Hiking in Gran Canaria

The Canary Islands are known not only for relaxation, but also outdoor activities. Of course, I needed some outdoor time, so I decided to book an all day group hike. After feeling unsure what to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria my first few days, I was glad I had pre-booked the experience.  It got me out of the Airbnb and let me see much more of the island than I would have otherwise. To do Gran Canaria right, you really need to rent a car (which I didn’t do), so this was the next best thing. 

The group I was with included people from all over the island, so the pickup took around 1-2 hours in total. I was thankfully the last pickup stop though, so most of my time was just spent waiting on the car. Once I hopped in the car, everyone introduced themselves and the I met the group lead. It was then only a quick thirty minute drive to our first location. 

The first place we stopped at was Pico de Bandama. At just under 2,000 feet high, it wasn’t impressive for someone who has visited much taller mountains, but what drives people to see it is the caldera there. A volcanic eruption happened at the spot roughly four thousand years ago. It is one of the youngest calderas on Gran Canaria. Other islands, namely La Palma, continue to have volcanic eruptions today (La Palma had one a few years ago), but Gran Canaria has been dormant for some time. The caldera was interesting to see, though I’m not sure I’d recommend a pit stop on future trips. You can hike through it, but we had our eyes set on other hikes for the day. 

After leaving Pico de Bandama, we weaved our way throughout the mountains to Cruz de Tejeda, which was the location for our lunch. Once we arrived, we met with locals to taste local snacks, including corn seasoned roasted almonds (highly recommend), honey liquor (the host was giving very generous portions of this), bananas, and cheeses. After that, and a quick photo session at the viewpoint, we sat down to an amazing lunch. It was hosted inside a nearby restaurant called Tajinaste del Refugio. The restaurant went all out with local dishes. One of my favorites was dessert, which was almost like a banana pizza. I had never had anything like it, and I’m glad I tried it. 

Once lunch was finished, we set out on our hike for the day. On our agenda were two different viewpoints: Roque Nublo and Pico de las Nieves. Roque Nublo was a longer hike, which we started first. I wish I had brought hiking shoes, as the trail was a bit slick in some spots. I felt bad as there were some members of the group that were visibly struggling with the hike. Halfway through the hike, a few people ventured off to hike towards some caves, which I didn’t do because it was a steep decline coming back and I was only wearing gym shoes. There is nothing wrong with saying no when hiking! Keep that in mind- always better to avoid injuries. 

The sun was beating down on us, but once we finally got to the top, the views were incredible. The vast expanse of the valley greeted you as soon as you turned a corner from a group a trees. In the distance, the tallest point in Spain, Mount Tiede, was visible across the Atlantic Ocean. Our guide said it was extremely rare to have such great visibility, so I felt very lucky. Sometimes they get up to the top, and clouds are surrounding them. They gave us a half our to enjoy the views and relax. 

I could have stayed there until sunset, but they wanted to take us to the highest peak on the island, Pico de Las Nieves. We began our descent back. A few of the group members had trouble on the way down, so we split up into two groups to give those who needed more time to go slower. However, we were fighting time if we wanted to see sunset, so the guides ultimately rushed us back down. This was the only part of the day that I felt a bit rushed. 

Once everyone met back at the car, we hopped in and were taken to the final spot. After a quick trek up, we were at the summit of Pico de Las Nieves right before the sunset began. It was pretty crowded, and it was obvious it was a favorite spot of locals and tourists alike. The views were spectacular with the sight of clouds below you, the Atlantic Ocean twinkling, and Tenerife within view by the sun. It was heartwarming seeing everyone witness it: couples resting their heads on each other, people kissing, and people taking endless photographs. It’s potentially a top five moment for me, and was well worth the trip.