Things To Do in Gran Canaria holidays

Gran Canaria pulls out all the stops when it comes to watersports. If you want to get hands-on, you can try adventure sports like jet-skiing, windsurfing and parasailing. Or, if you’d rather drop the adrenaline with the anchor, you can relax on a catamaran trip, a glass-bottomed boat experience or even a booze cruise.

Experience a bit of animal magic at Palmitos Park, a zoo-park set in 200,000 square metres of tropical gardens on the outskirts of Maspalomas. The animals here come from all 4 corners of the globe. Expect to see birds of prey, crocodiles, butterflies and dolphins – and that’s just for starters. If you’ve got green fingers, you won’t want to miss the Cactus Garden or Orchid House, either.

This beach is small but perfectly formed. The black sand is topped by sunloungers, there’s a good selection of watersports on offer, and it’s overlooked by a handful of cafes and tavernas. There’s not a lot of difference between low and high tide here, either, so you can pick a sunbathing spot close to the sea and not have to worry about getting wet when the water level rises.

You can get your money’s worth from your hiking boots in Gran Canaria. Take on the challenge of Pico de las Nieves, the island’s highest mountain. Its cloud-piercing peak shoots 1,949 metres into the sky. Alternatively, wander around the pine forest at Tamadaba National Park or trek through the bowl-shaped volcanic crater near Las Palmas.

Maspalomas holds the title of Gran Canaria’s most popular beach. The thick band of golden sand stretches out for 6 kilometres and slowly morphs into massive sand dunes. If you want a break from sunbathing, you can take a camel ride into the nature reserve here.

You’ll need to crack the whip if you want to fit in all of Las Palmas’ sights in one day. You won’t want to miss Casa de Colon, where Colombus rested between ocean voyages, or the Museo Canario, which chronicles the island’s grizzly pre-conquest history. Another highlight is the 15th-century cathedral. And that’s before you’ve even started on the boutiques, bars and restaurants.

Gay Pride in Maspalomas is a month-long festival. Celebrations cram in everything from drag queen contests to foam parties, and they’re topped off by a grand parade.

This festival takes place all over the island so that locals can honour the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of fishermen. In Puerto Mogan and other villages, crowds hold aloft a statue of Mary before setting her out to sea in fishing boats. Fiesta celebrations follow.

Test your mettle at one of Gran Canaria’s waterparks. The biggest one on the island is Aqua Sur, near Maspalomas. The rides here range from the near-vertical Aquamania slide to the gentle Congo River. Your other options for wet and wild days out include the Aqua Park in Puerto Rico and Ocean Park in Campo International.

Perfect your par on Gran Canaria’s golf courses. The island is fast-developing a reputation for having some of the best courses in Spain – many of them have been designed by pro experts. The list of top greens includes the 71-par Salobre Golf Resort and the 73-par Campo de Golf, where you can take your swings against a backdrop of the Maspalomas dunes.

This beach on Gran Canaria’s south west coast has the enviable reputation of being the island’s sunniest spot. The sand is said to have blown over from the Sahara hundreds of years ago, and it’s backed by a subtropical garden, which is home to 2 pool-lidos.

The Maspalomas dunes are a supersized expanse of white sand. The whole area stretches for 400 hectares on the edge of Maspalomas, and some areas are so unspoilt they’ve been turned into a restricted-access nature reserve. The landscape changes here from day to day, as sea winds bulldoze the site overnight and re-sculpt the dunes by morning.

This beach sits shoulder-to-shoulder with Maspalomas. The swathe of golden sand is 3 kilometres long and it’s backed by a busy promenade of shops, cocktail bars and restaurants. Watersports are ten-a-penny and range from jet-skiing to windsurfing.

There’s nothing stuffy about this museum in Fataga, half an hour’s drive from Playa del Ingles. It’s a miniature Madame Tussauds with life-sized figurines depicting the everyday life of Gran Canaria’s original Guanche tribes. Follow the marked paths here and you’ll see how these ancient people milled flour, worked the fields and performed operations.

There’s nothing stuffy about this museum in Fataga, half an hour’s drive from Playa del Ingles. It’s a miniature Madame Tussauds with life-sized figurines depicting the everyday life of Gran Canaria’s original Guanche tribes. Follow the marked paths here and you’ll see how these ancient people milled flour, worked the fields and performed operations.