An itinerary for Gran Canaria with wheels

If you find yourself on the island of Gran Canaria and have convinced yourself THAT driving alongside the Spaniards is something you´re prepared to do, then hiring a car for the day can take you much further in no time at all.

Here´s an itinerary for a day out with the car:

Kick off at 9am and drive over to San Mateo enduring the windy roads that take over as you go further into the mainland. San Mateo is a small town that requires a whistle stop-over but saves itself with the infamous market.

Here you can sample local Canarian cheese, fat olives and Tunos India – a messy cactus fruit that apparently tastes very good with orange juice. The fruit has a habit of staining everything it touches a deep red colour, so you’ll be leaving with very red lips.

hiring a car for the day can take you much further in no time at all.

Around 11am have a Spanish Desayuno in the little café next door. This often consists of a light sandwich and coffee; giving you just enough fuel to prep for the next stop.

From here it takes 25 minutes to get to Roque Nublo where you can park up and get ready for a 30 minute hike up to some great mid-day views.

Before lunch take a quick glance at the vista point Pozo de las Nieves. Hopefully you can get there while the clouds have shifted and get a decent picture of the region Tejeda.

You can´t get here by bus, so this is a real treat and very much advised if you hire a car – Barranco de Guayadeque. You will pass through a small village of caves that people still live in and then continue up to a restaurant for lunch that will blow you away and it’s very reasonably priced, too.

Just as you thought the day was over, there’s one more stop to be had. 5 minutes away is the sleepy village Aguimes. Pay a visit here for a short walk and some delicious tea and cake.

 - One of the many odd statues in Aguimes! 

Home and tucked into bed by 9pm! Honestly, you can fit a lot into one day when you have wheels to take you places.

Barranco de Guayadeque

Barranco de Guayadeque completely blew me away, mostly because I never thought I´d make it there and now I´ve been twice, funny how things turn out.

As with most places in Gran Canaria, the very best places can only be reached by driving. A kind couple from work took me there, after asking constantly how to reach this remote cave dwelling.

The drive takes you through a beautiful and impressive mountainous landscape making you feel rather small in comparison. Half way up you will come across a (sort-of) village on the side of a dusty mountain where people still live in mini-houses and caves.

The gardens are really pretty with burst of colour and cactuses. I wish I ´d had the courage to ask one of the residents if I could look around their casa. Perhaps a bit too touristy though.

We were saying we wouldn’t want to be teenagers living there, its quiet remote and I´m baffled as to how their day-to-day lives run with being so far from anyone or anything except tourists and great big mountains – very much worth seeing.

Once you’ve reached the top you will be greeted by a unique restaurant: Cueva Tagoror.

If you go on a Sunday they cater more for specific Canaria food such as sancocho and papas arrugadas.

Sancocho *Please note image is taken from Google.

The food is very reasonably priced and you´re eating in a cave, an experience made comfortable with modern day lighting and fitted bars. There’s a gift shop and terrace there, too.

Terrace at the Caves