Canna is the furthest of the Small Isles from the mainland. From afar, it appears small and whale-shaped, with a solitary stack rising out of the sea near the east coast. Currently in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, Canna is the only island in the group where the ferry can actually land. The harbour cliffs are daubed with decades of graffiti from seafarers happy to find a safe haven and leave their ship's name for posterity. There is now a gift shop on the pier. Pony-trekking is also available. The island's church was built in the 1890s for the Roman Catholic congregation. Looking out over to Skye sits Compass Hill, so called because the iron in its basaltic rock affects compasses up to three miles away.

Connected to Canna by a wooden bridge is the tidal island of Sanday. St. Edward's Chapel and Point House were granted half a million pounds of lottery money to turn the chapel into a study centre.