As well as the many twists and trails across volcanoes, through valleys and vineyards in the Canary Islands, the GR131 trail is one that links them all together. The GR131 is also part of the European network of Grandes Randonnées (GR) long-distance trails, most famously featured in France. In Spain, however, they are called Senderos de Gran Recorrido but still called GR for short. In the Canary Islands, the GR131 is a waymarked trail that features on all seven of the Canary Islands, coast to coast, connecting them like a string of natural pearls. Which is why it’s sometimes called the island-hopping trail. Just like other networks of European GR trails, the red and white stripe markers are generally standard across the Canary Islands’ GR131 trail.
Can you hike all of the GR131 trail?
You can, and the total distance, if you were to do them all, is 560km, not counting the ferry journeys in between of course. However, at present we only have self-guided walking itineraries, where you have accommodation and luggage transfers en route, for the GR131 in Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. We do, however, offer other walking holidays on the islands of La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera, which don’t stick to the GR131 but often dip in and out of sections of it.
GR131 in Lanzarote
Spend eight days hiking from the north coast of Lanzarote to the south, starting in the traditional harbour town of Orzola and ending in Playa Blanca on the south coast. The north coast is already a world away from mass tourism in Lanzarote and, as the Lanzarote GR131 trail takes you through the wild volcanic region of Timanfaya National Park, the wine region of La Geria and to traditional island towns like Teguise and Yaíza, you’ll definitely stay clear of crowds. The trail is just over 70km, and there is no shortage of additional volcanic cones to clamber up en route, such as Peñas del Chache, the highest point on Lanzarote. Although these will definitely send your step counter into orbit.
To gain another perspective on Lanzarote’s landscapes, don’t miss a chance to visit some of the buildings and sites dedicated to César Manrique on the island, such as the eponymous museum in Haría, as he was the founder of sustainable policies to protect the natural heritage of the island, while also being a fine artist.
GR131 in Fuerteventura
This is another north to south nirvana and, given that this is the second largest Canary Island, is a longer trail at approximately 170km. Our GR131 in Fuerteventura itinerary covers around 100km of this, but also takes in the islet of Los Lobos on the first day of hiking. Fuerteventura’s trail is pretty wild and windy, exposed but still exquisite, so get yourself a good sunhat with chin straps for this one. This is why our version is a bit shorter, so that you can be comfortably accommodated en route, and have ease of luggage transfers too. After Los Lobos Island, the main route starts in Lajares, a village surrounded by volcanoes and lava flows in what feels like an oasis in the desert.
Your journey continues through desert-like landscapes, past volcanic peaks and the sacred mountain of Tindaya, to ancient towns such as Villaverde-La Oliva and Betancuria, the latter being the former capital of the Canary Islands which still has some superb colonial architecture on the island. Then finally to the coast, where beaches such as Costa Calma and La Pared await, finishing on the white sands of Morro Jable. The GR131 in Fuerteventura is also called the Camino Natural de Fuerteventura, and nature certainly gives generously and wildly throughout.
GR131 in Tenerife
The largest island of the archipelago, at just over 2,000km2, Tenerife is dominated by the often snow-capped Mount Teide, a dormant volcano which is also Spain’s highest peak, at 3,715m. You don’t summit it on the GR131 trail, but you do get to traverse some extraordinary volcanic landscapes. The 85km trail is, historically, the only one in the collection not to take you coast to coast. However, due to damage caused by forest fires, the trail has been diverted on this holiday to the north coast town of Garachico. It is, therefore, a coast to coast trail once more, covering over 100km between here and Arona in the south.
You still explore some colossal landscapes en route, including Las Cañadas Plateau, Degollada de Guajara mountain pass and La Corona Forestal Natural Park. The eight day holiday includes three days on the original Tenerife GR131 trail, which includes Mount Teide National Park. You could add a summit of Mount Teide to your itinerary, by including an extra day to do so, but you need a special permit to ascend it, which you should book in advance.
GR131 in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the most populated of the Canary Islands, but it also has some of the highest numbers of mountains, so there are plenty of exquisite escape routes from the crowds. The GR131 trail is one of those for sure, combining all aspects of the island’s biodiversity over its 80km of tracks and trails. Our eight day walking holiday along the GR131 also dips in and out of the island’s own Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria, which means that you have greater access to lovely places to stay en route.
The GR131 starts in the resort town of Maspalomas in the south, and we recommend getting there early so that you can explore the nearby dunes of Maspalomas Nature Reserve. Similarly, at the end point in Agaete in the north, you may want to extend your stay to enjoy this historic port town with natural swimming pools as well as the nearby pine forests of Tamadaba Natural Park. In between, you have some rocking ravines to trek through, a traverse of the island’s mountainous crest, and an ascent to the summit of Cruz de Tejeda (1,560m). There are also some fascinating ancient sites to blow your mind along the way, such as the 2,000 year old Arteara Necropolis. That’s a lot of dead people, but rest assured, you will feel totally rejuvenated and enlivened by this trail.
Best time to walk the GR131
Our GR131 walking holidays are available all year round, thanks to the archipelago’s annual average temperature of around 24C. As they all vary geographically there are differences, of course. Such as on Tenerife where average temperatures on the highest point of Mount Teide are 11C, with some fierce winds too. On the island as a whole, the temperatures are very warm, even in winter when temperatures can be 21C, although there is more risk of rainfall. The more sheltered side of Lanzarote, however, gets less rain in winter months than the more exposed northern side of Gran Canaria, but you are still unlikely to experience a whole day of rain.
For swimmers, seawater temperatures hover around 19C off Tenerife and Gran Canaria in winter and spring months, going up to 23C between August and October. Visiting whales like these warm waters too, basking around the islands between March and November. Given that they are some of the planet’s smartest mammals, you can trust that they know the right places to go.
The GR132 trail
The Canarian island of La Gomera stands out from the other pearls in this necklace and it also has its own GR trail, namely the GR132 which is a sublime 133km circuit of the whole island. On our Walking in Tenerife and La Gomera holiday, you can take in stretches of both the GR131 on Tenerife and the GR132 on La Gomera, the latter taking you from Juego de Bolas, Garajonay National Park’s visitor centre to the historic town of Vallehermoso. This section of the GR132 covers a panoply of La Gomera’s luscious terraces and ravines, as do all the other treks on that tour, albeit not on the GR132, as they tend to head higher into the subtropical hills.
If GR trails are your go-to GReats for hiking, then you may also enjoy our blog on the GR routes in France, or other blogs on islands. These include Heavenly and Hellenic walking on the Greek Islands, Idyllic island walking holidays, Reasons to go walking in Madeira and our Ultimate guide to the Balearics – as well as our Ultimate guide to (other) walks on the Canary Islands.
