Overview
An eight day, self-guided holiday walking in Gran Canaria, the most mountainous of the Canary Islands. It’s also one of the most biodiverse, with ancient walking trails on donkey paths through richly fertile terrain such as the banana and avocado plantations of the Agaete Valley, on the island’s north coast. You then explore more inland idylls such as Altavista (1,378m), Pinos de Galdar pine forest, the Tejeda Valley and a trek up to Roque Nublo, an iconic 67m tall volcanic rock at 1,813m, with views across the island’s jigsaw of ravines. Stay in three-star hotels, with luggage transfers.
- Agaete
- Tejeda Valley
- Roque Nublo (1,813m)
- Traditional Canarian white-washed villages
- Trek to Altavista (1,378m), Tamadaba Natural Park
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Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Gran Canaria
You are met at Gran Canaria Airport and transferred to Agaete, on the island’s rugged north coast. Agaete is surrounded by orchards, mountains and sea, so perhaps take a scenic walk before dinner, or relax by the pool.
- Overnight in hotel Rural Finca Las Longueras (or similar; this hotel is closed in August and you will stay at an alternative hotel)
Day 2: Mirador Vuelta de la Paloma | 12.5km
Walk 2.5km to the village of San Pedro, where you start an ascent along the camino real to Montaña Bibique (645m), with superb views over the Agaete Valley. Continue onto an even better viewpoint at Mirador Vuelta de Paloma (850m), then descent back to Puerto de las Nieves along a narrow, steep-sided path. If you are wary of sheer drops, you can just retrace your steps back down from Montaña Bibique. If you continue to Puerto de las Nieves, transfer by bus or taxi back to Agaete.
- Overnight in hotel Rural Finca Las Longueras (or similar)
- Walking for the day: 4.5h, 12.5km, ↑525m ↓650m
Day 3: Fagajesto to Tejeda | 11-13.5km
Start walking along a quiet tarmac lane with great views for the first two kilometres, where you head up to the forest of Pinos de Galdar, descending to the landmark, Cruz de Tejeda and then to the highest village of the entire island: Tejeda. This village is perfectly located on a terraced slope with both Roque Nublo and Bentayga in view. The ascents are long and steep at times, especially the section through the pinewoods, following lava grit paths. The descent is more gradual, along a stony footpath that zigzags along slopes with orchards and small, kitchen gardens. You can shorten the route by asking a taxi to drive you 2km further uphill at the start. The only pit-stop along the way is at Cruz de Tejeda where there are two restaurants and a chic parador.
- Overnight in hotel Fonda de La Tea (or similar)
- Walking for the day: 5-6h, 11-13.5km, ↑700/825m ↓700m
Day 4: Roque Nublo | 12km
This walk starts directly from your hotel, starting on tarmac and, very quickly, turning into steep paths which zig-zag up toward Roque Nublo, a rocky outcrop teetering on the edge of a plateau, with incredible views down into volcanic ravines. Descend on a different route through fir forest as far as a col where you can hop on a bus back to Tejeda. Or you can walk it, following an ancient path that takes you back to Tejeda for an additional two hours, or 8km.
- Overnight in hotel Fonda de La Tea (or similar)
- Walking for the day: 5.5h, 12km, ↑800m ↓400m
Day 5: Degollada del Sargento to Artenara via Altavista | 9-13km
The ascent to Altavista (1,378m) on the edge of Tamadaba Natural Park is easy and has some great views across Gran Canaria and to Tenerife’s El Teide, Spain’s highest mountain. You are transferred to Degollada del Sargento Pass and picked up at the end of the walk in Artenara, where you can wait for the taxi while enjoying a drink or lunch on a terrace. If you want to shorten the walk, you should ask the driver to pick you up at the starting point (payable locally)
- Overnight in hotel Fonda de La Tea (or similar)
- Walking for the day: 4h, 9-13km, ↑300/500m ↓300/450m
Day 6: Tejeda to La Lechuza | 12.5km
After a 10mins transfer to La Culata (1,225m), start walking on a trail that takes you up over La Cumbre towards the green northern area of the island. The first part of the ascent is up to Roque Nublo as far as 1,620m, then you follow the ridge for about an hour, taking in views of Gran Canaria’s highest mountain, Pico de las Nieves (1,951m). Descend on follows footpaths all the way to your hotel. Unfortunately, to reach La Lechuza, there’s no way to avoid doing the last 2.5km on the tarmac, but you can enjoy a dip in the hotel pool at the end of the day.
- Overnight in hotel Rural Las Calas (or similar)
- Walking for the day: 5h, 12.5km, ↑500m ↓325m
Day 7: Teror, Llanos de la Sardina or Las Palmas | 14km
Today you can choose between the following options:
- Option 1: walk near the historic town of Teror (transfers to be paid locally)
- Option 2: La Lechuza to Llanos de la Sardina circular walk (longer and more strenuous route)
Both walking routes will offer stunning views and you’ll see all sorts of fruits, vegetables and even chestnut trees growing in the barrancos.
- Option 3: taking a rest day to visit Las Palmas.
If you decide to visit Las Palmas today, start off with a walk to San Mateo (45mins, 2.75km, mostly downhill), where you catch a bus to Las Palmas. Hop off in the historic town centre known as La Vegueta, where we recommend visiting Museo Canario, home to the island’s best collection of archaeological artefacts. At the end of the day, bus back to San Mateo and walk or take a taxi back to your hotel.
- Overnight in hotel Rural Las Calas (or similar)
- Walking for the day: Option 1: 13.5km, 4.5h, ↑400m ↓615m or Option 2: 5.5h, 14km, ↑715m ↓715m
Day 8: Departure
Complimentary airport transfer included.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in 3-star hotels. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms. Please note: Hotel Rural Finca Las Longueras is closed in August, and so we will organise an alternative hotel for you.
Click to view default hotels
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfasts and dinners on days one, three and six are included and served at the accommodation. Packed lunches are available at an extra cost from the accommodation (pack of five lunches available at an extra cost). Where no dinner is included, you will have plenty of options to dine in one of the many restaurants in the old town. Please, note that there is a supplement for Christmas (24 December) and New Year’s Eve (31 December) dinner. The supplement will be manually added to your booking.
Difficulty & terrain
This itinerary is suitable for experienced walkers: If you are used to rough terrain and have a head for heights, you should be able to tackle all walks in the programme (especially the walk on day two). Good level of fitness is necessary. You should be able to walk for up to six hours a day in order to enjoy the walking to the maximum. Average walking time: 5-6h per walking day (read more about difficulty grades). We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available throughout the year. The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date.
Gran Canaria is warm year-round with almost no rain and long days of sunshine. The temperature in Gran Canaria is among the most consistent anywhere in Europe. Temperatures rarely drop below an average of 24C throughout the year and, despite being in the Atlantic Ocean, Gran Canaria sees only 148mm of rainfall in total over 12 months. Most of this falls between October and February, while July and August are very dry.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
Our recommended airport for this tour is Gran Canaria (LPA). Private transfers from/to Gran Canaria Airport are included in your package.
Inclusions
Included
- 7 overnight stays in private en-suite rooms as listed above
- 7 breakfasts and 3 dinners
- Transfer from airport to the first accommodation
- Transfer from last accommodation to airport
- Luggage transport on days three and six (when changing hotels)
- Transfers to/from trailheads on days three, five and six
- Detailed digital holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions, road notes and maps. Please note that the info pack is emailed to you prior to departure and no printed documents are mailed or provided on-site.
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and transfers not explicitly listed as included in the programme
- Lunches, 4 dinners, drinks and snacks
- Supplement for Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinner
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Extra nights along the trail are bookable upon request
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