Gran Canaria The Island.
Gran Canaria is a miniature continent where centuries of rich history meet natural spots of breathtaking views. One only needs to tour the 21 towns on the island to feel inside another world. A restless island that changes its aspect at the turn of the road. Beaches. An oceanfull of beaches at a stone's throw Gran Canaria is a miniature continent. An island close to Europe, with a wide range of beaches as diverse as the changing sceneries waiting to be discovered. Nearly 60 kilometres of beaches on 236 kilometres of coastline under a gentle sun that seems to have settled down here for good. Gran Canaria boasts of its many different types of beaches, the magnet that has lured generations of travellers from all over the globe. Well-known and crowded, such as the long stretch of sand of Maspalomas, a huge line of yellow sand stretching from Playa del Inglés to the foot of the great Maspalomas lighthouse, after bordering a dune desert on the island’s southern coastline. The south of the island has yet another long series of beaches. Quiet family ones such as San Agustín, Amadores, and the small Puerto de Mogán. Or lively as the traditional tourist enclave of Puerto Rico, one of the spots with the best weather in the country. A myriad of small beaches in southern Gran Canaria, all boasting of fine weather practically the whole year. Some are for tourists, with a wide range of services. Others are a true shelter for those in need of secluded spots. The Sea. 147 miles of coastline keep an oceanfull of possibilities to enjoy the sea. This is what makes Gran Canaria the port of destination of a huge crowd of Europeans. This has been so for generations. Sailors, divers, surfers, deep-sea fisherpeople, and windsurfers. All getting away to an island that works like a magnet. It hides a magnetic spring with which it attracts anyone wanting to get away to a sea of fine weather. Gran Canaria is one of the spots with the finest weather in all of Europe. The water temperature (ranging from 18ºC in winter and 22ºC throughout the rest of the year) and the optimum sea and wind conditions invite to practise water sports all twelve months. There are perfect spots for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The island is in fact the base location for the best windsurfers, and although the do not go around telling everyone about it, they stay here most of the year. Divers and fisherpeople are others who are not interested in voicing out the bearings of their holiday spot. Nature. Gran Canaria’s natural resources have always been an endless source of bliss for the local population. The first of so many happy moments comes with the fine weather enjoyed here throughout the year, which makes life friendly and quiet. But this is certainly not all that nature has to offer on this island. Gran Canaria is a miniature continent, a sampler of quite uncommon sceneries in the middle of an extremely diverse archipelago. This is why UNESCO awarded the island the Biosphere Reserve label, to actively support the conservation of the pieces that make up this puzzle of natural settings, a different and very peculiar micro-world. Nearly half the island’s geographical space has been included in this reserve, comprising six rural communities linked to traditional activities. The island’s relief and its special geomorphologic configuration, is where lies yet another of Gran Canaria’s distinct features. A vast depression caldera, the Tejeda Caldera, governs the centre of the island, draining rainwater that zigzags along ravines to reach the sea. In all, Gran Canaria may be viewed as a massif that rises from sea level up to 1,949 metres at the top of Mount Las Nieves. The coastline, with wide immersed deltas, underwater volcanic gorges, tall cliffs, and interconnected sand banks… such natural blend affords a rich biodiversity, home to the loggerhead turtle, the bottlenose dolphin, and Risso’s dolphin. Every day they all meet for a new performance. One thousand climates and a million natural species all dancing together on an island that is a Biosphere Reserve. Culture. Look under the sea of beaches for something quite rare and extraordinary, born out of the blending of cultures hundreds of years ago, and grown under a crossroads. Gran Canaria is such a crossroads. The meeting place for people from a thousand different places. A strange blend of aromas, colours, and cultures hitting ancient travellers all of a sudden. The last European port of call. The last breath of fresh air prior to initiating the long ocean adventure. No one expected such a blend far from the centres of the world. Sailors have been repeating the same tune for over five centuries, ‘This should not be here.’ But it is. For frontier spots have their own rules. And so it happened that half the world left their imprint on Gran Canaria. On the small towns with narrow streets, on the lost settlements. On magnificent villas, and on the ports of call for the steamships. This should not be here. It defies logic. I should not be stumbling upon a huge neo-gothic church in the middle of a sea of banana trees. No. I should not run into the ruins of a pre-Hispanic city only two steps off the market. Nor bump into a Genoese admiral right at the turn of the corner. I should not find a giant aborigine hanging from a monumental cliff. No. I should not hit a colonial district built in the 15th century, hidden within a noisy and lively port town, on an island that should not leave such trail of towns, colours, tastes, music, art, architecture, and different faces. But it is all here, in Gran Canaria. You will only get to see it if you look under the sea of beaches, where our rare and magic blend came to be. Celebrate. The coming of the spring marks the start of celebrations throughout the 1,500 square kilometres of Gran Canaria. And this is no figure of speech. The island, divided into 21 municipalities encompassing neighbourhoods, towns, and villages, finds a million reasons to celebrate once it is known that the weather will not spoil the fun. The trail of a rocket will tell you that someone is having a great time. Join the fun. Buy a straw hat at any stall, order anything at any roadhouse, and join the celebration wave. Loosen up a bit. Need an excuse to join up? Choose any, although there are several reasons for Gran Canaria to spend summers with music and street dancing. On the one hand, we have the calendar of saints’ days, with a large number of saints and virgins who find true and selfless devotion in Gran Canaria and receive offerings from the hands of hundreds of followers dressed up in typical island attire. Pilgrims try not to lose their balance among the large baskets filled with vegetables and sea produce, and the sound of timples and guitars. The most important festivity from a sacred standpoint is that of the Virgen del Pino, held on September 8th, in Teror. Within a setting of traditional balconies, laurels, and ancient monkey puzzles, thousands of devotees place a myriad of offerings at the feet of the image. These offerings arrive on wagons flanked by the best of ancient dress and Canarian folklore. On these days, a wave of pilgrims begins a night walk to town from all cardinal points on Gran Canaria, some to meet promises, others out of pure and simple joy. The other reason may be that the light of Gran Canaria brings joy to everyone. Months of joyful celebration with a blend of gatherings, sports tournaments, sun dances, open-air film festivals, and traditional music concerts on an island that enjoys itself immensely. And this is no figure of speech either. How would we otherwise explain all the fun diverted from a celebration drenched in mud, as during St. Brigid’s festivity? How could it not be fun to watch half the town throwing water at each other in buckets or by other bizarre means, as happens in Telde? Have you not taken part in the celebrations held by fishermen in honour of the Virgen del Carmen? Such festivities abound throughout the island. But there is still more, for there is also a third reason. In his or her own special way, each islander identifies several of these festivities with the customs of the ancient Canarians. The best known of such traditional celebrations is that of La Rama, which has its greatest moment in the Agaete village. During La Rama festivity, a large crowd bearing large branches picked on the hills at night marches towards the sea following quite amusing music bands. The merry procession lasts all morning until the coastline is reached, where the sea is hit in a modern rendering of what is believed to be an ancestral rain dance. El Charco - celebrated in the San Nicolás village - should be attributed the same pre-Hispanic origins. Every September 11th, at the cry of “Now!” and with the firing of a rocket, hundreds of people carrying baskets enter a large puddle by a beautiful cobble beach to catch the slippery spiny loach with their bare hands. The spectacle in itself is somewhat amazing, as amazing as an island that, perhaps due to its fine weather or its people, has always a smile on its face. It would be possible for a determined tourist in Gran Canaria to hop from celebration to celebration barely touching the ground. Nightlife. The nightlife in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain is similar no matter what part of the island you're visiting. Very lively, noisy, great atmosphere and of course tons of fun! The nightlife here is typical of any party island - noisy, lively and lots and lots of fun. It starts late and goes on all night. Most bars stay open till 02.00am and the discos stay open till at least 06.00am or more. Things normally kick off around midnight. It's fairly quite up to this point, so don't start drinking too early or you'll be in a terrible state!! It's impossible to get bored here. Head off to Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas and you'll see hundreds of bars, clubs and discos for all different tastes. Most of the action is happening in and around the big shopping centres. The variety is enormous. You'll be spoilt for choice. If you don't like one, move on to the other. There are gratis entrance fliers everywhere! As you approach the main nightlife areas people (usually pretty girls) will come up to you and give you flyers offering concessions into their bar, disco or nightclub. Normally the first drink is free. Playa del Ingles has a lively gay scene. Check out the Yumbo Centre; it's one of the most popular and well-known gay areas on the island. They play some great tunes here too. The Kasbah Centre is more for young people and the Plaza Shopping Centre is where you go to hear the latest international music. If you are staying in Las Palmas, there are a number of places that are well worth checking out, Plaza de España, in particular. It's located in the Mesa y Lopez district. It's a very lively square and stays busy well into the early hours. Most people start off their evening in the old Heineken bar. It’s a very friendly hang out and a good to place to chill out and have a chat. Other bars worth a mention include; the Cuasquias, the El Coto and La Ronería where they serve every type of rum based drink on the planet! If all this music and dancing is a bit too much and you want to just take it easy with a few quite drinks and a friendly game of poker you should head off to one of the two casinos on the island. In Las Palmas, there's the Casino Las Palmas in Hotel Santa Catalina. In San Agustin, there's the Gran Canaria Casino, which you'll find in Hotel Meliá Tamarindos.  |
||||
