Many holiday-seekers come to this lush Island, never to even leave the south. And that’s a shame, because this the largest of the Canary Islands has so many faces, that even a week is not enough to discover its beauty.
Well, Gran Canaria certainly has many reasons to keep coming back!

We are standing at the the distinctive cliff formation Roque Nublo, approx 2.000 metres above sea level and admire the view. The Grand Canyon-like landscape at our feet is covered with clouds one minute, and sun-soaked the next. The cloud formations look like white trains entering a busy station, only to be forced upwards by the hillsides and dissolved by the rays of the sun.

The air is clean and crisp, the air chilly despite the sun (remember sunscreen!) and the view is spectacular and includes the glimpse of the world’s third largest volcano – Telde – on the neighbouring Tenerife.

The day before, we toured the southern, more touristy part of the island in our small rental car and walked the dunes of Maspalomas and watched the waves bash into the cliffs at Puerto Rico. The southern part of the island is preferred by holiday makers, because of the agreeable year-round warm climate.

The day also offered the opportunity to walk at the rim of the extinct volcano Caldera de Bandama with views to Las Palmas in the north, the sea to the east and the mountains to the west.

Our last day in our small rental car took us westwards, where mighty green cliffs split the waves the same way the stern of Santa Maria split the waves more than 500 years ago, when it took Columbus to America. When I first saw these awesome cliffs, they reminded me of some photos I had seen of Hawaii, where the lush green hills spill out into the deep blue ocean. A lovely sight to behold, no matter what island.

Gran Canaria can be a surprise – if you let it! All it takes is a car – and little adventurous spirit.

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