exiting by boat; otherwise explore the village and hike the Santiago del Teide to Masca ridge trail. Afternoon: Chinyero lava field walk.
Day 5 — Drive south via La Orotava, ascend to Vilaflor Morning in La Orotava: Casa de los Balcones, the old town, the valley viewpoints. Drive through Icod de los Vinos to see the Drago Milenario. Continue south and upward to Vilaflor. Check in to local accommodation. Evening: early night ahead of Teide day.
Day 6 — Teide National Park Full day in the park. Morning: Roques de García circuit (1.5 hours). If summit permit held: Telesforo Bravo ascent. Afternoon: explore the caldera floor. Stay until after dark for stargazing at Mirador de Llano de Ucanca.
Day 7 — Anaga coast or rest day, return Optional: drive to Taganana for a walk down to the beach, or return to La Laguna for a last morning in the city. Depart.
Sources
- The Hotel Guru: Best Places to Stay in Tenerife, thehotelguru.com; Hotel Laguna Nivaria listing
- Secret Places: Boutique Hotels Garachico, secretplaces.com; Hotel El Patio and Boutique Hotel San Roque
- Our Wanders: Best Day Hikes in Tenerife, ourwanders.com, March 2026
- Tenerife Excursions: Tenerife — stunning nature between Teide, Anaga, and unique landscapes, escursionitenerife.com, October 2025
- Hiking Fex: Tenerife Hiking — 30 most beautiful hikes, hikingfex.com, September 2025
- Moon Honey Travel: Hiking Tenerife Mountains, moonhoneytravel.com
- Charlies Wanderings: The 7 Very Best Hikes in Tenerife, charlieswanderings.com, August 2025
- Our Wanders: Best Day Hikes in Tenerife — Chinyero section, ourwanders.com
- Let Y Go: Itinerary of the 6 Little-Known Villages of Tenerife — Icod de los Vinos section, letygoeson.it, July 2025
Art & Culture
Tiny Organisms, Big Impact: The Winners of the 2026 Science Without Borders Challenge
Nearly 900 students from 65 countries answered the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s 2026 brief: paint the invisible ocean. The winners of the Science Without Borders Challenge turn plankton, archaea, and zooxanthellae into images that translate the engine room of the blue planet.
The ocean’s most consequential workforce is microscopic. Plankton, marine bacteria, archaea, symbiotic microalgae: the species too small to see with the naked eye produce more than half of Earth’s oxygen, drive nutrient cycling, anchor every marine food web, and quietly regulate the climate. They are the engine room of the blue planet. They are also, for most students, invisible.
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has spent fourteen years using one of the most underrated tools in ocean education to fix that: a paintbrush. The 2026 Science Without Borders® Challenge, the Foundation’s annual international student art competition, has just announced its winners. This year’s theme, Microscopic Marine Life, drew nearly 900 entries from students aged 11 to 19 in 65 countries. The brief asked them to make the invisible visible.
15 to 19 age group
First Place went to Sophia (Jiye) Lee, a 17-year-old at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey, for Ocean’s Hidden Jewel Box. The piece is a mixed-media work on a custom-cut wooden canvas shaped to mimic an oxygen molecule, two circular panels bridged by a rectangular insert. Inside the panels, microscopic marine organisms (diatoms, crystal-walled Acantharia) are rendered as gemstones glowing against deep ocean blacks.
“When people see my work, I hope they recognize that significance is not defined by scale. I want them to feel a sense of awe for the unseen and to realize that impact can extend beyond just the source. Just as my piece breaks traditional borders of a canvas, the contribution of these organisms breaks the borders of the ocean to sustain every breath we take, no matter where we are.”
Sophia (Jiye) Lee, First Place, 15-19
Second Place went to Qing Yang Cheng, 17, from Canada, for The Deep Microcosm of Life, a detailed portrayal of the archaea that thrive around hydrothermal vents and the chemosynthetic ecosystems they sustain in the absence of sunlight. This is biology that operates by rules most surface readers do not know: not photosynthesis but the harvesting of sulfur, methane, and dissolved minerals into living tissue.
Third Place went to Hyang Yu Lee, 17, from the Republic of Korea, for Sea Manual: an inventive illustration of marine bacteria’s decomposition and nutrient-cycling work, rendered in the unmistakable visual language of an IKEA instructional manual. Step one: a fallen whale. Step two: bacterial decomposition. Step three: nutrients return to circulation. The joke lands; the science does too.
11 to 14 age group
First Place went to Olivia Shin, 14, a student in Calgary, for The Giant and the Invisible: A Story of Ocean Recycling. The work is charcoal on a piece of recycled cardboard. It depicts a whale fall: the slow decomposition of a blue whale carcass on the seafloor, broken down over decades by microscopic organisms whose collective work sustains entire deep-sea ecosystems. The material choice and composition are not incidental. Both reinforce the theme of interconnection.
“I was inspired by how bacteria clump together and work with microorganisms, which to me resembled the game of Tetris. I hope that my artwork can encourage others’ thoughts and interest in marine life.”
Olivia Shin, First Place, 11-14
Inside the studio: Olivia Shin at work
Olivia’s winning charcoal-on-cardboard piece did not arrive on the page fully formed. She worked through it over weeks, building the whale fall in layers, refining the bacterial mats and sediment textures with her teacher, Ms. Lily Kim of About Art Studio in Calgary. The process shots below offer a rare look at the discipline behind the final image.
Second Place went to Jieming Zhang, just 11 years old, from China, for The Touch of Life: a vivid illustration of the symbiotic microalgae (zooxanthellae) that live within coral tissue, photosynthesising and feeding their host in a partnership without which tropical reefs would collapse. With ocean warming bleaching reefs at scale, this is exactly the biology a generation of young readers needs to understand.
Third Place went to Eason Liang, 14, from Irvine, California, for The Invisible Engine of the Ocean, a piece that reimagines microscopic marine life as the literal machinery powering Earth’s natural systems. The metaphor is precise. Without the ocean’s microscopic life, the carbon pump stalls, food webs unravel, and atmospheric oxygen levels fall. The engine is not optional.
Why this matters
Each winner receives a scholarship of up to $500 from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. The prize money is the smallest part of what the competition delivers. The larger return is what the students themselves carry forward.
“This year’s theme challenged students to explore a world that is rarely seen but absolutely essential to life on Earth. Through their artwork, these students transformed complex scientific ideas into powerful visual stories, helping others better understand the critical role microscopic marine life plays in sustaining our oceans and our planet.”
Amy Heemsoth, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education, Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
Marine phytoplankton are responsible for roughly half of global net primary production, the foundation of nearly every ocean food web (Field et al., Science, 1998). The biological carbon pump driven by these organisms transports an estimated 10 to 12 gigatonnes of carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea each year, a climate-regulating service whose collapse is one of the most studied risks of ocean warming (Henson et al., Nature Climate Change, 2022). When a 14-year-old draws a whale fall in charcoal, or an 11-year-old paints symbiotic algae inside a coral polyp, they are not making decorative work. They are translating the biggest planetary processes most adults never learn about into something a stranger can grasp at first glance.
Now in its 14th year, the Science Without Borders® Challenge has put generations of young artists through that translation exercise. The Foundation’s bet, year after year, is that the artists who learn to render the ocean’s hidden machinery on a canvas at 14 will be the same people negotiating policy on its behalf at 34. The 2026 cohort suggests the bet is paying off.
The full gallery of winning artwork and high-resolution images are available via the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation announcement. For information about the competition and the 2027 theme, visit LOF.org/SWBChallenge.
All artwork © the named artists, reproduced courtesy of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. SEVENSEAS Media thanks Liz Thompson, Chief Communications Officer at the Foundation, for sharing the announcement with our community.
Art & Culture
Protected: The Koovagam Festival: A Celebration of Trans Identities and a Marriage to God
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Art & Culture
Sailing Toward a Sustainable Blue Future: An Interview with Emilie McGlone, Director of Peace Boat US
On the eve of World Oceans Day, Peace Boat US Director Emilie McGlone reflects on a 41-year voyage in peace, sustainability, and youth-led ocean action, from Tokyo to the United Nations to the upcoming Ocean Gala onboard the MV Pacific World in New York City.
Emilie McGlone is the Director of Peace Boat US, the New York-based office of the international non-governmental organization Peace Boat. Founded in Japan in 1983, Peace Boat promotes peace, human rights, and sustainability through Global Voyages on its chartered passenger ship, the Pacific World, often described as a “floating university.” Peace Boat holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, serves as a key campaigner for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and is a prominent member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Peace Boat hosts three Global Voyages per year, each lasting roughly 100 days, weaving together educational lectures, cultural exchanges, and humanitarian projects as the ship circumnavigates the globe. As Director and United Nations liaison, McGlone leads programs that bring peacebuilding, sustainable development, and environmental advocacy onboard. She founded the “Youth for the SDGs” scholarship to empower young leaders in ocean and climate action, coordinates side events at the UN such as the ECOSOC Youth Forum, supports global emergency response through the Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Centre (PBV), and champions the Ecoship Project, an initiative to build the world’s most sustainable passenger ship.
McGlone has been with Peace Boat since 2004, initially joining as a volunteer Spanish teacher after living in Japan for a decade, and has now circled the world with Peace Boat six times.
Tell us about the educational and professional journey that led you to becoming Director of Peace Boat US.
I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Cultural Studies, and I began volunteering abroad at a very young age. After spending months studying Spanish and working alongside NGOs in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Chile, I traveled to Japan to begin teaching with the Ministry of Education through the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching). I later led an environmental awareness bicycle ride called BEE, Bicycle for Everyone’s Earth, cycling from Hokkaido in Japan’s northern island down to Okinawa, where we learned about ocean conservation and shared a message of environmental sustainability.
In 2004, I joined Peace Boat as a volunteer Spanish teacher and soon began working full time in the International Division in Tokyo, building onboard programs with guest speakers and partners around the world. That early work, focused on educational programming and international exchange, shaped how I think about people-to-people connection as the foundation of peacebuilding. In 2011, I was invited to become the United Nations liaison and Director of Peace Boat US, based in New York City. Peace Boat holds Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council, and we have an office at the UN Plaza, so my role is to build strategic partnerships and work alongside our partners toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Today, my focus is connecting education, advocacy, and global collaboration: building partnerships, coordinating programs, and creating spaces where youth, civil society, and global institutions can come together to advance peace and sustainability.
What are the core missions and projects of Peace Boat?
Peace Boat’s mission is to build a culture of peace and sustainability by connecting people across borders through education, advocacy, and partnership. Our work focuses on four key areas: ocean conservation, climate action, youth engagement, and disarmament. A core program onboard is the Youth for the SDGs scholarship, endorsed under the UN Ocean Decade, which brings young leaders aboard our voyages for experiential learning and action on ocean and climate issues.
Tell us about Peace Boat’s upcoming Global Voyages, and particularly the 123rd Global Voyage from April 7 to July 20, 2026.
Each year, we organize three Global Voyages, three-month journeys around the world that bring together about 2,000 participants from approximately 20 countries. The 123rd Global Voyage, sailing from April 7 to July 20, 2026, is especially meaningful: we are celebrating Peace Boat’s 100,000th participant. The voyage continues our focus on global environmental issues, with particular attention to ocean and climate action.
In New York City, we are hosting the Ocean Gala and Blue Innovation Reception onboard during our port call, in alignment with United Nations World Oceans Day and the UN Ocean Decade. The event brings together partners from the UN, civil society, the private sector, and youth leaders to strengthen collaboration around ocean protection and the blue economy. Participants will also engage with leading research institutions, including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, learning directly from scientists about biodiversity and environmental change.
Which UN events does Peace Boat prepare side events for each year?
Each year, we engage with major UN processes including the ECOSOC Youth Forum, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and the UN Climate Change Conferences (COP). We also contribute to ocean-related initiatives such as World Oceans Day, Climate Week NYC, and activities under the UN Ocean Decade. These spaces let us bring youth voices and civil society perspectives into global policy discussions, connecting our onboard work with international advocacy.
You founded the “Youth for the SDGs” scholarship. Tell us about this initiative.
I started Youth for the SDGs to create a space for young leaders aged 18 to 30 to engage with global challenges through experiential learning and practice. Endorsed under the UN Ocean Decade by IOC UNESCO, the program brings participants onboard Peace Boat to explore ocean and climate action while connecting with scientists, policymakers, and communities around the world. Through this experience, youth build knowledge, networks, and a sense of agency, and they are supported in taking action on the Sustainable Development Goals in their own communities.
Tell us about the Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Centre (PBV).
Peace Boat Disaster Relief, or PBV, is a Japan-based NGO that supports communities affected by disasters and works to strengthen local response capacity, both in Japan and globally. PBV emphasizes that people are central to reducing disaster risk and building resilience. After Japan’s 2011 triple disaster, PBV recognized that well-trained and organized volunteers can play a crucial role in effective response and launched its Disaster Relief Volunteer Training Program. Sessions are held regularly across Japan and are open to anyone, regardless of background or experience. PBV also delivers tailored training for corporations, universities, Social Welfare Councils, and other organizations.
Tell us more about the Ecoship Project.
Ecoship is the next step in our 41-year evolution. It will be the future platform for Peace Boat’s global voyages, carrying 8,000 people per year, hosting exhibitions on green technology in up to 100 ports, and serving as a floating laboratory contributing to research on the ocean, the climate, and green technology. The ship will create awareness of and encourage active engagement with the challenges embodied in the SDGs, while modeling a transition path for decarbonizing the maritime sector.
Does Peace Boat participate in Climate Week events around the world?
Throughout Climate Week, we act as a key player in strengthening cross-sector collaboration and elevating inclusive leadership across global climate processes. During Climate Week NYC 2025, Peace Boat US and Blue Planet Alliance convened a series of engagements alongside the 80th UN General Assembly to advance ocean and climate action. A central highlight was the “From UNOC to Belém” high-level luncheon, which brought together senior leaders to elevate ocean priorities within global climate governance and finance. Youth leadership was also featured through the Youth for the SDGs event, where young leaders and global ambassadors shared initiatives on ocean literacy, science education, and climate action.
Beyond your work with Peace Boat, you are the founder of Parties4Peace. Tell us about this initiative.
Parties4Peace (P4P) is a non-profit event production and fundraising organization that hosts music and art events to support global initiatives focused on education, sustainability, equality, and disaster relief. P4P unites people to create a culture of peace through dance and music, emphasizing collaborations with those who seek a platform to make a difference.
You are also a collaborator in M.A.P.A. (Music & Art Peace Academy). Tell us about this initiative.
MAPA aims to provide young artists, musicians, and producers from around the world with experiences and resources to further explore and develop their creative talents. The MAPA project invites individuals, organizations, musicians, artists, activists, DJs, photographers, designers, writers, actors, videographers, and promoters interested in social and environmental issues to work together to promote a culture of peace through music and art, and to join Peace Boat’s global voyage for the Music & Art Peace Academy onboard.
You are a Global Ambassador and UN liaison for Blue Planet Alliance. Tell us about this initiative.
As a Global Ambassador for Blue Planet Alliance, we are working together toward a 100 percent renewable energy future by 2045. We also invite youth leaders from Small Island Developing States to join us as part of the “Youth for the SDGs” scholarship for the UN Ocean Decade onboard. My work with Peace Boat connects this directly to the United Nations through our ECOSOC consultative status.
How can people get involved with Peace Boat, Parties4Peace, M.A.P.A., and Blue Planet Alliance?
People can get involved through a range of programs designed for different levels of experience and commitment. The Youth for the SDGs program is an experiential learning and capacity-building opportunity for young activists and scholars working on SDG-related initiatives, open to participants of any age and background, and endorsed by IOC-UNESCO as part of the UN Ocean Decade.
Internships with Peace Boat US offer hands-on experience in advocacy, youth engagement, sustainability, and international partnerships, supporting work on issues that include climate action, ocean conservation, disarmament, and peacebuilding. For more flexible involvement, volunteering opportunities are available on a project or event basis. Volunteers are especially important during Peace Boat visits to New York City and at public events, and they can support campaigns such as nuclear abolition or apply specialized skills to specific initiatives.
Anything else you would like to add?
We are excited to support an inclusive and sustainable blue economy for all, creating networks for ocean conservation and climate action, using our ship as a venue. Ocean Gala information will be shared at peaceboat-us.org/pb-ocean-gala-nyc.
How can people reach you?
People can learn more and get in touch through the Peace Boat US website at www.peaceboat-us.org, or follow on Instagram @peaceboatus for updates on programs and events. We are always open to connecting with individuals and organizations interested in peace, sustainability, and youth engagement. You can also write to info@peaceboat-us.org.
Call for Sustainable Fashion Designers and Artists: Join Peace Boat for The Ocean Gala in New York City, June 10, 2026
As Peace Boat docks in New York City during its 123rd Global Voyage, a special Ocean Gala will be held onboard the ship on the evening of Wednesday, June 10. The event brings together diverse changemakers working to find innovative solutions to accelerate ocean and climate action, showcasing blue innovation and partnerships for a sustainable blue economy and resilient societies, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Peace Boat is an international NGO with Special Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, working to promote a culture of peace and sustainability worldwide by connecting people across borders and creating opportunities for learning, activism, advocacy, and cooperation. Its programs run primarily through voyages aboard the passenger ship MV Pacific World, enabling participants to learn first-hand about issues such as ocean conservation, environmental degradation, and gender equality. Peace Boat sails with the SDGs logo on its hull, visiting roughly 100 countries each year.
- Date: Evening of June 10, 2026 (Wednesday)
- Program: Talks, artwork, music, and sustainable fashion for the ocean
- Venue: Onboard the MV Pacific World, docked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, New York
Designers and artists interested in participating in person are invited to register their ideas by May 20, 2026 at forms.gle/hsN9UvWJEBwRP75K9.
By Selva Ozelli
Selva Ozelli is a contributing writer for SEVENSEAS Media covering ocean conservation, climate, art, and sustainability.
Tiny Organisms, Big Impact: The Winners of the 2026 Science Without Borders Challenge
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SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine — No. 132 May 2026
Is It Safe to Swim in Tenerife? A 2026 Guide to Beach Water Quality and Coastal Pollution
SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – No. 131 April 2026
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