Best Attractions and Things to Do in Gran Canaria

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Best Attractions and Things to Do in Gran Canaria
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Scuba in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria boasts incredible biodiversity, both
above and below sea level, so take the plunge
with a scuba dive to see an impressive variety of
marine life. Get up close and personal with a
manta ray or sea turtle, or lose yourself just
gazing at the remarkable colours of fish and
crustaceans found in abundance at sites like the
El Cabrón Marine Reserve. If youre feeling
adventurous, tackle a submerged wreck at Puerto
Mogan or the dramatic La Catedral cave dive at
Las Palmas.
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Ride sand dunes on camelback
Make like Lawrence of Arabia in Maspalomas, a
glorious 8km-long white beach featuring colossal
dunes that span half its length and extend a
further 3.5km inland. Sure you can walk, horse
ride or even quad bike these 404 hectares of
rolling sand hills, but for something out of the
ordinary, take a camel ride. The camels long
legs mean theres a different rhythm its a
slower pace than on horseback and strangely
calming. Playing safari in this mini Sahara is
hot work, so cool down with a sorbet in the
shadow of the magnificent 56-feet-tall Maspalomas
lighthouse. The promenade is the place to people
watch at sunset, and if youre lucky youll catch
the beachs resident sand artist hard at work
crafting his next sculpture.
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 Moonwalk at Roque Nublo
Bang in the centre of the island, this little and
large rock pairing is well worth a visit. The
relatively short hike up to this unmistakable
landmark is hot work, so get hydrated with a
fresh juice from the van in the car park.
Standing 80 metres tall and 1,813 meters above
sea level, the Roque Nublo isnt actually the
highest point on the island (that accolade goes
to Pico de la Nieves), although with its exposed
position rising out of the Caldera de Tejeda, it
is certainly the most prominent. You can enjoy
panoramic 360-degree views of the island from on
top of the peak, but the quasi-lunar landscape
itself is the real draw its quite uncanny.
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Go stargazing
Is there life on Mars? Thanks to the island's
position on the equator, low-level cloud
phenomena that filter out light pollution and a
law that regulates air traffic, Gran Canaria is
one of the best places in Europe from which to
see the stars. The unusually clear and bright
skies allow for cracking views of constellations
found in both northern and southern hemispheres.
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Surf like a Big Kahuna
The coastline of Pozo Izquierdo plays host to
some seriously impressive surf. Sit on the sand
and watch as the boards and sails cut and glide
through the water, or if you want to have a go
yourself, check in with the friendly staff of one
many local surfing schools, who will make getting
started a breeze. With a little practice youll
be upright and cruising in no time. Be warned
though, once youve successfully surfed your
first swell, youll find the experience is
addictive so be sure to pack a few pairs of
board shorts.
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Sup Arucas rum
Five centuries of sugar cane cultivation has
given the Canaries a sweet tooth. It wasnt long
before this tendency led to the creation of rum,
first sweetened with sugar cane honey and then
bees honey. Nowadays, in Gran Canaria, Arucas
rum is ubiquitous and is exported worldwide. A
visit to the distillery, 15 minutes journey from
the capital Las Palmas, is a very merry way to
spend an afternoon. Every year, more than 3.5
million litres of rum are produced here see the
rum production process before sampling one of the
many flavours, from banana and coffee to honey
and toffee. And dont miss the celebrity
autographs on the casks.
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Experience the Gran Canaria Carnival
As you may have guessed from all that rum, the
Gran Canarians love to party, and arent shy of a
festival or two. By far the biggest event of the
calendar year is the Carnival, an explosively
colourful street parade held every February, in
the spirit of the Rio Carnival or Sydney's Mardi
Gras.
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Have a grand day out in Palmitos Park
Palmitos is the biggest zoological park in the
Canary Islands, with hundreds of ocean dwellers
like dolphins, turtles, seals, reptiles, lories,
toucans and pelicans calling it home. There's a
schedule of feeding times, shows and
demonstrations every day, and for just 60, you
can spend time with one of the dolphins in a
hands on lesson about the species in the water.
Aqualand is also 10 minutes away, if you'd prefer
slides to seals.
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Relax in the Viera y Clavijo Botanical Garden
This garden was named after the scholar Jose
Viera y Clavijo after he attempted to found the
Canary's first botanical garden in the eighteenth
century, but failed. It was Erik Ragnar Svensson
who found this spot, which is able to hold all of
the Canary Islands different plant species. There
are 600 unique plants in this garden - try to
spot them all.
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