Arucas

Firgas

- Picturesque village
- The source of the mineral water Barranco de las Madres
- Famous for its beautiful wood carvings e.g. the balustrades, an ornamental bow and old
farm tools like a yoke and plough
- Nearby is the “azuaje Ravine” whose water is said to contain healing properties
- The biggest mineral water factory is here amongst the many natural springs
- 24000 bottles of mineral water are filled per hour from the springs of Las Magnes

Moya

- Los Tiles: a “laurisilva” forest
- Production of “bizcocho” a Canary Island biscuit
- Mundo Aborigen; the open-air museum where you can see how life was in 15th century Gran Canaria
- A beautiful church “Iglesia de Pilar”
- A museum that is Gran Canaria’s center for poetry

Valleseco

- Means “dry valley” although the trade winds often bring rain
- The annual rainfall is measured here
- Laguna de Valleseco: a fresh water lake filled by rain water
- Around the lake is a chestnut tree forest and a recreation area
- Pinos se Galdar: hundreds of beautiful, centuries old pine trees
- On the west side of “Caldera de los Pinos de Gáldar”
- The village is known for its curd

Teror

- A village with a rich religious history
- Agriculture and furniture making are the main sources of income
- It lies in a fertile valley, strategically protected by enormous mountains around it, at a
height of 575m above sea level
- It forms the link between the north and the center of the island
- Centre of veneration on the island for the Virgin of the Pine tree - “La Virgen del Pino”
patron saint of Gran Canaria
- Beautiful 17th century basilica
- Bishop’s palace
- Canary Island architecture: beautiful old white houses with long, pretty, hand-carved,
dark pine wood balconies and stone streets
- On Sundays there is a lively market where local specialities are sold like chorizo
(spicy sausage) and morcilla (black sausage)
- 8 September: the celebration of the patron saint “festividad de Nuestra Senora del
Pino” with traditional costumes from the islands
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/teror.html

San Felipe

- Fishing village where you can eat freshly caught, grilled fish

Atalaya

- A beautiful village decorated with flowers
- Narrow paths, stairways and alleys
- Some of the houses have been built in the caves in the rocks as in the old days
- One of the most impressive sights of Gran Canaria is near La Atalaya: de Caldera de
la Bandama, a volcanic crater with a diameter of 1000m. The best place to see this from is de
Mirador de Bandama
- Some of the inhabited caves in de Barranco de Guayadeque, a southerly valley with reddish
stone, were excavated in the 15th century and electricity has been put in some of them.
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/caldera-bandama.html

Santa Maria de Guia

- The Guanches had their granaries here which is proof that there was arable farming in the
past and enough to warrant storage space. On the other islands there was only cattle breeding.
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/santa-maria.html

Guia

- Village built in the 16th century
- Parish church with sculptures from Luján Pérez from the 18th century
- Here they make the curd (quesos de flor) from sheep’s milk and the flour of wild thistles (for the taste)
- Here are the “Cenobia de Valerón”: under a arch there are about 300 caves with hardened lava.
It is thought to be a hiding place for priestesses and the inhabitants during attacks
and also communal granaries.
- Many original tools and machinery are exhibited here.

Gáldar

- Used to be the capital of Gran Canaria before Las Palmas
- The “guanartemes” resided here, they were the kings before the Spanish took control
- Many archeological sights suggest a relatively large population before the Spanish invasion e.g.
Äcrópolis de Gáldar and Cueva Pintada
- The oldest dragon tree of Gran Canaria is in the courtyard of Plaza Santiago
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/galdar.html

Agaete

- Agaete is on a lake on the north west coast and is made up of a group of pretty, white
houses and terraces around an impressive, rocky bay and is developing into a holiday resort
- The pine forest “Pinar de Tamadaba”
- The fishing harbour “Puerto de las Nieves”
- A long, winding ravine emerges into the Agaete valley where many archeological have been found.
There is a healing pool deep in the ravine with ferriferous springs (Los Berrazales)
- Regular ferries to Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
- In August the “La Rama” festival which reverts to the old rites for calling the rain
- The valley El Huerto de las Flores, has a subtropical climate and many American trees grow here.
There is a botanical garden
- Coffee, guayaba, mango, avocado and papaver are all grown here
- Fish lovers should try the starter “Caldo de pesçado” - a fish soup
- The hill sides are nearly all covered with banana plantations
- Every August the Fiesta de la Rama is held, a Guanchan rain ritual which dates from
well before the arrival of the Spanish. A merry procession of villagers carry green branches
to the coast and the sea where they hit the water to demand rain.
- One of the sights to be seen is the little Ermita de las Nieves
- Barranco de Agaete is a fertile valley with papaya, mango and citrus fruit trees
- “Dedo de Dios” (God’s finger) is a spectacular rock formation just outside the harbour.
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/agaete.html
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/puerto-nieves.html

Telde

- The second largest town in Gran Canaria
- It was the capital along with Gáldar before the Spanish invasion
- It has been a bishop’s town since the 14th century
- The area San Fransisco: narrow streets with pretty vegetable gardens, churches,
monasteries and traditional Canary Island houses
- The ornate stone gables and pine wood balconies stand out here
- There is a large, well-kept park in San Juan
- Important archeological sights like “Cuatro Puertas”, between Ingenio and Aguimes
where there are caves which the Guanchen priests used as a gathering place
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/telde.html

Valsequillo

- The San Miguel church, the yet-to-be renovated “Cuartel de Colmenar” and the area of
Tenteniguada at the foot of the Roque del Saucillo all together make a pleasant enclave
- The Mirador del Helechal has a view over the flat terrain with its flowers, strawberry plants and rocky areas

Ingenio

- Ingenio de Azucar means sugar refining
- There is a museum where you can see how this craft has developed over the centuries
- There is also an old sugar factory
- It is predominantly an artisan and agricultural town
- The well-known museum Museo del Piedra
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/ingenio.html

Aguïmes

- In the “Palacio Episcopal” you can still see signs of the power that the church rulers used to wield
- The center of the town is very old
- The parish church has many works by Luján Pérez and other unnamed artists
- The valley ‘Barranco de Guayadeque’ lies between Aguïmes and Ingenio and drops from
a height of 1500m down to the east coast. It is a 9km long no-through road which runs between
steep cliffs and ends at the cave Cuatro Puertas
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/barranco.html


- Traces of former settlements and present day cave dwellings point to possible
important concentrations of natives of the island
- The church in Guyadeque is unique and is hewn out of the rock face
- The bars and restaurants have also been hewn out of the rock face and literally have a
naturally hard roof
- The vegetation around Guyadeque is thermal woods with wild olive trees which would
need warmer temperatures anywhere else
- Other rare plants can also be found here
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/aguimes.html

Santa Lucia de Tirajana

- A beautiful area with centuries old palm forests and reservoirs
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/santa-lucia.html

San Bartolomé de Tirajana

- The impressive crater of ‘Caldera de Tirajana’ is to be found in a richly varied nature
reserve where the 400m high ‘Risco Blanco’ stands out because of its light colour
- The villages of Playa del Aguila, San Augustin, Las Burras, Playa del Ingles,
Maspalomas and Meloneras form ‘Maspalomas Costa Canaria’, a 17 km-long coast line
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/san-bartolome.html

Fataga

- The pearl of Gran Canaria
- Canary Island palm bread is still baked here in traditional bakeries
- The road from Playa del Ingles to Fataga runs upwards through the valley of 1000
palm trees the ‘ Barranco de Fataga’. The higher you get the fewer trees you see.
Once you get to Fataga you will only see small bushes and plants
- 2000 square meters of red basalt stone wilderness
- The apricot harvest is celebrated with a big party every year
- There are several ceramic and art galleries
- You can book a camel safari from just outside the village
www.bamjam.net/Canarias/Fataga.html
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/mundo-aborigen.html
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/fataga.html

Maspalomas

- A popular tourist area with plenty of accommodation, restaurants, bars and cafes and
many different nationalities
- ‘Faro 2’ is a large, covered shopping center
- The oasis of Maspalomas: palm trees surround a salt-water lagoon called ‘ La Charca’
- The dunes of Maspalomas are a protected nature reserve covering 400 hectares.
Plants here have adapted to the surroundings and some are unique to the Canary Islands
- You can find lizards and a huge variety of bird life here. Some migratory birds stop off in
La Charca on their way to Africa
- You can only go through the dunes on foot or on the back of a camel
- The lighthouse, El Faro de Maspalomas, is 65m high and stands at the most southerly
point of Gran Canaria. From this lighthouse you have a marvellous view of the sea and the south of Gran Canaria
- ‘Campo de Golf’ is a fantastic 18 hole course
www.bamjam.net/Canarias/Dunas.html

Playa del Ingles

- Please refer to the section on Playa del Ingles

- An aero club where the planes for parachute jumpers take off from

Bahia Feliz

- Not much beach here
- The coast line is rocky and rough
- It is always windy here and therefore highly suited to windsurfing
- The village is very stylish and full of character and the architecture lends a Moroccan atmosphere
- Although the village is small there are plenty of parks and gardens
- The boulevard is 7km long

Playa de Pozo Izquierdo

- The windsurfing world championships are held here every July
- Scientific maritime museum

Playa Vargas

- Excellent surfing area

Playa de Cabrón

- Excellent diving available

- Typical Canary Island fisherman’s village
- Various lovely bars and restaurants with the catch of the day on the menu
- The market is on Tuesday and is the largest market on the island
- Boats leave the harbour every half hour to go to Puerto Rico and Puerto Mogán
- If you are looking for a challenge you can walk to Puerto Rico over the rocks
- There is a large cement factory
- The beach and sea are pretty dirty here

Puerto Rico

- There are apartment blocks in every bay between the bare cliffs to the west of Maspalomas
- Puerto Rico has grown too big as a resort. It has one of the most beautiful beaches
on the island for which the sand has had to be imported
- There are plenty of water sports facilities and it is a great place to learn to sail, dive or
windsurf or simply to relax in the sun
- Puerto Rico is the sunniest place in the whole of Spain
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/beaches/puerto-rico.html

Puerto de Mogán

- This resort lies at the end of the Mogán valley and is one of the most attractive
developments of Gran Canaria
- It is also known as “the Venice of the Atlantic”
- The village style complex is built around a fishing harbour and the pretty, white houses
are covered in climbing plants. A hotel has been built in the same style around a yacht harbour
- The yacht harbour has moorings for 1120 large and small yachts
- There is an artificial created beach next to the harbour
- You can take a trip in a submarine here
- The ferries run between Arguineguin- Puerto Rico and Puerto Mogán
- The bars, restaurants and shops create a pleasant atmosphere
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/puerto-mogan.html

- This is a yet to be developed area with a large beach and an old pier
- Tomatoes and aubergines are exported from here to Great Britain

San Nicolás de Tolentino

- Lots of tomato plantations
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/san-nicolas.html

Puert de Aldea

- A small fishing harbour
- A narrow shingle beach
- A promenade with several fish restaurants serving freshly caught fish

Punta Góngora

- The steep coastal hills of Andén Verde rise up to 600m here and the Montana de
Tirma is 845m and the Roque Faneque is 1007m

Natuurpark Tamadaba

- This park with its many Canary Island pine trees is strongly influenced by the trade winds
- Many species of birds live here including migratory birds
- Various plants like heather and ferns enjoy the natural level of dampness here and flower after the rainfall

Las Palmas

- Las Palmas is the largest city of the Canary Islands
- The city has rather gone to seed now that the days are over that the rich sick came to
spend the winter here and that the luxurious passenger ships stopped off here on their
transatlantic voyage.
- The town, built on a spit of land, has a complicated layout. The easterly edge of the spit
of land has been taken over by the modern trading harbour, Puerto de la Cruz.
- The former island, La Isleta, has become an area for sailors and soldiers.
- The busy Playa de las Canteras lies on the other side of the spit of land and has a 3km
long golden sandy beach
- The city center stretches along the coast of the isthmus
- The Parque Santa Catalina is a good place to start a tour - a popular, shady square with
cafés and kiosks
- The Parque Doramas and the traditional casino hotel of Santa Catalina are to be found in
the leafy residential area of Cuidad Jardin
- Pueblo Canario is a tourist enclave where tourists can enjoy folk dancing, shopping and
looking at a small art gallery. This can all be viewed from above if you walk up to the
Altavista area and the Pasea Cornisa
- The Barrio Vegueta lies at the end of the city. It is a pleasant area that was built at the
time of the Spanish conquest
- The Catedral de Santa Ana is to be found in the center and the cathedral was started in 1500
- You can see a lot of religious art in the Museo Diocesano de Arto Sacro .
The courtyard of the museum is guarded by bronze statues of Canary Island dogs
- The nearby Casa de Colon is a 15th century governor’s residence where Columbus
once stayed. The museum, that is dedicated to his travels, houses map, models and parts of his diary
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/casa-colon.html

- To learn about the early history you can go to the Museo Canario where you will find
Guanche mummies, skulls, pottery and jewellery
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/el-museo.html
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/centro-atlantico.html

Puerto La Luz

- An important transit harbour for Africa
- Columbus landed here
- More than a thousand ships load and unload here per month
- Ships of all nationalities are represented here, from enormous seafaring castles to rust buckets
- The 16th century military fortress, Castillo de la Luz, is opposite one of the piers

Tafira

- The hills to the south west of Las Palmas were a popular residential area for a long time
- The villas still have a colonial feeling. The Jardin Canario, a botanical garden that was
started in 1952, is worth seeing. There are plants from all the islands to be seen here

Bandama

- A picturesque town
- Here you can see the most perfectly formed crater of the Canary Islands. It has a diameter
of more than 1000m and a depth of 220m. At the bottom of the crater is a farm that can
only be reached by a steep and narrow path. It is the only inhabited crater in the world
- The oldest professional golf course in Spain is here. It was founded in 1891!

Santa Brigida

- Peaceful scenery with many palm trees
- At the weekend there is a busy market with flowers and farm products
- Nearby, in the Caldera de Hoya Bravo, there is a specimen of the “Dragon tree flower”
growing wild. They can grow to 10m tall

San Mateo

- San Mateo is one of the island’s agricultural centers with regular cattle markets
- The fertile ground lends itself to large plantations of herbs for medicinal purposes
- Cho Zacarías is an ethnological museum with a restaurant serving many different Canary Island dishes
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/vega.html

Tejeda

- At Cruz de la Tejeda you get a marvellous view. This is the highest point of the road system at 1450m
- It is fascinating that the average age of the inhabitants here is way above the average for the island
- The village is in a nature reserve
- Tejeda is in a picturesque landscape of almond tree orchards
www.bamjam.net/Canarias/Tejeda.html
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/cruz-tejeda.html

Artenara

- Most of the inhabitants of this picturesque village live in cave dwellings
- It is the highest village on the island
- It is a poor village which survives from the potato, grain and corn harvests
- There is a fantastic view from the village square out over the mountains
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/artenara.html

Ayacata

- To the east lie three rocks: Roque Nublo (skyscraper), the Fraile (monk) and the Rana (frog).
These rocks can be reached on foot and it is well worth the walk if you have got good shoes on.
- Just a little further you come to the highest peak of the island, Pico de las Nieves (snow peak),
which is 1949m high. It is occasionally snow capped but more often than not it is shrouded
in the clouds which hang at about 1700m.
www.spain-grancanaria.com/uk/places/pozo-nieves.html

For more photo's of Gran Canaria: fotogcz@infocanarias.com