Gran Canaria Family Diaries
Seven proposals as a sample of the many family plans that Gran Canaria has to offer.
Day 1 – In between two waters
Right now, we find ourselves between two waters. On one side is La Marciega lagoon, formed at the mouth of the ravine of La Aldea de San Nicolás, just a few metres from the sea. A bird observatory provides a discreet viewpoint of the species that flock to the wetlands. Nearby, Centro de Interpretación Los Caserones (Los Caserones Interpretation Centre) offers information on the fascinating history of human settlements in the area, from the aboriginal population to the present day, as well as on the Gran Canaria Biosphere Reserve. It is also the starting point of a signposted route through the tarajales forest, dotted with panels that provide a wealth of information so that we know that mountain and long-tailed bats and up to a dozen different types of dragonflies fly around the area at night. Like them, we take flight, take a last look at La Marciega and leave, although nobody leaves places like this for good.
Day 2 – One thousand years in a couple of hours
Today we are going to travel a thousand years in just two or three hours. And we will do so in the historic district of Vegueta in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The area is a time boat in itself. We will start at the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (Atlantic Centre of Modern Art), an artistic reference point in the Canary Islands and Spain, which offers a wide range of avant-garde exhibitions throughout the year. Moreover, it is an easy downhill walk and offers splendid views of Santa Ana Cathedral. From here we go to the Museo Canario (Canary Islands Museum), where mummies and multiple samples of the island's millenary aboriginal culture are preserved, with contents adapted to all audiences. The island keeps its memory within these walls.
Day 3 – The light always finds us
The light always finds you in Gran Canaria. We are going to check it out once again. First in Artenara, at the Centro de Interpretación del Paisaje Cultural de Risco Caído y las Montañas Sagradas de Gran Canaria (Interpretation Centre of the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside is a life-size replica of cave 6 of the archaeological complex, which acts as a calendar. We will experience the phenomenon of the beam of light that penetrates through an opening above the door at certain times of the year and which travels along a frieze of engraved triangles, changing shape and position as the sun advances, marking the equinoxes and solstices. The light, in fact, always makes its way onto the island. This is also the case when you enter the Canarian pine forest of Tamadaba, where the sun filters through the canopy in a play of light and shadow that is part of the amazement generated by the route through this natural area, which is part of the World Heritage Site of the island's summit.
Day 4 - So many places in one
Gran Canaria proves every day that it is a small continent where you and your family can experience so many adventures. And there are places where this feeling is accentuated. Agaete is one of them. Agaete is everything: the crystal-clear waters of Playa de Las Nieves, the views of the cliffs, the never-ending sunset, the natural pools of Las Salinas, the fishing boats that enter and leave the port, the fresh fish in the galaxy of restaurants overlooking the ocean or the proximity of the Agaete Valley with its aroma of coffee plants and tropical fruits. The hours seem to stop and anchor in the waters of the bay. The same thing will happen to us.
Day 5 – Our family under the se
Dolphins behave like a family unit. They help each other to orientate themselves, to locate food and to avoid obstacles and possible predators with the ultrasounds that serve as their language. Today we hope to see them on the move on a sea trip in the waters of Gran Canaria. If we are lucky, we will also be able to observe some of the more than twenty species of cetaceans that can be seen near the island. In any case, it will be worth just feeling the sea breeze and contemplating the coastline as the first sailors who arrived on these Atlantic coasts did.
Day 6 - Today it's time to choose a theme park
Gran Canaria always surprises. Any day of the week is perfect, for example, to enjoy its wide range of theme parks and activities. You may choose to travel to the Wild West, to feel the majestic flight of some of the most impressive birds of prey on the planet, or to slide down a tube at full speed and end up in the water. Because Gran Canaria always begins and ends in the water.
Day 7 – The four elements
Sometimes you don't have to think. Just let yourself go. When this happens, the most likely thing is to end up in a place like Maspalomas beach, at the foot of the dunes, with its peculiar silhouette of camels advancing slowly and heavily over the desert. Here we find ourselves among the four elements of Nature, each represented in a different way. Water is the ocean. Air is in the form of a breeze that gently carries away any hint of stress that may linger in our minds. Earth is the fine sand of the shore where we walk, and children play. Fire is behind us, in the mountain silhouette of Gran Canaria, born of ancient volcanoes. This is the end of this family diary. In fact, we could write a different one every week without leaving this Atlantic island.
