Sunflower Books: Landscapes of GRAN CANARIA: WALKS AND CAR TOURS
Gran Canaria, 5th Edition (February 2009), updated 20/5//10
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Updates for walks and car tours (drives) on Gran Canaria given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)
Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).
Where to stay: The Parador on Cruz de Tejeda is now open and very beautiful. Rooms and views are tremendous, buth the food was not up to much unfortunately. (e-mail, 5/10)
Buses: Timetable 20, Bus 18: this left at 14.00, not 13.10. (User, 4/09)
Picnic 16: No longer possible; access from Los Palmitos Park has been permanently blocked.
Walk 7: A user could not find the start of this walk; however, there is a user's track through the Barranco de la Mina shown on Google Earth with an accompanying picture showing a signpost 'Deg. Becerra, PR GC-02', which we assume is at the start of the walk. (Sunflower, 2/10)
Walk 9: On page 67 its says "When in Fontanales, in Calle la Montaneta, "just after house number 7, turn left a wide track (concreted at the outset). The way narrows", etc. After about 120 meter, this track becomes a dead end since the recent construction of a large water reservoir. I couldn't find out where the track continues beyond the water tank. (User 1/10)
Walk 11: I have just returned from 6 days in Gran Canaria, mainly to enjoy the beach and the sun for a well earned rest, and decided to undertake a couple of the hikes in your book. Absolutely fantastic! To access this walk from Playa del Ingles, I took the bus which went from Faro de Maspalomas to Arinaga and got off at El Cruce de Arinaga. The driver advised me to cross the road and wait at the opposite bus stop (at a rather desolate junction) for the bus from Arinaga to Aguimes. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later along came a bus. I imagine that had I stayed on the bus all the way to Arinaga itself, then the departure of the Aguimes bus would be timed as a connection. I had to take a taxi to Montana de las Tierras which cost about 10¤. The walk was spectacular and easy to follow. The larger dog at the second house is a proper guard dog on a long chain which extends to about 10 feet away from you as you walk between him on your right and the house on the left. The dog does jump and swings around on the chain. At 2h40min the descent starts down a worn shepherd's path through the tunnel of vegetation. This part is great fun as the vegetation is shoulder- to head height and as indicated is mainly viper's bugloss (tinajaste azul). The path is worn and gravelly so it's very easy to slip backwards. The descent is long and certainly painful on the knees by the end. I was did this walk on 26th April and the tinajaste azul was just at the end of blooming. This would have been absolutely spectacular in bloom about 2 weeks prior and indeed in Valsequillo there were local council posters for walks up into it. Obviously a Canarian equivalent of daffodils in the Lake District. Please recommend this walk from late March to late April. The last bus back to Telde went at around 18:15 and connected with another to Maspalomas. (User, 5/10)
Walk 14: The buildings at Casas del Fondo are all ruined; the eucalyptus trees are flourishing. Important: After the 2h30min-point, the text should read, 'After six minutes, where the road bends almost 90° to the LEFT, turn sharp RIGHT down a path'. (Sunflower, 2/2010)
Walk 15: As described. The wild flowers from Degollada de la Manzanilla were glorious. (User, 4/09)
Walk 16, IMPORTANT: The path down from the 5h25min point to the Los Palmitos bus has been permanently blocked. The latest update from a user (April 2009) reads: "I took the 2nd track on the right just before the mirador; a sign reads "no cars/bikes/walkers". Further down a sign says "private camino, no entry", There is then a "no walkers" sign at the hotel gates (but those gates are easy to walk through, so I tip-toed past). Only to be confronted by a pair of large, high, solid electric gates just at the side of the entrance to Los Palmitos Park; I could see the bus stop just 10m away! I was lucky, some workmen activated the gates, so I legged it through. (User 4/09) + The PR GC 40 marking leads to the bus stop at Aqualand - another 7km. Unless you are willing to a) pay about 20 euros per person to visit Los Palmitos OR b) walk another 7km (PR GC 40 is the longest PR route on the island), it is best to end the walk in Ayagaures by calling a taxi or, better still, pre-arranging one in advance. (Sunflower) + Further to the gates, an e-mail from Conny Spelbrink (April 2009) reads: 'Re access to the Palmitos Park bus stop, I know the situation very well - just 3 days ago I inquired about whether this lovely hotel was open or not, as I couldn't find any telephone numbers or further info. I had stayed at the hotel many times; it was one of my favourites in Gran Canaria, well away from the tourists and surrounded by peace and quiet, right next to the Palmitos bird park. The hotel was partly burned down in the big forest fires 2-3 years ago and apparently there is a court case pending (or other legal matters), with the result that the hotel has not been renovated and has not been re-opened at all. To prevent people getting onto the property they apparently have put up big gate which blocks access to the bus stop.' (Sunflower)
Walk 19, IMPORTANT: The end of this walk follows the end of Walk 16; see Update above! + I have just returned from 6 days in Gran Canaria, mainly to enjoy the beach and the sun for a well earned rest, and decided to undertake a couple of the hikes in your book. Absolutely fantastic! I missed the last morning bus from Playa del Ingles to San Bartolome for the start of walk 19 at Arteara so took a bus to Palmitos Park instead to do the walk in reverse, only to find the road up to Helga Mastoff's tennis retreat hotel still closed. Perhaps it would have been possible to squeeze round the side of the electric gate. The distance back down the Barranco to the fork for the road back up to Ayagaures was 4km, then another 4km walk up to Ayagaures itself so I took a taxi from Palmitos Park (10¤) and started at the dam. If you decide to recommend this walk in reverse then I would suggest the Palmitos Park bus from Playa as far as Aqualanda, then a taxi to Ayagaures. The walk in reverse was spectacular. Please put in a mention about the cascade and pool in a cave (deep enough for a dip and very shaded and cool on that particular day when a 35°C calima was blowing) situated 1 minute up a little track at the apex of the Barranco de Vicentillos. A great place for a picnic. Once in the Barranco de Fataga I missed the turn off for the path leading down to the Guanche necropolis but could see the white bus shelter on the right in the distance at Arteara and so had to scramble downhill through scrub then over the barranco bed past the camel ranch and up onto the road. I caught the last bus from San Bartolome to Maspalomas opposite the white bus shelter at about 18:23. It had left San Batolome at 18:10. (User, 5/10)
Walk 22: it is possible to do this from Playa del Ingles rather than stay at San Nicolas overnight. Bus number 1 from San Fernando to Puerto de Mogan leaves weekdays at 06:07 opposite the "4" (post office) on the Playa map (on the GC 500) and takes 40 minutes, connecting with the 06:45 and 07:00 number 38 bus in Puerto de Mogan for San Nicolas. I shall do this walk next time I visit the island. For future editions, I would suggest including more timetables and connections for those hikers staying in the Maspalomas area. (User, 5/10)
General (accommodation, etc): Below we reproduce some notes (received in 2004)
from an enthusiast which may prove of interest.
Here are some comments on accomodation and transport for Gran
Canaria hikers who prefer rural accomodation and who don't want
to hire a car.
As you can see on the Kompass Karte 1/50000 (www.kompass.at <http://www.kompass.at>
) the area west of the axe Maspalomas - Tejeda - Agaete is scarcely
populated (contrary to the north-eastern site). As there is a
good bus connection between Maspalomas and Cruz de Tejeda, (bus
18), I think it is a good idea to look for a hiking base along
that axe.
7 km southeast of Agaete, at Los Berrazales, there is a hotel
called Hotel Princesa Guarmina, www.hotelguayarmina.com <http://www.hotelguayarmina.com>
. It is a good 2 stars family hotel, where the service is very
friendly and the food delicious and copious. But its location
is not so good if you want to discover the central and southern
parts of the island by bus.
Hotel El Refugio (928 666513) at Cruz de Tejeda (1510 m. altitude)
is a rural hostelry that can make a good base for a few day's
walking; but if you're on a longer walking holiday I should advise
to look out for a somewhat less expensive hotel.
At the mountain village Tejeda (1100 m) we slept in Restaurante/Bar
Tejeda, tel 928 666055, 25 euro for a nice room with bathroom.
If you prefer an apartment, then go to Restaurante/Bar Gayfa,
tel 928 666230, 30 euro per night (and perhaps less if you're
staying longer than 3 nights).
At San Bartolome there is a luxury 4 stars hotel overlooking the
immense barranco de Tiranjana, called Las Tiranjanas, www.hotel-lastirajanas.com
<http://www.hotel-lastirajanas.com> .. The busstop is only
at 5 min.walking from the hotel.
Fataga, situated at 600 m altitude, seems me to be a very good
hiking base. The Fataga barranco is very beautiful, its bed is
full of palmtrees. The village is on the bus line 18 (Maspalomas
- (Cruz de) Tejeda. As for accomodation you can find:
- bar Albaricoque: it has 2 appartments, the one with te terrace
costs 25 euros a day, the other one 20 euros a day. You have to
add 5 euros a day if you're staying 3 nights or less. Tel. 928
798654
- on the web I found 3 casas rurales, situated in the village:
1. Falcon, www.ecoturismocanarias.com/grancanaria/falcon <http://www.ecoturismocanarias.com/grancanaria/falcon>
2+3. Villa Pino Diaz A+B, www.ecoturismocanarias.com/grancanaria/es
<http://www.ecoturismocanarias.com/grancanaria/es>
- a British couple living at Fataga offers Bed and Breakfast;
see www.fincabritanica.com <http://www.fincabritanica.com>
- there is also a rural hotel called Molino del Agua; the website
address seems to be www.molinodefataga.com <http://www.molinodefataga.com>
, but neither myself nor the Tourist Office at Maspalomas (cit@grancanaria.com)
could at 07-05-04 open that website. So I give here their phone
number 928 172089, and fax their fax number 928172244.
Some 8 km northwest of Maspalomas there is a Park and Sport hotel
Los Palmitos, www.lospalmitos.com <http://www.lospalmitos.com>
Its location is mouthwatering, and it is connected by bus to Maspalomas;
but to have to take into account that its prices are rather high,
as they offer a range of sporting facilities.
Camping facilities: we had a look at some of the (for free)
camping grounds of the Forestry Autority. Tamadaba + Llanos de
Garanon (east of Tejeda) disappointed me because mobile homes
and caravans are allowed, and they are situated at 1200 and 1600
m altitude, so it can be rather cold up there. But we met a small
camping ground near the Casa Forestal del Cruz Grande, that looked
attractive to us: only for tents, and the busstop of the line
Maspalomas - Tejeda is at less than one kilometer! Ask the Forest
Service for a permit in advance!