Welcome to the next report from the trip. From 12.10 to 19.10 together with my husband, my father-in-law and brother-in-law we travelled through Gran Canaria. As usual, it took me a few weeks to plan my trip. The weather was good and now I have a little bit to show and describe, so let’s go.

I take my first pictures on the plane. We fly over small islands. I suspect that they are Isla de Alegranza and Isla de Montana Clara. We also pass Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Finally we reach Gran Canaria. Frankly speaking, the first impression isn’t too good. We only see the brown colour and we have the impression that there is no greenery on the island. The surroundings of the airport do not delight either – a lot of windmills, power plants and factories.

We land at the airport Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria and immediately rent a car from the most recommended Cicar rental company. We get a car with full insurance and an additional driver included in the price. Then we drive to check in the apartment in Arinaga and put away our luggage. The journey to the place is about 15 minutes on the highway. This is a good route to get acquainted with the car.

Before we managed to unpack suitcases, the owner of the apartment welcomes us on the parking. We take care of all the formalities then we rest for a while. We leave the apartment just before sunset. The rest of the day we spend on the spot, eating in a local restaurant, walking, shopping for tomorrow and enjoying the high temperatures in October.

road to most beautiful island`s ravine

The next morning we leave the apartment without breakfast, because the plan is to have a meal in the famous restaurant in the rock – Restaurante Vega in the Barranco de Guayadeque ravine. This is a 30-minute route from Arinaga. I sit in the front next to the irreplaceable driver Wojtek. I have the best place to admire the views and the opportunity to take photos. We pass through the small town of Agüimes.

Road to Aguimes views from the car - route to Aguimes main street of Aguimes city drive through Aguimes, Gran Canaria

Barranco de Guayadeque- “Must see” on Gran Canaria

Behind the village the road becomes narrow and quite winding. Contrary to appearances, it is much easier to drive when you already reached the ravine. It’s true that there are some turns, but each next one reveals a new portion of magnificent views. The Barranco de Guayadeque Gorge is considered to be one of the most beautiful places on the island. It is overgrown with lush vegetation, so our impression from the plane about the flora of Gran Canaria was mistaken. The ravine was once inhabited by the Guanches. In their language, the Barranco de Guayadeque meant “the place where the water flows” and this was due to the fact that the river used to flow here in the past.

first views of Barranco de Guayadeque road through the Barranco de Guayadeque gorge Barranco de Guayadeque, Gran Canaria the most beautiful gorge in Gran Canaria amazing views of Barranco de Guayadeque beautiful views of the steep rocks, Barranco de Guayadeque Canarian mountains, Gran Canaria way through almond and olive groves the most beautiful place in Gran Canaria lush vegetation, Gran Canaria Barranco de Guayadeque Gran Canaria travel blog mountain landscapes, Barranco de Guayadeque

ravine walk

We arrive at the restaurant just after opening. However, it turns out that the opening time does not mean that you can eat something right away. The kitchen needs about an hour to start, so nice waiter shows us where we can go to see the surrounding interesting places. We make a small round, admiring the mountains, abysses and houses in the rocks.

Gran Canaria landscape a scenic restaurant on Gran Canaria Gran Canaria interesting places Casa Rural Ca' Juani, Gran Canaria trip to the Barranco de Guayadeque chasm and houses in the rocks, Barranco de Guayadeque walk through the Barranco de Guayadeque cat on Gran Canarii lush vegetation in Gran Canaria Gran Canaria, flora road to Casa Rural Ca´Juani unusual precipices and houses in the rocks - Gran Canaria a scenic path in the Barranco de Guayadeque ravine Barranco de Guayadeque, Gran Canaria place for a walk, Gran Canaria Gran Canaria and the local colorful flowers flourishing vegetation in Barranco de Guayadeque interesting flora of the Canary Islands unusual places in Gran Canaria Restaurante Tagoror Barranco de Guayadeque, lizard

Delicious, sightseeing breakfast – we recommend it!

After a short walk we return for breakfast. Of course to try everything, we order too much. Eventually it isn’t that bad, because then we won’t have to stop for food for a long time. We try the island’s famous specialty – potatoes in sauce, salt peppers, olives, potato omelette, and pieces of fish and chips. We also order another specialty – Ron miel liquor, which is a combination of rum and local honey. The driver can also try this alcohol, because in the Canary Islands the permitted blood alcohol content to drive a car is 0.5 promile, so you can easily drink a glass of wine or a small beer for lunch.

Vega restaurant entrance, Barranco de Guayadeque Papas Arrugadas in Vega restaurant salty peppers Spanish omelette with tomatoes fish cubes with fries and vegetables

cuevas barmejas

After breakfast we go down to a village nearby, located a little lower, which we passed earlier on our way to the restaurant. This place is called Cuevas Barmejas (Scarlet Caves). The visible cottages in the rocks are still inhabited by people. These small houses are characterized by equally small backyards, but often very atmospheric and blooming ones. There is also a church on site, which is also located in the rock. We shoot a pair of photos and we move on.

Cuevas Barmejas, Barranco de Guayadeque Gran Canaria - Barranco de Guayadeque sculpture in the Barranco de Guayadeque ravine Scarlet Caves, flowery porches traveling through Cuevas Barmejas view of the green valley, Cuevas Barmejas Gran Canaria - Barranco de Guayadeque the church of Ermita de Guayadeque parking in Barranco de Guayadeque

road to Caldera de Los Marteles

Below there are pictures from the route to our next point of the trip. We plan to have several viewpoints.

road to Caldera de Los Marteles La Pasadilla, Gran Canaria Gran Canaria, a winding road to the mountains route through small, white towns, Gran canaria view of the hills and ocean

We approach the first lookout point. The surroundings and the climate change a bit. Now we drive along the road among beautiful coniferous trees.

beautiful coniferous trees near Caldera de los Marteles road in the mountains, Gran canaria curvy roads on Gran canaria Gran canaria, a road to the mountains by car in the Canary Islands

Caldera de Los Marteles

Finally, we get to this first, mysterious point. It is Caldera Los Marteles Viewpoint. All the places named in this post can be easily found on google maps. There is a small car park and a stand where you can buy local products. The interior of the volcanic caldera is perfectly visible from here. On the other side of the street you can see a small rock behind which a blue ocean emerges. You can go up to the rock, there is a special marked trail. However, we do not have much time. We need to go further.

the first viewpoint on Gran Canaria a sign informing about tourist routes trail leading to Valsequillo de Gran Canaria mountain road in Gran Canaria Caldera de los Marteles Lookout point Caldera de Los Marteles view of the Caldera of Los Marteles, Gran Canaria Caldera de Los Marteles - Gran Canariamountains covered with trees Canary

peak of the gran canaria

We go through the forest until we reach the second lookout point. From here you can see Pico de las Nieves– the highest peak in Gran Canaria. As we could have expected, we see beautiful mountainous views and shoot a lot of photos.

view of the Pico de las Nieves mountainous landscape attractions of Gran Canaria beautiful landscape of the Canary Islands me at the top of Pico de las Nieves rock with window, Gran canaria creative photo from travel

Since we see that there is an option to drive even higher, we decide to do it. In a moment we are at the top, which is 1949 m above sea level. From here we can see our next point of travel – the mountain trail to Roque Nublo. A little further we can also see Roque Bentayga. When the weather is perfect, as today, you can also see the highest peak of Tenerife – Teide.

Mirador Pico de Las Nieves - plate an unusual view of the countryside from Pico de las Nieves unusual cloud formation - Gran Canaria Canarian mountains views of the mountain trail to Roque Nublo girl on Pico de las Nieves me surrounded by picturesque landscapes

We go further.

road to Aparcamiento de la Degollada de La Goleta

roque nublo- important information

After crossing a winding road we reach the parking lot Aparcamiento de la Degollada de La Goleta, where the mountain trail begins. It is filled to the brim, so we park on the roadside a bit further. By accident we didn’t take enough water from the apartment, but according to the plan the road is going to take 45 minutes. I don’t remember if it’s one way or back and forth. From the parking we think that the rocks are quite close, so we don’t care so much. It turns out that this is a mistake, because it takes a lot more time to get to Roque Nublo and the sun burns hard. The whole mountain trip is very difficult for us, but we somehow managed to do it, and on the way back we buy a pair of cans of drinks in a small stand.

view from Aparcamiento de la Degollada de La Goleta the beginning of the route to Roque Nuble on the way to Roque Nublo mountains and vales, Gran Canaria

We go down the path towards the “mace”. All the time it seems to be very close. The views are wonderful and it’s hard not to take pictures.

trip to Roque Nublo mountain landscapes of the Canary Islands possible routes on Gran Canaria - a sign the best attractions of Gran Canaria unusual rock formations - trail to Roque nublo Roque Nublo, Gran Canaria Gran Canaria - a powerful monolith

roque nublo and magnificent landscapes

Roque Nublo is located at an altitude of 1813 m. You can walk up to the rock itself. I recommend it even to the biggest lazybones, because it is from where are the most beautiful views of the surroundings. We can admire winding roads, small lakes, rocky playgrounds, green valleys and the ocean. We are lucky to see Tenerife as well. I also notice our next point of the route – Roque Bentayga.

sightseeing Roque Nublo path towards Roque Nublo Roque Nublo - views of the Pico de Las Nieves what to see on Gran canaria main landmark in Gran Canaria Roque Nublo - views of the picturesque villages Roque Nublo - great views of the area panorama Roque Bentayga Roque Nublo from the close range unusual landscapes of the Canary Islands the best picture from Gran Canaria Roque Bentayga and Tenerife on horizon Gran Canaria landscapes travels around Gran Canaria

We go back to the car.

panorama from the trail to Roque Nublo Canary mountain landscapes

It is worth mentioning that there are other interesting rocks near Roque Nublo. In the photo below, taken close to the car, you can recognize the rooster (El Gallo) and the monk (El Fraile). La Rana is next to Roque Nublo, but from here it is covered by coniferous trees.

El Gallo El Fraile La Rana

beautiful road to Roque Bentayga

We go back to the car and drive further to Roque Bentayga.

Gran Canaria road GC-60 GC-60 view of Roque Bentayga view from the car on Roque Bentayga travel by GC-60 roaddriving a rented car in Gran Canaria

Along the way we stop on the roadside, by a big stone, to take a few photos of the rock, to which we slowly approach.

holy rock Roque Bentayga creative and crazy travel photo family trip to the Canary Islands interesting plants of the Canary Islands

Then we go straight to the point.

Roque Bentayga - view from the road

about Roque Bentayga

Here we notice a plate saying that you can go on another mountain trip, but taking into account the previous trip, small reserves of water and the fact that we still have a bit left to explore this day, we give up this trip. I am a bit disappointed, but I had in mind that we might run out of time. That’s why I decided to make a longer trip already on the first day of my stay on the island.

Like Roque Nublo, Roque Bentayga is a basalt monolith that grows out of the rocks in the middle of Gran Canaria. It rises to an altitude of 1,412 metres above sea level. When planning my trip, I found it difficult to find the way on google maps and find out exactly where the parking and the entrance to the rock trail are located. During the ride, however, it turns out that I was unnecessarily worried because the roads are well signposted and direct to the right place.

Roque Bentayga Gran Canaria  parking at Roque Bentaygalandscapes worth seeing in the Gran Canariaholy rock for the Guanches

We go further. If we could see Roque Bentayga from Roque Nublo, you can guess that Roque Nublo is visible from Roque Bentayga. We admire the place where we were a moment ago from the route.

GC-607 road Gran Canaria Roque Nublo and Pico de las Nieves - landscape

wonderful white towns

We go downhill in the direction of Tejeda. The road is really charming. We recall the white towns of Pueblos Blancos in Andalusia, Spain, because here we pass very similar ones.

white towns of the Canary Islands GC-60 in the direction of Tejeda beautiful photos from the trip a town located high in the mountains Barranco de Tejeda, Gran Canaria

unique climate of the Tejeda

As I have already mentioned, the next point of the trip is Tejeda. We drive into the town and in its upper part we can easily find a parking place.

entrance to the village of Tejeda suburbs of Tejeda, Gran Canaria

We get off the car and head towards the center of Tejeda. Then we go down the charming steps among beautiful buildings with a view of Roque Bentayga.

special climate of the town in Gran Canaria Gran Canaria - stairs to the center of Tejeda Canary details - the door of one of the houses

We are a bit hungry and tired, so with the help of Google’s ratings we look for a restaurant where we could drink something cold and have a snack on a small meal.

trip to the city of Tejeda entrance to the center of Tejeda Tejeda, old town

Our stop is at the El Labrador restaurant located in the very centre of Tejeda at the church. We get drinks, but unfortunately no one brings us the garlic toasts we ordered. If we had more time, we wouldn’t mind, because the pub is in a beautiful location with wonderful views of the surroundings of the town.

Parroquia De Ntra Sra Del Socorro what to see in Gran Canaria church in Tejeda Gran canaria Gran canaria travel report amazing scenery of the Canary Islands worth visiting city of Gran Canaria creative photos and travel blogs

Time is running out, so we pay and go to the recommended confectionery, where almost everyone takes something for themselves. We eat delicious sweets on the square by the church. It is hard to describe how good our cakes were. In addition, each cost no more than 1 euro, so there is no doubt that it is worth buying something there. The confectionery is called Dulceria Nublo and is also recommended on other travel blogs.

Ayuntamiento de Tejeda, Gran Canaria

walking along narrow streets of tejeda

After a short rest we go to visit the town. We find ourselves in narrow streets between white blocks of flats. Residents here have really nice views of the mountains. It was hard to choose just a few pictures, so I put in a lot of them. I hope you will enjoy it and thanks to them you will get to know the charm of Tejeda.

Plaza Mirador del Ayuntamiento, Tejeda, Spain the best travel blogs york dog on Gran canaria beautiful Tejeda province extraordinary churches in Gran Canaria walk through the narrow streets of Tejeda buildings of the city of Tejeda, Gran Canaria A visit on the peak of Gran Canaria a beautiful terrace and green shutters in Gran Canaria Tejeda - the perfect place to visit creative travel photos Tejeda - picturesque, white houses the road leading to Tejeda walk on the Canary Islands Tejeda travel blog an extraordinary panorama of the city of Tejeda climatic photos from the Canary Islands Roque Bentayga Gran Canaria Church in Tejeda travels around Gran Canaria Roses in Gran Canaria Flowers in October - Gran Canaria streets full of flowers - Tejeda Tejeda travel blog beautiful homes in the Canary Islands

to the heart of Gran Canaria

If you made it here, it’s great. Let’s go further. We head to the heart of Gran Canaria.

Tejeda route - Cruz de Tejeda route to the center of the island the road to the heart of Gran Canaria

Cruz de Tejeda- wonderful sights of the surroundings

Our last point of interest is Cruz de Tejeda– a town marking the center of the island. We manage to get here at the ideal time, because the sun approaching the west, gives beautiful lighting to the next layers of the mountain. Some of the most beautiful pictures I managed to take on this trip come from here. Currently in the village we come across a rally of motorcyclists, so fans of motoring have the opportunity to admire fast machines.

sunset in Cruz de Tejeda Parador de Cruz de Tejeda Gran Canaria - Parador de Cruz de Tejeda the heart of Gran Canaria Cruz de Tejeda Cruz de Tejeda What to see Escultura Cruz de Tejeda Mirador de Tejeda viewpoint Cruz de Tejeda - city center

back to the arinaga

After a short stopover we set off. We leave the mountains and slowly descend towards the ocean. The views are getting worse as we pass small, slightly neglected villages.

ocean view of Gran Canaria neglected villages GC-151 road Canarian village at GC-151

We pass through Santa Brigida – we will visit this city on another day.

Sta Brígida, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria drive through Sta Brígida city GC-15 Gran Canaria colorful city in Gran Canaria

night-time bathing in the ocean

That day I wanted to swim in the ocean for at least a moment, so on the way to Arinaga we arrive at the parking lot at the beach Aguadulce.

Parking Tufia and Aguadulce

Before we go to the beach, we take a look at the beach Tufia, located opposite the beach of Aguadulce.

the best beaches in Gran Canaria Mirador Playa de Tufia

Although the beach was recommended in other travel guides, I recommend that you let it go. There are views of various factories and other urban buildings, which completely spoil the impression. Unfortunately, in the east of the island there are no nice beaches.

When I enter the water it is basically already dark, but the water is very warm. I would even say that the warmest I have bathed in during my entire stay in Gran Canaria.

Playa Aguadulce - a sandy beach in Gran Canaria Playa Aguadulce, Gran Canaria

After the bath we go to the market to do some big shopping for the whole trip and return to Arinaga for dinner. We spend some time with a glass of wine in the apartment and this is the end of the day.

How can we sum up our first day? The roads in Gran Canaria are winding. You have to take a lot of beverages with you. For the time being, even in the mountains it is very warm.

a route map on gran canaria

Our today’s road (click here):

Gran Canaria route day 1

 

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You will find more posts from Gran Canaria here:

Gran Canaria

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Anonymous
5 years ago

Super 🙂

Andy55
5 years ago

Bardzo fajna trasa. Żałuję, że nie byłem.

Adam
5 years ago

Ładne foty!!!