The highest peaks of Gran Canaria
Adventure above the clouds
Once you find something great, you want more of it. This is true for almost anything in life, also for tour operators that show you the best spots of a place you’re visiting. Charlie had done outdoor trips in Gran Canaria with Climbo before and she had absolutely enjoyed them. It was a different kind of tour where the guide immediately felt like a friend who wanted to share the best of his home, and the groups were always small. Charlie had explored the rainforest of Gran Canaria and the Red Canyon with Climbo. The only tour left was the Volcano’s heart tour. Not only lead it to the volcanoes but to the heart of the island.
Caldera de Bandama and Cruz de Tejeda
After a short and informative stop at the volcanic crater Caldera de Bandama, they went straight to Cruz de Tejeda. This is the centre point of the island and the best valley view you can get. Whilst Bandama offers great views over the east coast of Gran Canaria and Las Palmas, Cruz de Tejeda offers a view towards the sea in the west, and La Aldea de San Nicolas is close to where Charlie had started her walk to Gui Gui Beach a few days before.
From the terrace of the hotel El Parador which is open to the public, you can also see two of the most famous rock formations of the island: Roque Bentaiga and Roque Nublo. The latter means “foggy rock” and that’s what it was indeed that day. It was surrounded by clouds and almost invisible. That didn’t stop them though from getting a little closer.
Views from the Volcano Bandama in Gran Canaria
Views from Cruz de Tejeda towards Roque Bentayga in Gran Canaria
Hike to Roque Nublo
The Roque Nublo is one of the most popular places in Gran Canaria and part of any tour to the mountains. Most of them though only look at it from afar, tours with Climbo always include a bit of outdoor adventure and in this case, it was a mini hike to the rock. It took them about 45 minutes from the parking to the Roque Nublo and the terrain was uneven and at times quite steep and slippery. You should definitely wear shoes with a good grip if you want to go there.
On the way, they saw Morro de la Agujereada, the highest point of Gran Canaria in 1956m altitude. On the other side, they had a good view of the plateau Mesa de Acusa which looks like somebody had chopped off the upper half of a mountain. In the distance, they could also see the peak of the Teide in Tenerife in between the clouds.
Once they had reached the top, they had about 30 minutes to spend there, to enjoy the sun which had just come out and to take pictures of this moon-like landscape around the rock or the pine forests that cover the surrounding valleys.
Hike to Roque Nublo in Gran Canaria
Tasting local delicacies
What would a trip to the mountains be without some good food? The original plan was to have a little tasting in one of the picnic spots along the route. However, when Charlie did that tour, it was in the middle of winter and it did get cold in the mountains. The guides Víctor and Angélica therefore decided to do the tasting at the restaurant of the hotel El Refugio in Cruz de Tejeda instead. There were papas arrugadas con Mojo, a local cheese with figs, bread with Chorizo de Teror and a banana quiche. Of course, there was also a local wine and honey rum. It was delicious and a good opportunity for the group to get to know each other a bit better.
Sunset over the Barranco de Tejeda as seen from Cruz de Tejeda
Good Night Sun
The highlight of this tour is the sunset, and they wanted to watch it from the Pico de las Nieves. The weather had been changing a lot throughout the day and exactly at that time, dark clouds surrounded the peak. Therefore, they decided to not drive up again and watch the sunset instead from Cruz de Tejeda. They enjoyed a glass of honey rum whilst the sun slowly disappeared into the ocean behind the Roque Bentaiga.
