Gran Canaria Tourist Guide

SOUTH-SOUTHWEST

SAN BARTOLOMÉ DE TIRAJANA MOGÁN

LA ALDEA DE SAN NICOLÁS

following the arrival of the Spanish in Gran Canaria, the Catholic Kings

San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Mogán and La Aldea de San Nicolás are our next stops on our route around the southwest of the island. We can start our route at the Condal Vega Grande Estate, an ethnographic complex that covers centuries of history and culture in Gran Canaria. We head on southwards along the GC-1, passing Tarajalillo, San Agustín, Las Burras and Playa del Inglés to our left. The beaches along this stretch have made this area one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe. You cannot return home without first stopping to take a quick snap of your journey through the Special Natural Reserve of Maspalomas Dunes. This desert setting covers around 400 hectares, and is one of the most beautiful enclaves in Gran Canaria. It is made up of a series of gently undulating sandhills, with abundant halophyte vegetation, and a lake frequented by unique insects and ornithological species, known by locals as La Charca (The Pool). Next to the beach, and at the border with neighbouring Meloneras, towers the Maspalomas Lighthouse, a 60 metre high construction that was inaugurated in 1890. This symbolic landmark of Gran Canaria was declared a Site of Cultural Interest by the Government of the Canary Islands, in the category of Historic Monument, and is one of the main attractions in the area. It is surrounded by night clubs, restaurants and other leisure and entertainment venues.

The Special Natural Reserve of Maspalomas Dunes,one of the most beautiful enclaves of Gran Canaria.

gave these lands away to the church, which gave rise to an Episcopal Estate, which survived until the 19th century. The oldest part of the town, around the Church of San Sebastián, is ideal for meeting and chatting to the locals. One of the best kept secrets in the municipality of Agüimes is the village of Temisas, a wonderful rural settlement declared a Representative Canary Hamlet by the Government of the Canary Islands. From there, visitors can either go back downwards to the beaches of Arinaga and El Cabrón, two idyllic spots for divers, or continue along the GC-550, which leads to Santa Lucía. A stunning pine grove will greet us upon our arrival here. The Tirajana Crater, with its imposing steep walls, is a sight for sore eyes, which will whet our appetite for local wines, cheeses and the popular mejunje drink made from rum, cinnamon and honey. Head back down to the coast and stop off at the Fortaleza de Ansite Visitor Centre, along the GC- 651, the last bastion of aboriginal resistence from where they threw their leaders off the edge to avoid surrendering to the Conquistadores. Carry on as far as Vecindario, and its large shopping centre located near to the beach at Pozo Izquierdo, known all over the world as a venue for the World Windsurf Championship, which attracts the finest competitors in the world every July.

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LEISURE GUIDE OF GRAN CANARIA