Gran Canaria: Maspalomas

At Maspalomas you have to start with the beach, it is monumental and one of the best in any of the Canary Islands. Just imagine 17 kilometres of golden sand curving along the bay and coastline – and that is the starting point of Maspalomas. This stretch then divides into a number of smaller sandy beaches with inviting shallow and warm water before morphing into sand dunes. Every visitor to Maspalomas has their own favourite beach, you’ll soon find your favourite when you visit but in the meantime, check out our top 10 beaches in Gran Canaria.

In terms of activities, you're spoiled for choice. If you just want to laze on a beach with perhaps a little bit of paddle =boarding or banana boating then go straight to Playa del Ingles. Alternatively, further along the coast you can hire a bike or take a boat trip. Should you want to improve your golf handicap then the island’s largest golf course is close to hand. Fancy something a bit more exciting? Head to Aqualand Maspalomas, the biggest water park in Gran Canaria and one of the best things to do here. There are more than 20 rides, shoots, drives and spirals to choose from depending on whether you want to get lost in the water maze, shoot the rapids on a raft, get swept up in a tornado or swoosh around on the largest toboggan you’ve ever seen. The true adrenaline junkie will go straight to the Snake Falls and begin 200 metres of a descent sliding, twisting curving – and in many cases shouting! 

On a gentler and quieter level there are the dunes – great mounds of shifting sands of all shapes and colours and one of the best things to see in Maspalomas. This stunning landscape was declared a nature reserve in 1987. It’s divided into three special areas las Dunas (the dunes themselves), el Charco (a natural lagoon) and the Palmeral (an oasis of palms in the middle of the sand). A visit to the reserve is one of the best things to do in Maspalomas. If all you want to do is watch the sun set (or rise) on shifting shades and movements of sand there is a special viewing site at Dunas Mirador, but if you want to see more of them then either take a camel ride or hire a buggy. You can, of course, just saunter through the sand… but be careful it’s quite easy to lose your way as the landscape shifts and changes! There are also special buggy safaris. Birdwatchers love el Charco which attracts lots of migratory birds on their way to and from Africa and Europe as the seasons change.