2023 Gran Canaria Road Trip #1
One of the fun parts of having a friend come visit is getting to tour this gorgeous island and see it again through new eyes. We rented a car in Las Palmas from Raul at Autos Sansu which I HIGHLY recommend. Very reasonably priced and so incredible kind and easy to work with. (https://autossansu.com/)
This is our circular route, driving clockwise around the island. Total distance: 275 km/171 miles.
Our first stop was Barranco de las Vacas, this is a very small slot canyon unique in Europe and compares to a tiny version of Antelope canyon in the US. Located along the GC-550 from Agüimes to Temisas, 4 km northwest of Agüimes, between kilometer 13 & 14.
Before the overpass there is a small pull-off on the right side of the road with enough room for about 2 cars. We got lucky, someone was pulling out when we arrived. There is also parking past the bridge on the right side of the road where you would then walk back down to the trail.
To get to the Barranco de las Vacas, walk to the downhill side of the overpass and follow the trail that leaves the road on the left looking uphill just next to the bridge. At the bottom of the barranco, follow the path through the tunnel. The canyon is not large, so you can do the hike and take pictures and enjoy it all in less than an hour.
I hear that it gets very crowded, and it is narrow and small so there isn’t a lot of room. We got lucky as May is not a tourism month and there were only 2 other people in the canyon at the same time we were.
Leaving the canyon, our 2nd stop is to head to Maspalomas for the Dunes and the Beach, located on the southern tip of the island. The Maspalomas Dune system offers a unique feeling of being in the middle of the Sahara Desert which we are closer to than mainland Europe. Its 400 hectares/988 acres is protected by the Canarian government as a Nature Reserve of special value. Running adjacent to the dunes is the ocean and the beach here is wide, long, and beautiful. El Faro de Maspalomas (the lighthouse) marks the most south-westerly point of the 12km long Playa de Maspalomas, which then merges into Playa del Inglés in the east. The mid-section of Playa de Maspalomas is a nudist beach and welcoming to all, the rainbow flag is always flying high, true to its motto: "Canarian Pride!”
Our 3rd stop of the day is Puerto de Mogán located in the south of the island as we are driving clockwise from our starting point of Las Palmas and now leaving Maspalomas. It’s probably best to GPS Playa de Mogán as often google maps will take you to the town of Mogán located inland vs. the port. This port town has the nickname ‘Little Venice’ due to the few bridged waterways that run through it. It’s a beautifully picturesque town with lovely low-rise architecture and absolutely gorgeous bougainvillea everywhere. The attractive marina and fishing harbor is full of beautiful boats and surrounded by outdoor cafes, a great stop for a lovely lunch and a bottle of vino tinto!
The 4th stop on our journey is Fuente De Los Azulejos on the road that connects Puerto de Mogán with La Aldea de San Nicolás. The name literally means "fountain of tiles", because of the color of the rocks resembling Portuguese tiles. Rhe Canary Islands are of volcanic origin and this area is a series of colorful slopes in which you can see different stripes of colors created naturally with different color rocks and green clay.
Our 5th stop on our circular tour was Agaete & Puerto de Las Nieves to visit friends. Can you believe it?!? I didn’t take any pictures. That just feels sad!!
From Agaete it’s a 35-minute drive to complete the circle and end up back to Playa Las Canteras, Las Palmas to drop off the rental car until our Day 2 Road Trip tomorrow into the mountains and through the middle of the island.
