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 Parks |
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The Gran Canaria does not have large theme parks, and come to think of it, they don’t really need one because the entire island is one great theme park in itself. A large variety of leisure activities are offered and you can choose from lovely botanical gardens, to zoos, to exciting water parks and relaxing recreational areas that showcase Canarian culture.
Natural and artificial areas are developed into parks not only for attractions and entertainment but also for education. These areas are protected by law and are classified into Nature Parks, Rural Parks, Fully Protected Nature Reserves, Special Nature Reserves, Natural Monuments, Protected Landscapes and Areas of Scientific Interest. The following are the most popular protected areas of the Gran Canaria island.
Garden of Canarian Flora
Location: Tafira
Located seven kilometers from the capital of Tafira, this Garden of Canarian Flora is the largest botanical garden in Spain. The venue has a program mostly revolving around conservation and protection of natural resources. They offer free entrance with opening hours from 9 am to 6 pm, including Sundays and public holidays.
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Arinaga
Location: Agüimes
With a surface area of 90.7 hectares, the Arinaga is a volcanic cone with geomorphologic interest and a celebrated landmark situated in the South East coast of Gran Canaria. It is an area where endangered endemic species of flora and fauna are found including the Atlantic lizard.
Azuaje
Location: Firgas and Moya
In different parts of the ravine flanks of Azuaje are an abundance of fossil remains that are of great archeological importance. Other than this, it also boasts of its impressive reserve of Gran Canaria´s endangered and unique habitats including different types of laurel and abundant endemic species in general.
Bandama
Location: Agüimes e Ingenio
This ravine has large dimensions, with a surface area of 725.5 hectares. In addition to its unique natural species of flora amidst a spectacular landscape, it is also of notable cultural interest. With a great number of archaeological findings in here, Bandama is one of the primary contributors to the Canarian Archaeology Museum.
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El Brezal
Location: Santa María de Guía
This space possesses forested zones which play an important role in maintaining essential ecological processes such as aquifer replenishment and soil protection. In here, one can find the best examples of faya trees and tree heaths in Gran Canaria.
Fataga
Location: San Bartolomé de Tirajana
Known for its unusual geomorphologic structure, this area has some rare and endangered plants such as the sea lavender (Limonium preauxii) and the rue (Ruta oreojasme). Other attractions here are the Canary junipers standing in the middle part of the 3,004.6 hectares large ravine.
Güigüi
Location: San Nicolás
This reserve is home to some endemic flora species that are in danger of extinction and whose populations are distributed over the reserve. These species include the knapweed (Cheirolophus falcisectus). It also hosts several archaeological sites within the vicinity of the Hogarzales mountain which is of great worth to the island’s culture.
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Jinámar
Location: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Telde.
This 29.6 hectares wide region harbors the great responsibility of being the sole site known to hold the endemic plant specie Lotus kunkellii, a specie that is in serious danger of extinction. Other than this, there are also marine fossils found here which increases the scientific interest of the area.
Juncalillo of the South
Location: San Bartolomé
Home to the endangered convolvulus or morning glory (Convolvulus caput-medusae), this area has a commendable state of conservation that is cited in the European Union’s Network of Special Protection Areas (SPA’s) of wild birds.
La Isleta
Location: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Often taken as an example of volcanic relief and other volcanic processes, this area is truly of great scientific interest. Not only educational for eruptive processes, it also has different sea levels and sheer cliffs as part of its popular, unusual landscape.
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Las Cumbres
Location: Artenara, Gáldar, Santa Mª de Guía, Moya, Valleseco, Tejeda, San Mateo and Valsequillo.
Also called as the summit of the mountains, this area is significant in water harnessing as it is situated on the north front, in the peaks of the island. Endemic and endangered species are profuse here, such as silver lace (Tanacetum ptarmiciflorum).
Las Dunas de Maspalomas
Location: San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
This area is known for its vast stretch of sand dunes where the Maspalomas lagoon or La Charca can be located. An abundance of sabulicolous insects related to African fauna is also one of its distinguishing features. It also has geomorphologic and geological elements of great value with its unique landscape.
Lomo Magullo
Location: Telde and Valsequillo.
Primarily noted for its scenic value, this area contains a rural stretch of the Cernícalos ravine where crop areas alternate with houses concentrated in the village of Lomo Magullo. Its geology also incorporates part of the Quaternary eruption of the Barros volcano.
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Los Marteles
Location: Santa Lucía, Agüimes, Valsequillo, San Mateo, San Bartolomé, Ingenio, Telde and Tejeda.
This reserve is chiefly known for its spectacular geomorphologic elements, such as the Marteles caldera or the phonolitic rock of the Risco Blanco. It also has a variety of habitats like wild olive groves, forests of willows of the Cernícalos ravine and abundant crags. There is also much biodiversity in endemic vegetation to be found on its slopes.
Los Tiles de Moya
Location: Santa María de Guía and Moya.
The area’s flora and fauna includes many endemic species where more than 50 species of plants and hundreds of invertebrates are of great scientific interest. Some of these are endangered species, which include the Los Tiles false sage or ironwort (Sideritis discolor) and Canary foxgloves (Isoplexis chalcantha).
Macizo de Amagro
Location: Gáldar
Considered as a landmark with great scenic value, this park is situated in the North West of Gran Canaria. It is home to several archaeological sites that promote Gran Canaria’s cultural value.
Montaña de Agüimes
Location: Ingenio and Agüimes.
With a surface area of 285.2 hectares, Montaña de Agüimes park is located on the right edge of the Guayadeque ravine. It has an example of an ancient volcano that has been greatly eroded through the years. The individual volcanic space played an important role in the formation of this part of the island.
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Montañón Negro
Location: Moya, Gáldar, Santa María de Guía and Valleseco.
The Montañón Negro mountain, together with the Pinos de Gáldar caldera, form two well preserved geomorphologic structures of great scientific interest. Representative of island volcanoes, Montañón Negro is a natural formation that is admired for its great beauty that dominance to the area. It has a surface area of 193.6 hectares.
Natural Park of Pilancones
Location: San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
This area has various ravines with great geomorphologic interest and landscapes that run southwards along the park. It has pine forests located in its peaks and cited in the EU’s network of Special Protection Areas of wild birds. Also common to the Natural Park of Pilancones are some of the Euphorbia communities with Canary Island Cactus Spurge and Common Canary Spurge. Endangered species of flora and fauna that are found across the area add up to the scientific interest of this park that is 5794.4 hectares in size.
Natural Park of Tamadaba
Location: Agaete, Artenara and San Nicolás
With a surface area of 7538.6 hectares, this park is an interwoven fairy land of ravines, slopes and mountain landscapes of great beauty. Geomorphologic elements are also of considerable interest here. But on the top of the list is one of the island’s best preserved pine forests, found in Tamadaba. Culture wise, the place can also boast of its several remotely located and semi abandoned country hamlets as well as other archaeological sites such as El Risco and the Guayedra valley.
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Rural Park of the Nublo
Location: Artenara, tejeda, San Nicolás, Mogán, San Bartolomé, San Mateo, Valleseco and Moya.
This park contains well-conserved natural habitats and an abundance of rife species. Some of these species however are only adaptable in the nature of this area, for example, the Dendriopoterium puliodoi. The forest masses found in this park maintain the underground water table and soil conservation. It also has several pertinent structures such as the caldera or crater produced by the collapse of the Tejeda basin, the ravines of the southwest, and the Roque Nublo rock.
Pino Santo
Location: Las Palmas, Santa Brígida, Teror and San Mateo.
This park has a distinct ambience of rural character, coupled with grand scenic value. Contributing to this characteristics are areas of cultural interest such as La Galga, Espartero and El Corcovado. Other unique elements include the Monte Lentiscal cone located in the historic Guiniguada ravine.
Integral Natural Reserve of Inagua
Location: Tejeda, Mogán and San Nicolás de Tolentino
The mountains of Inagua, Ojeda and Pajonales form one of the most preserved natural pine forests in Gran Canaria. The park includes various endangered endemic species, some of which have their largest populations here. These pine forests are the main refuge for the bird specie blue chaffinch. The area is certainly of great scientific, geological and geomorphologic interest, with a surface area of 3920.3 hectares.
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Integral Natural Reserve of the Barranco Oscuro
Location: Moya and Valleseco
Considered as one of the best arks in Gran Canaria, this area is rich in indigenous flora and fauna, but is generally composed of invertebrates. The flora includes over 40 species that are common to the Canary Islands, and a dozen of which are exclusive to Gran Canaria. Apart from the zone’s contribution to maintaining essential ecological processes, the Integral Natural Reserve of the Barranco Oscuro park‘s significance is also played in its unique and breathtaking landscape.
Riscos de Tirajana
Location: San Mateo, Tejeda, San Bartolomé, Santa Lucía and Valsequillo.
These cliffs have great geological and geomorphological interest, possessing abundant endemic species and some endangered species that are protected by regulations. With an area of 772.2 hectares, it comprises a landscape of stunning and unique scenic setting.
Roque de Aguayro
Location: Santa Lucía and Agüimes.
Noted for its ultra exceptional natural formation, the Roque de Aguayro also is of great scientific interest. This area also has petroglyphs (rock carvings) at Lomo de Los Letreros that date back to pre Hispanic times.
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Roque de Gando
Location: Telde
This park is chiefly known for its wealth of rocks dispersed around the entire coast of the island. Roque de Gando provides geological evidence of the retreat of the coastline in the Gando area. At the same time, it is home to reptiles and insects that are isolated from their dry land relatives.
Tafira
Location: Telde, Santa Brígida and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The Tafira park has alignments of volcanic cones, including the central Bandama peak structure and the Jinámar volcanic stack which is one of the deepest in the archipelago.
Tauro
Location: Mogán
This is a wonderfully unique structure of mountain mass that used to be a place of ceremony for the native inhabitants of the island. Tauro has a surface area of 1256.6 hectares.
Tufia
Location: Telde
The convolvulus or morning glory (Convolvulus caput-medusae) and the Canary distaff thistle (Atractylis preauxiana), plant species in serious danger of extinction, are found here.
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