Gran Canaria walking holiday
| country: | Canary Islands, Spain |
| location: | Canary Islands, Gran Canaria |
| trip type: | Self guided, introductory / moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | Any time between 18 Oct & 30 Apr |
| price: | From £275 - £535 (4-8 days) excluding flights, for a 'No-frills' trip. From £435 - £790 (4-8 days) ex flights for an 'Original' trip, includes organised walks and lunches. Based on 2 people sharing. Discounts for children and 3-4 people |
| offers: | Spend Christmas or New Year in your own cave house - availability 19 Dec - 06 Jan. From £715 per person per week (excluding flights) or opt for a simpler No-Frills Hosted holiday and save 25%! |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 5 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
Gran Canaria is just a four hour flight from the UK (in the same time-zone), and the awesome landscapes of its central highlands – with tall towers of volcanic rock, deep valleys filled with exotic vegetation, and woods and meadows between – rise above 1900m. The island is of course well known for its beaches, but the interior remains to be discovered, with its isolated villages, fascinating cave sites, exotic flora and ancient Caminos Reales pathways, and the winter six months between November and April provide perfect walking temperatures averaging 17 - 20ºC.
Explore the island on foot on an independent break, choose to travel whenever you like, and stay as long as you wish (minimum 3 nights). Holidays include comfortable single-centre accommodation, a hire car (carbon offset of course!) as well as a Handbook containing masses of local information as well as a wide range of self-guided walks suitable for all abilities and ages (including children) and the support of a knowledgeable locally based manager. In addition, if you opt for an 'Original' trip, you will also be able to join 3 organised walks per week and receive a lavish packed-lunch every day. There are no fixed itineraries – you are free to walk as much or as little as you like.
'No-frills hosted – includes town based B&B or self catering cave-house, hire car, Handbook of self-guided walks and local information and support from local manager.
'Original' – includes B&B in town or stylish rural cave-house, hire car, Handbook of self-guided walks and local information, 3 organised walks per week, deli-style packed lunches and the services of a local Manager.
Walking
The walking in Gran Canaria’s Highlands is wonderfully diverse for such a compact area. Familiarise yourself with the landscape on some short walks (anything from ½ hour to 2 ½ hours), passing through tiny villages, to important cave-sites, through pine forests, to awesome viewpoints, into a great ravine, down to a hidden beach, or into the crater of an extinct volcano. Take a picnic, and take your time… If you feel like heading out on a few medium length (half-day) walks, you can discover important aboriginal caves, walk through cool Canarian Pine forests in a nature reserve, head into a lush barranco (ravine) with waterfalls, follow the ancient Camino Real pathways, or cross grassland plateaus with wonderful views. If full-day walks are what you want, you can explore extraordinary cave-villages, nature reserves and ravines, cross a great meadow-topped lava plateau, and circle the mighty volcanic tower of Roque Nublo.
On an 'Original' trip, you can also join the 3 organised walks per week where you may find yourself following a pilgrim trail from the pretty town of Valleseco, crossing a volcanic crater, following the great central ridge from the island’s highest point (1949m), or circling the holy rock of Bentaiga.
Accommodation
The town of Tejeda has pretty white-washed houses and it set high in the mountains, at the heart of the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. It sits amidst some of the most dramatic scenery on the island, at the head of a huge rust-red ravine, and around the town the terraced hillsides are planted with thousands of almond trees which blossom in February. Here we stay at the boutique B&B Fonda de la Tea which has 10 traditionally decorated en-suite rooms leading off a typical Canarian patio.
Cave Houses
There is also the option of staying in one of a number of stylish cave houses in and around the village of Artenara. Artenara curls around the western end of Gran Canaria's great central ridge - the "Cumbre". At 1270m, the village is the highest on the island and looks out across the vast bowl of the Tejeda valley. Behind the whitewashed walls and wooden shutters, the majority of Artenara's inhabitants still live, as their ancestors did 5000 years ago, in caves, with all mod-cons of course.
We stay in a lovingly restored traditional cave house in the tiny hamlet of Las Arbejas, five minutes from Artenara. The walls, ceilings, shelves, cupboards, benches, windows and doorways are all cut from the volcanic rock, creating a double and a twin bedroom, a bathroom with hydro-massage bathtub, and a fully equipped kitchen and indoor living space. A lush garden terrace includes a built-in barbecue, an outdoor shower for really hot days, a small pond and a shady pergola. We also stay in several attractive cave-houses in the village of Artenara itself, with superb views over the ravine – all within walking distance of restaurants and the village shop.
Price details
Children under 2 years old - Free. Children aged 2-11 years old – 25% discount.
Family groups and parties of friends – Discounts for 3-4 people. Book a group of 6 people or more and one of you will receive a completely FREE holiday! (conditions apply).
Solo travellers - Please enquire for prices.
Explore the island on foot on an independent break, choose to travel whenever you like, and stay as long as you wish (minimum 3 nights). Holidays include comfortable single-centre accommodation, a hire car (carbon offset of course!) as well as a Handbook containing masses of local information as well as a wide range of self-guided walks suitable for all abilities and ages (including children) and the support of a knowledgeable locally based manager. In addition, if you opt for an 'Original' trip, you will also be able to join 3 organised walks per week and receive a lavish packed-lunch every day. There are no fixed itineraries – you are free to walk as much or as little as you like.
'No-frills hosted – includes town based B&B or self catering cave-house, hire car, Handbook of self-guided walks and local information and support from local manager.
'Original' – includes B&B in town or stylish rural cave-house, hire car, Handbook of self-guided walks and local information, 3 organised walks per week, deli-style packed lunches and the services of a local Manager.
Walking
The walking in Gran Canaria’s Highlands is wonderfully diverse for such a compact area. Familiarise yourself with the landscape on some short walks (anything from ½ hour to 2 ½ hours), passing through tiny villages, to important cave-sites, through pine forests, to awesome viewpoints, into a great ravine, down to a hidden beach, or into the crater of an extinct volcano. Take a picnic, and take your time… If you feel like heading out on a few medium length (half-day) walks, you can discover important aboriginal caves, walk through cool Canarian Pine forests in a nature reserve, head into a lush barranco (ravine) with waterfalls, follow the ancient Camino Real pathways, or cross grassland plateaus with wonderful views. If full-day walks are what you want, you can explore extraordinary cave-villages, nature reserves and ravines, cross a great meadow-topped lava plateau, and circle the mighty volcanic tower of Roque Nublo.
On an 'Original' trip, you can also join the 3 organised walks per week where you may find yourself following a pilgrim trail from the pretty town of Valleseco, crossing a volcanic crater, following the great central ridge from the island’s highest point (1949m), or circling the holy rock of Bentaiga.
Accommodation
The town of Tejeda has pretty white-washed houses and it set high in the mountains, at the heart of the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. It sits amidst some of the most dramatic scenery on the island, at the head of a huge rust-red ravine, and around the town the terraced hillsides are planted with thousands of almond trees which blossom in February. Here we stay at the boutique B&B Fonda de la Tea which has 10 traditionally decorated en-suite rooms leading off a typical Canarian patio.
Cave Houses
There is also the option of staying in one of a number of stylish cave houses in and around the village of Artenara. Artenara curls around the western end of Gran Canaria's great central ridge - the "Cumbre". At 1270m, the village is the highest on the island and looks out across the vast bowl of the Tejeda valley. Behind the whitewashed walls and wooden shutters, the majority of Artenara's inhabitants still live, as their ancestors did 5000 years ago, in caves, with all mod-cons of course.
We stay in a lovingly restored traditional cave house in the tiny hamlet of Las Arbejas, five minutes from Artenara. The walls, ceilings, shelves, cupboards, benches, windows and doorways are all cut from the volcanic rock, creating a double and a twin bedroom, a bathroom with hydro-massage bathtub, and a fully equipped kitchen and indoor living space. A lush garden terrace includes a built-in barbecue, an outdoor shower for really hot days, a small pond and a shady pergola. We also stay in several attractive cave-houses in the village of Artenara itself, with superb views over the ravine – all within walking distance of restaurants and the village shop.
Price details
Children under 2 years old - Free. Children aged 2-11 years old – 25% discount.
Family groups and parties of friends – Discounts for 3-4 people. Book a group of 6 people or more and one of you will receive a completely FREE holiday! (conditions apply).
Solo travellers - Please enquire for prices.
travellers' tales
Most memorable were our cosy cave house, the varied walks and stunning views from the high mountains and of course our delicious packed lunch boxes each day! (more)
award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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One of the main factors in choosing the location for our holidays is the community in which we stay, where traditional ways of life survive, although they are often on the retreat. Our intention is to bring new income and impetus to the area – without overwhelming it! Our guests enjoy learning about the environment and culture, and the locals benefit both economically, and from the knowledge that their way of life is valued. Our presence brings valuable sustainable tourism to the local inhabitants of this little-known area. We are working closely with the enterprising former mayor of Artenara, Señor José-Antonio Rodriguez Rodriguez, to encourage people into the region to appreciate its unique beauty.
We are also working with the current mayor to apply pressure on the island’s parks service to try to repair a footpath to one of the most extraordinary, and currently "lost" aboriginal caves on the island. The Gran Canarians have a high awareness of environmental responsibility, especially concerning one of their scarcest resources: water. Our Handbook explains this and advises on how to use water responsibly, to conserve energy and recycle waste on the island. One of the best ways in which we do this is by living traditionally as the locals do; in caves hewn out of the soft volcanic rock. These dwellings are extremely energy efficient, being warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The water in our accommodation is solar-heated too. We support the village shop and bar/restaurants in the isolated village of Artenara by purchasing the ingredients for the packed-lunches supplied on our 'Original' trips, and dining in the evening on their delicious locally sourced produce. The interior of Gran Canaria has been declared a World Biosphere Reserve due to the richness of its flora and fauna and its varied landscapes. There are over 100 species of plant which grow only on Gran Canaria and the island has become a unique reference point for botanists worldwide. For those wishing a deeper level of understanding of the importance of the local flora, we recommend a visit to the island’s fascinating Botanical Gardens. We encourage visits to Tejeda's several fascinating museums describing the history of the local people and the region, and of the traditional life of a Gran Canarian peasant. And finally, we thoroughly recommend supporting local enterprise by sampling the award-winning wines produced by our host! All our car hire is carbon-offset through a scheme in place with the Carbon Neutral Company. Our brochure production and distribution is also carbon offset through a similar scheme, and we offer all our clients the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions caused by their flights too. Our brochure and all other literature and correspondence uses recycled paper, and we operate a rigorous recycling and energy saving policy both at our UK office and all our destinations, as well as encouraging our local suppliers to do the same. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |