Gran
Canaria is a most enchanting vacation spot with a pleasant climate
all year long. It is the third largest of the 8 Canary Islands after
Tenerife and Fuerteventura and gave the archipela its name. The
Canary Islands are an autonomous region of Spain with its own parliament
and president. Located in the Atlantic 210 km west of
south Morocco, Gran Canaria represents the most southern area of
the European Union. The capital, Las Palmas, is a cosmopolitan city,
has an international airport and its seaport. Puerto de la Luz is
one of the most important and biggest in the Atlantic.
The circular, rocky island
of volcanic origin has a diameter of just 50 km, but due to its
different climates and its great variety of landscapes, it has an
amazing range of interesting cultural and natural sites, which gave
it the epithet “continent en miniature”
With a height
of 1949 m. the Pico de las Nieves towers majestically above the
Cumbres, the central mountainous region of the island and offers
spectacular views of the surroundings as far as Tenerife!
The landmark of Gran Canaria is, however, the nearby mystic
Roque Nublo (1813m) which carries
an 80 m.tall monolith made from basalt in the shape of a finger.
Around the rock a beautiful flora can be found.
The bizarre shaped rock and mountain ranges in the centre, up
to nearly 2000 m. in height, divide the island into the dry sunny
south where dreamlike beaches, amazing dunes, barren landscapes
and naked rocks can be found, and the wet, fertile north with wooded
mountains as well as valleys and plains with luxurious subtropical
vegetation and rich fauna and flora. This is why one third
of the island is under protection as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Most of the beach hotels are in the sunny south where the most
beautiful beaches and the famous
dunes of Maspalomas
can be found. It’s true the area is very dry, but thanks
to large-scale irrigation systems, one can enjoy rich, exotic
subtropical vegetation at all tourist spots. Beyond that a
pleasantly freshen wind gives the climate a springlike nature. With
10 golf courses the island is the perfect golfing destination all
year long. We stayed at the
IFA Beach hotel at San
Agustin - a lovely beach hotel with a rich and exotic vegetation
around the house and nice open air seats for the meals.
A drive across the island in south-north direction
is an interesting and exciting experience and a "must". The
roads wind through the mountains in oodles of serpentines with breathtaking
acute bends, ascents and descents that make the tour adventurous.
Along the way there are great vantage points and lovely small old
villages and towns, like the former place of pilgrimage, Teror.
The tour may finish in the north at Arucas, the city with
the dark church built from lava rocks and the highest steeple of
the Canaries (60m). 12 km away from the city the vantage point “Montana
de Arucas” (412m) offers great views of the coastline and
the island.
A tour to the charming
Puerto
de Mogan on the south-western coast is highly recommended.
The lovely, small city has a fine golden beach and is decorated
with an abundance of flowers. Arches with luxurious flowering
bougainvillea span the small alleys and offer enchanting views against
the background of the small, white houses and the blue sky.
Countless beautiful yachts lie at anchor in the harbour.
When we took the ferry from Puerto Mogan
to Puerto Rico we were lucky enough to watch dolphins! We
were very surprised and fascinated by their behaviour. They
really put on a show for us – came up and dived into the water
in varying formations! We thought they may not like our noisy
ship, but possibly they get food from the crew every now and then
...
Visiting the capital, Las Palmas, is also
a "must" (very good bus connection!). Very to recommend is the
Hop On - Hop Off Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Tour.
In general there are very good bus connections all over the island
for all places of interest.
 |
|
|
|
|
sightseeing hop-on / off |
San Agustin Flora |
San Agustin beach |
Puerto de Mogan
|
dolphins near Puerto Rico |
|