Five Great Gran Canaria Views You Have To Experience

With 256 kilometres of coastline and a highpoint 1949 metres above sea level Gran Canaria is landscape heaven. But what are the top places to experience the best views on our beautiful island. Here are five of our favourites:

The Mirador El Balcon

The viewpoint at El Balcón just north of La Aldea de San Nicolas on the west coast is breathtaking. It hangs right on the edge of the cliffs with the Dragon’s Tail to the south and steep cliffs of Anden Verde to the north. You can see all the way to the fishing villages of Puerto de las Nieves and Sardina in the far north west.

From El Balcón it is worth heading north along the road to Agaete. It’s one of Europe’s great drives and the views all along are spectacular. If you suffer from vertigo don’t attempt this route or at least do it from south to north so that you drive on the inside of the road.

View West from Roque Nublo

You can hardly miss Roque Nublo or Cloud Rock once you are up in the Gran Canaria mountains. It dominates the horizon from most angles. However, the view west from the base of the rock itself is impressive and gives you a sense of the scale of the island. On clear days you see all the way to Tenerife.

To hike up to Roque Nuble, stop at the La Goleta car park and take the track west. The walk takes about half an hour each way. When you get to the actual rock look for a little path that heads west. There’s a small shelf you can sit on with epic views.

The High Point

The highest point of Gran Canaria is at Pico de las Nieves right in the centre of the island. It’s easy to recognize because of the radar station that looks like a giant golf ball. The view from the high point takes in Roque Nublo and Roque Bentaiga as well as most of the south, centre and west of the island.

You can drive right up to Pico de las Nieves and the best views are from the car park.

Tamadaba

The Tamadaba pine forests in the north west of Gran Canaria are amongst the islands most pristine areas and many of the islands rarest plants and animals live here. The views from the top of the cliffs west towards Tenerife and Teide are the best on the island.

There are several ways of driving to Tamadaba depending on where you start. Look out for the loop road here as it has the best views of Tenerife through the pine trees. You can also walk from the road to the edge of the cliff for spectacular views of the north west and the west coast.

Sunset from the Dunes

Watching the sun go down over the sea from the crest of a dune in Maspalomas is an essential Gran Canaria experience. With seagulls flying overhead and the last sunbathers heading home as the sun drops it’s a peaceful experience perfect for souvenir photos. Once the sun has vanished and the silhouettes of the lighthouse and the lifeguard towers have faded head to Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés for drink.

What’s your favourite view in Gran Canaria? Let us know with a comment.