Gran Canaria: driving around the centre of the island

We had our base in the small town of Fataga, about 20mins north of Maspalomas. Situated at about 600 m.a.s.l. it got quite chilly at night, especially as the heating in our guest house wasn’t that great. The town is really picturesque and while there are some tour busses passing by during the day, there are very few tourists around in the evening. There are three restaurants, all with similar restaurants. 

Fataga just after sunrise

One of the many alleys in Fataga

On our first day we went hiking – either we didn’t find the proper trails or the hiking is not for the beginners. The views were great but the hiking was exhausting.

Fataga from above

View towards the East

View towards the South

Back in town we had lunch and then set out in our Volkswagen Polo to explore the center of the island. The first stop was the town of San Bartolomé de Tirajana with its beautiful church.

Iglesia de San Bartolomé

San Bartolomé de Tirajana

Our journey continued towards Tejeda. On our way there, we stopped near Gran Canaria’s most famous landmark, the Roque Nublo. It is a 67m tall volcanic rock, reaching about 1800 meters above sea level.

Roque Nublo

Roque Nublo

From there it was about another half an hour to reach the town of Tejeda, probably one of our highlights of the trip. The town is very well preserved and just beautiful with its white buildings.

Tejeda

Tejeda

Tejeda

There is also an outstanding bakery on the main road, the Dulceria Nublo which shouldn’t be missed!

After walking around for a while, we started to make our way back to Fataga which took a bit over an hour. While the roads are narrow and there are a number of switchbacks, all roads in Gran Canaria are of exceptionally good quality.

While we did of course see tourists wherever we went, it was mostly individual travelers. All the three towns we visited are really charming and in their own way unique. So already on the first day, I thought it was worth coming to the island.