The island has become a meeting point for great international athletes who come to Gran Canaria to participate in some of the events held on the island and even to train and get ready for other international events.
Because of its natural wealth and environment, the island of Gran Canaria is known as the “miniature continent”. Here, sports lovers will find endless possibilities to combine the practice of sports with the pleasure of enjoying the lush landscapes in the inland part of the island and the spectacular coastal areas. Because of the mild climate all year round, cycling routes are one of the best alternatives for tourists in Gran Canaria.
With its 128 beaches and an average temperature of 24°C all year round, Gran Canaria is the perfect place to escape the harsh winter. However, very few visitors get to know the island’s central mountain region, a true paradise to go mountain biking.
Because of its morphology, this is a mountainous island, with truly rugged spectacular landscapes. Both mountain and road routes are characterised by the almost total absence of plains and the constant presence of stones due to the island’s volcanic origin.
The island has held important events such as the Swim Run series, the Gran Canaria Marathon and the Transgrancanaria. These events have put the island on the international map as a running destination, thanks to the size, organization, facilities and, of course, the good natural conditions that the island of Gran Canaria offers to practice this sport, and which help develop spectacular routes.
Over the years, Gran Canaria has been holding more and more running events, and adventure and mountain races which have attracted athletes from all over the world who want to discover why Gran Canaria is the perfect destination to practice any outdoor sport.
The lookout points are the perfect way to complete the jigsaw puzzle of our miniature continent. Just like in an adventure novel or a story written by Jules Verne in which a map turned over in sunlight reveals a hidden line to the marked places. An itinerary that visitors to Gran Canaria simply must not miss.
The Gran Canaria lookout network brings together all of the most spectacular scenic views. A route designed for the curious traveller. For anyone who has what it takes to trek through mountains and follow winding roads that lead to the ever-changing landscapes of Gran Canaria, so that you can see them for yourself.
To reach the lookout points and see all of this, simply point your computer northwards and wait for the sun to set, and get ready to start without further delay the first part of your journey.
Gran Canaria is the fair-weather island, just made to measure for all sportsmen and women, surrounded by beaches, with a sea of opportunities for sports A refuge for surfers, both men and women, for those mad about windsurfing, for divers, and sailors.
Gran Canaria is a great fine weather gym, with a one-off payment for entry: be ready for fun. This is why it is the destination for a thousand professional teams, from all over Europe, as well as for anyone looking to go on active holidays. You can go hiking in the forests, play golf on the edge of a volcanic crater, go running along the sea front, go surfing in hidden away beaches…
Mountain bike, climbing, open sea swimming, hiking, windsurfing, golf, kitesurf, diving and almost anything else you can think of.
So make sure you sign up. We are open for business now. The fair-weather gym never closes.
The Maspalomas Lighthouse is located in the south of Gran Canaria, in the middle of one of the most visited stretches of coastline in Europe.
In Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés and Meloneras there are plenty of hotels and apartments to choose from, loads of leisure activities during the day and a vibrant night-life in the surrounding areas leading to the beaches.
However, Maspalomas is not only famous for its large field of dunes right near the sea or its good climate. It is also known for its old lighthouse, which saw the first tourists arrive and the transformation of the area into a popular holiday destination. Ever since the first travellers noticed that the warm temperatures were no fluke on this several-kilometre-long beach, the so-called Faro de Maspalomas has been a silent witness to thousands of sunny days, honeymoons and strolls along the promenade.
The decision to build this lighthouse was made in 1861. It then took 28 long years to finish. At the time, the place was uninhabited, cut off from the rest of the island. To build this 55-metre-high lighthouse, a dock was used to unload the materials which could only be brought in by sea.
It helped to guide ships that covered routes between Europe and America. It was the only building at the end of a long strip of sand which started at what is now Playa del Inglés and tailed off close to the Maspalomas Oasis.
Nowadays everything around it has changed. Now it is at the start of a busy promenade area. The perfect place to do some shopping, make a stop after a day at the beach, go out for dinner or just have a drink by the long seashore.
Just a few metres from the promenade, bathers dive into the sand which marks the start of the Maspalomas Natural Dune Reserve, which is made up of three eco-systems: the Palmeral, the Charca and the Dunes, which run in parallel a few metres from the sea. The whole area is an enormous and exceptionally valuable natural space.
Just a little further on from the Palmeral de Maspalomas (the Maspalomas Palm Grove) you will find another protected natural space, the Charca de Maspalomas, a small lagoon of seawater which lies between the sea and the sand, providing a resting spot lace for birds migrating to Africa. The huge expanse of sand dunes starts right next to this small lagoon, always changing and shifting, chiselled out by the wind coming off the ocean.
From the lighthouse and heading towards the dunes, if we take a walk along the seashore, we will reach the Punta de Maspalomas, which connects with Playa del Inglés. It is actually the same beach, which just changes its name at this point. Walking from one end to the other soon becomes a healthy habit for visitors.
This beach also has quiet, isolated areas where nudism is allowed. From the Maspalomas Lighthouse to Playa del Inglés, the nudist area is found between beach bars 3 and 4. From Playa del Inglés to the Maspalomas Lighthouse, the nudist area is found between beach bars 5 and 6. Surfers meet on the bend joining Maspalomas with Playa del Inglés People out walking, surfers and nudists all mingle freely on the beach.
Many things have changed since 1861, but Maspalomas continues to be the perfect place to unwind, enjoy the sea or simply while away the hours sunbathing. This hasn’t changed, and neither has the long shadow of the Lighthouse, which still stands in the same place as ever. Whereas before it looked out for boats crossing the Atlantic, it now envies beach-goers spending their days under the gentle sun in Maspalomas.
Let us tell you all about what makes our island such a great destination for active tourism. Let us tell you about our Fair Weather Gym...
The Great Rest was discovered literally hundreds of years ago. It came about in the middle of the 19th Century when several Englishmen that were sailing along the steamboat route to Cape Town discovered, almost by accident, the island with the best winters in Europe.
It was an island that offered a refuge, with perfect microclimates, so that people could settle there for long stays and rest, recover from illnesses, alleviate ailments, or simply let the world go by at a leisurely pace. A place in the middle of the ocean with good weather, where one could relax, look after oneself and simply feel great.
It was during the second half of the 19th Century that Gran Canaria started to become a major health destination. Travellers from all over Europe arrived from thousands of different cities, searching for the good climate that was spread over virtually all 12 months of the year. Visitors from all parts of Europe bathed in the medicinal waters at the old stately spas of Azuaje and los Berrazales. This was the 19th Century.
Indeed, the Great Rest continued to adapt with the passing of time. The visionary Italian Eduardo Filiputti revolutionized the system in the 20th century by creating a health centre in the sea of dunes of Maspalomas. The spa on the dunes was a solar therapy centre that enabled the beneficial effects of the combination of sun and sand to be fully exploited. This was now the 1960s.
These days the great rest recipe is continually being improved in Gran Canaria. This is because the island never stops reinventing new ways to offer the best health holidays to visitors. A century and a half later, visitors will find a wide range of Spa & Wellness centres, top quality personal service by health care specialists, and the latest beauty and wellness treatments.
A combination of years’ experience as a health destination, the most advanced methods and the most up-to-date spa and thalassotherapy facilities in Gran Canaria, join forces with its mild climate and its numerous beaches. All of this is supported by many health and beauty professionals, along with a wide range of private health care options.
If you want to spend a few days feeling good and looking after yourself, why not come to Gran Canaria? We hope to continue to be the place where the recipe for the Great Rest is kept for a further 150 years.
For more information about Gran Canaria, visit www.grancanaria.com
Three rocks sit on a spot with a magical aura around it, up at the mountain peaks on the island. Together they represent the perfect union between the natural landscape and the cultural landscape of the Bentayga, right on the spiritual axis of Gran Canaria’s aboriginal world.
Three pillars on a landscape, made to measure to look up at the sky, from the mountain tops. They are also a little key to open the doors to the island’s past, to a time where an ancient society lived, shrouded in over 300 layers of mystery.
To open all these doors, visitors can now count on the help of the new Visitors Centre, which the Cabildo de Gran Canaria Island Government has restored, at the foot of the Roque Bentayga.
A new museographical exhibition uncovers the most important culture and rites of prehispanic times, right next to this unique spot, which still guards the sites for worship, burial and cave art of the island’s first inhabitants.
If we make our way up there and walk along as far as the base of the Roque Bentayga, we can submerge ourselves in the ancient way of life of the aboriginal islanders. With rigorous information, accessible through the latest technology, we have a modern means of explaining the symbolism of this group of stones high up on Gran Canaria, revealing everything that it represents for the culture, ethnography, and the very nature of the island.
After our visit to the Bentayga Visitors Centre, we can carry on to the Almogarén, a place for divine worship in the aboriginal era, situated on a protrusion at the eastern side of the rock.
And as a great backdrop, we have a natural heritage which allows us to delve into new ways of taking in the surrounding area, right here in the middle of the Biosphere Reserve of Gran Canaria. Next to this is the ultimate expression of the landscape, left by all those generations who have breathed life into an enclave encapsulated within a kind of magical halo.
The archaeology, ethnography, and cultural landscape of the Sierra del Bentayga all come together compelling us to learn more about the 3 Rocks. This is the point where the clouds come to a halt, where the union rites with the Bentayga are initiated, and right where the rain and the sun are given their calling.
For more information about Gran Canaria, visit www.grancanaria.com
Gran Canaria invites you to spread the wings of your imagination and discover an amazing magical island that encourages you to dream of the future.
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