Gran Canaria Holiday and Travel Guide Beach Walks Gran Canaria Holidays

We took a trip back to Gran Canaria in November 2004 but only for a week's holiday this time, having found a nice deal on the web and stayed in Playa des Ingles (San Fernando area). Needless to say the weather was pretty good with around 25 to 26 degrees during the day

(although the day we were in Puerto de Mogan the temperature was 33 degrees which was pleasant). The photo on the right shows one of the pretty streets in Puerto de Mogan. Building ever more accommodation continues - with seemingly just about every barranco between Maspolomos and Puerto de Mogan either already built on, being built on or marked out with roads so due to be built on. However once you get away from that coast and go inland you will find that there is plenty of open countryside and tremendous scenery to be had - from fairly barren but colourfull rock formations towering above barrancos to heavily forested areas. There are plenty of tracks inland for walkers and cyclists (as well as the so-called jeep safaris) - and up in the hills there are plenty of paths to use although making circular walks takes a little organising.

Various photographs mostly taken around the really lovely interior of Gran Canaria - the mountains are particularly colourfull when the sun catches them at certain times of the day and the lava and rocks are excellent - really good for sightseeing.

There are also a few GPS readings for those interested, given under WGS84 Latitude and Longitude. We had a 1:50000 AA Island Map (Island Series 7) which when we loaded up with some of our gps tracking data, showed the roads and tracks to be reasonably accuratey displayed. However please note that the N grid references given on the side of the map are not correct at all - presumably a mis-print (this at time of writing so possibly this has since been corrected of course).

Eating: On the Canaries you always seem to get a huge serving which is usually nicely cooked and well presented; the meat dishes - be it steaks, chicken or chops - are for us sufficient that we don't have starters anymore nor do we have the room for puddings - for two of us the main meal plus a litre of house red and maybe a couple of beers was averaging around 28 Euros and filled us up a treat.
As usual with the Canaries and this also applies of course to the Greek Islands (in fact probably anywhere but England where many establishments seem to just want your money rather than your presence - you are always made welcome and you can stay as long as you wish - more than likely get the restaurant staff sitting down for a chat too along with a glass or two of free house red... The meals do tend to be chip orientated but you can get potatoes if you ask and also the meals usually have plenty of vegetables like carrots and peas etc. included.

Transport: Car-hire is fairly inexpensive - it does pay to shop around a little because rates really do vary a lot - we only wanted 2 days and got a small Nissan for 55 Euros with proper insurance. The roads are quite busy in the main areas like Playa des Ingles and Puerto Rico and of course Las Palmas is a total nightmare for both driving and even worse to try and park.
The roads are generally well surfaced (way better than the really poor quality roads we have to suffer in our area in England even in the more remote parts up in the hills, with most having armco although a few have simple wooden barriers - on some of the really high parts where the roads are very hair-pinned and extremely narrow this is quite welcome. It is actually easier for the driver where some of the really bad drops occur than for the passenger - my son does not have any particular problem with vertigo but said - as the passenger - some of the bends and drops were quite unnerving. The bus drivers and their driving ability on these mountain roads is amazing - one time our bus and a coach met on a steep hairpin bend and of course needed to pass each other - which they did with literally an inch to spare - and a massive drop down one side too. Took them about 3 minutes of back and forth and we were through - everyone of course gave the driver a big round of applause. I had driven up that road the previous day in El Heap and just having an oncoming car to get by was bad enough.

The bus service around Playa des Ingles is very good and inexpensive but you do have to sort out where the buses actually go from - not all bus stops service all bus lines. We only used the buses to get to a couple of places but we know that Playa des Ingles to Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogan is either bus number 1 or 32 - this service is frequent and fast. There is also a regular bus service to the airport - also very fast. The only other bus number we know is number 18 which goes into the hills (leaves Playa des Ingles at 08:00 11:00 and 13:00) passing the Camel walks centre and then on to San Bartolome de Tirajana and onwards - quite a good bus ride since the views on the at times high, very narrow hair-pin road are excellent.

A walk along one of Gran Canaria's Barrancos Having driven up the GC60 out of Playa des Ingles on our drive round day and seeing the really nice rock formations and the barrancos along the way it was quite irresistible to not do one walk in the area. Take a number 18 bus out of Playa des Ingles and get off at the stop just past the Camel Safari Park (not Manolo's Camel Safari). This walk is very straightforward - you would be pressed to get at all lost - but take water since of course there are no cafes etc. Walk on up the road for around a kilometre and then take the marked track going off the left on a bend - this is the GC60 to Ayagaures. The track continues next to the main road for a while but does descend to eventually switch back at the bottom of the barranco via a bridge.

Simply follow the track as it now goes more or less level along the hillside with the bottom of the barranco becoming deeper and deeper below you - the Camel Safari soon comes into view far down on the left whilst to the right are marvellous rock formations - don't forget to keep turning round and looking at the every changing rocks behind you - the colours when the sun hits them is really good. Also note the prado running along the hillside above - this prado goes for some KMs - the work involved in making and maintaining this is quite remarkable really.The track splits after a few kilometres with the main track going off round the hill quite sharply to the right and another track carrying straight on but heading downwards - this straight on track is the way back, however it is first worth while taking the right hand track and following it on round the valley and then back inland. This track which goes to Ayagaures twists a little as it heads back towards a high rockface to eventually reach a bridge buried in the hillside - way below is the hamlet/farm of Paisaje and all round you are high rock faces - again the rocks formations and colours round here are are brilliant. How far you go on is up to you bearing in mind that you have to return back to the track junction to continue the basic walk.

Back at the junction turn right and follow the track down into the bottom of the barranco - now high above you on the left is the viewing point of El Mirador de Fataga - you can see people who have parked for the view but they just look like dots it is so high up. The track now is heavily lined with prickly pears and other vegetation - near the bottom are several farms and the track nearly completes a circle as it goes past them. Simply stay on this track as it eventually leaves the farms and heads back towards the coast again. You will notice on the left a Prado which more or less follows the track - this still has a quite fast running supply of water going along it so quite nice for a splash to get the dust off.

Lomos de los Vicentes Prado Barranco walk

The track eventually comes out by some extensive quarry works which does somewhat spoil the final part of the walk however on the right the Prado still continues and is now fairly high up on the hillside - and has it's own series of bridges to carry it over the various indents on the rocks. Just carry on to the quarry entrance where the track becomes tarmac - keep going and after a short while another tarmac road goes off to the left - take this and walk on up this quite steep road to reach the GC60.
This then takes you over the motorway and back into Playa des Ingles.

Please also take a look at our other Gran Canaria page which has lots of photographs and places and beaches around the island covering Puerto Rico, Playa des Ingles, Maspolomos and it's nudist sand dunes and beach, Puerto de Mogan, Puerto de Sardina, Tejeda, Los Cercades and Puerto de la Aldea.

You may be also interested in seeing our other Canary Islands Topics and holiday Guides about Lanzarote and Fuerteventura:-

Lanzarote is quite different to it's neighbour Fuerteventura - it is a particularly unusual and scenic Canary Island and has a lot to offer for a holiday with it's excellent beaches, great sightseeing around the coasts, volcanic areas and of course it normally enjoys lovely Canary Island weather to help with a hard day out at a beach.
Walking on Lanzarote: Lanzarote is a great place for walks and on our Lanzarote Walks page we have described 11 walks all of which are packed with pictures. The walks are a mixture of one way or circulars and vary in distance from just a few kilometres to longer and quite tiring 20km efforts.
Lanzarote's Beaches. Possibly the best Lanzarote beaches can be found in the south of the Island around

Playa Blanca. Playa de Papagayo is probably the most well known but there also great beaches at Mujeres and Pozo. As with most Canary Island beaches they are generally available for both naturists and non-naturists i.e. you can take your pick whether to be sunbathing and swimming in the nude or not - it's up to you with nobody (usually) getting excited about things. One of our favourite beaches for nude swimming and sunbathing was at at Playa de Famara - a really wild and scenic beach with it's backdrop of rugged colourful cliffs and gorgeous waves - but no facilities.
Various Lanzarote locations and places to consider visiting whilst on holiday:
Salinas de Janubio - Lanzarote's huge saltplan area.
Los Hervidores - you can watch the waves pounding in through blowholes.
El Golfo - with it's unusual bright green water lagoon.
La Geria - Parque Natural de los Volcanos - Timanfaya area.
Teguise - a really nice little town which also has a large Sunday market.

Fuerteventura. The quite often windy Canary Island of Fuerteventura is only around four and a half hours flight

Faro de Toston on the Canary Holiday Island of Fuerteventura

from England and is well known for it's surfing - however we enjoy going on holiday to Fuerteventura for it's fantastic beaches (especially the naturist beaches) and excellent track and costal walking.
Fuerteventura's beaches are excellent for naturist to use and there are some really enjoyable naturist beach walks possible as well. You can find quite isolated beaches if you prefer to be more or less alone or you can go onto the often quite busy beaches around the sand dunes north of Caleta.
Our Fuerteventura pages have lots of information about Corralejo and it's extensive sand dunes, Caleta de Fuste, Costa Calma, the brilliant and wildly deserted Jandia Peninsula, Las Playitas and its Barranco and black sandy beach, the Lighthouse at El Faro de Entallada, a scenic drive around Cardon, and the really nice town of Pajara. If you fancy a bit of walking and hiking whilst on holiday in Fuerteventura our Walks and Photos pages have quite a few walks described - from dunes to coastal hiking to walking up extinct cones and also walks within the lava areas.

Please visit our Greek Islands page for Greece related travel and holiday guides on Lesvos, Symi, Thassos, Skiathos, Mykonos, Crete, Sikinos, Santorini, Samos, Naxos, Patmos, Lipsi, Kos, Skopelos, Andros, Lefkas, Alonissos, Paros and Paxos - or our Home Page for Sharm el Sheikh.
Our uk-site has lots about England - many walks, church, wildflower and canal bridge and lock photos - also holiday guides for Cyprus and The Algarve.
Our far-east has amongst other items guides for Hong Kong and India.

Gran Canaria GPS readings.
Faro Lightouse (near Maspolomos) N27°44'08" W015°35'56"
Puerto de Sardina (harbour) N28°09'13" W015°41'59"

Resources for Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria Villas Luxury Gran Canaria Holiday Villas - An outstanding selection of high quality vacation homes and holiday villas throughout Gran Canaria.

Gran Canaria Travel and Holiday Guides, Walks and Photos.