Walking & Hiking in Gran Canaria

The good thing about Gran Canaria is that, if you get tired of beaches and water sports, there is also plenty to do on land. One leisure activity that increased highly in popularity in the last years is walking or – for those who like to strain themselves a bit more – hiking.

In an attempt to create a more diversified tourism on the island, the Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria (Regional Government) has invested in the recovery of the caminos reales (royal paths) and reopened them to the public. These ancient paths, once the only means to get around in the interior of the island, centre on Cruz de Tejeda and radiate out from here to cover big parts of the island. Almost 66,000 hectares of the island are protected land with rural parks, nature reserves, fully protected reserves and natural monuments, these old tracks giving access to most of this land. Some of these walks are newly built paths and there are some challenging ones with serious climbs, but there are also a series of relatively short and easy walks.

Conditions in the mountains can be very different from those on the coast, so make sure you are prepared for abruptly changing weather conditions and be equipped with good shoes, warm clothing, food, plenty of water, sun block and a good map. Also, we would advise you to never walk alone in these often quite deserted and rough areas in case of any mishap.

The Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria publishes a series of leaflets, including maps, and although the information is in Spanish, basic details such as altitudes, length and duration of walks are clear. There is also another useful book, called 'Mountain Walks on Gran Canaria', available in English at the Cabildo Insular bookshop.

Walking or hiking is a great way of exploring less known, unspoilt landscapes and the dazzling beauty of the ancient Gran Canaria.