Camino de Santiago Gran Canaria: a great adventure!

The Camino de Santiago Gran Canaria is a wonderful crossing that allows you to get to know the entire island from north to south.

It is a path that can be walked from one to six days: the kilometers are about 70 and the elevation gain is around 2,500 meters.

The Camino de Santiago Gran Canaria has medieval origins. In fact, some sailors, caught in a storm, vowed to Santiago to build a church on the highest point of the island then known. The sailors actually saved themselves: so a church was built in St. Bartolome (Tunte) and in 1850 the image of Santiago was brought here. Galdar also hosted the first official mass in 1481, and its main church was dedicated to Santiago.

To complete the historical background, the jacobean holy year enjoys the same privileges as the Compostelan holy year.

The walk is generally done from south to north: thus, the starting point of the walk is the Maspalomas Lighthouse and the end is Galdar Square. For weather reasons, my friend Daniele and I took the path in reverse, thus starting from Galdar.

Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria, Stage 1: Galdar – Cruz de Tejeda

 

Galdar is easily accessible from Las Palmas thanks to the bus service of Gran Canaria..

The FIRST STAGE  is definitely challenging both in length, 21 km, and in positive elevation gain, about 1,700 meters. The walk begins with short climbs, never too steep: behind you always have Galdar and, to the side, its characteristic mountain with its conical shape. It is easy to get to Saucillo, after 8 km of walking. this is a great base for lunch or a bite to eat.

We continue to climb always gradually: the meadows in March are definitely green and it is wonderful to walk in these conditions! At a certain point the vegetation becomes decidedly thicker: we enter the Pinos de Galdar territory. The path to the Mirador de Pinos de Galdar is definitely steep in places! The view repays all the effort! By now, there are only 5 km left to the end of the first stage: the Montanon Negro and the view toward the center of the island are majestic!

In Cruz de Tejeda, unfortunately, we found all restaurants closed for covid. Luckily, we managed to find a typical bocadillo de Teror (a typical Canarian salami) and a couple of cold beers!

We slept at the hostal el refugio, discreet.

Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria, Stage 2: Cruz de Tejeda – Fataga

 

The second stage begins with several ups and downs leading up to Llanos de la Pez: along these 6 km you can see the iconic Roque Nublo and the Teide of Tenerife!

Once in Llanos de la Pez, Daniele and I decided to take a detour. In fact, we extended the walk by about 3 km and 300 meters of elevation gain to reach Pico de las Nieves, which at 1949 meters is the summit of Gran Canaria. This detour is nothing short of splendid, and is recommended for any trekker in good condition!

From Pico de las Nieves we quickly descend to Mirador Cruz Grande: the trail is always fantastic, well maintained and with majestic views.

From Mirador Cruz Grande it takes about 3 km to get to San Bartolome (also called Tunte): you don’t actually go through the center of the small town, but you can admire its beauty thanks to various viewpoints. Having found no place to sleep in San Bartolome we continued for another 6 km. We therefore arrived in Fataga, a typical all-white Canarian village! Fataga Grill was our salvation: dinner was fabulous!

In total we covered about 25 km, with 700 meters of positive elevation gain and 1700 meters of descent.

We slept at Elisa’s house, great accommodation!

 

Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria, Stage 3: Fataga – Faro de Maspalomas

 

From Fataga the path is really simple. We pass through the barranco de Fataga, with vegetation becoming increasingly sparse: the pine trees of the center of the island are now a vague memory.

From Fataga to the lighthouse of Maspalomas the path is 22 km long, almost always downhill: it is really a very easy walk.

It is definitely the least interesting day: the points of interest are given by the barranco, an aqueduct and the Maspalomas dunes at the end of the route.

The Maspalomas lighthouse marks the end of the Camino de Santiago Gran Canaria: the satisfaction is certainly immense!

 

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WALK OF CAMINO DE SANTIAGO DE GRAN CANARIA: USEFUL INFORMATION

 

• The Camino de Santiago Gran Canaria is generally traveled from south to north. No problems are reported in doing it in reverse: the only problem is the altitude difference of the first stage, which is quite tough. The path is perfectly marked, which is rare for Gran Canaria.

 

• This trek is doable year-round. They are, however, recommended in the spring and fall months to avoid rains and summer heat, which can become really suffocating in the south.

 

• I slept in two guesthouses, both in Cruz de Tejeda and Fataga. It pays to book in advance; there is not much hotel hospitality.

 

• On the first stage, Saucillo is a good place to get something to eat (there is also a small bar around km 12 of the walk, just before embarking on the climb to Mirador Pinos de Galdar). On the second day you can find sandwiches at Pico de las Nieves, while on the third leg I found nothing.

 

• In Fataga, the Fataga Grill is highly recommended: hearty and inexpensive dinner. In Cruz de Tejeda, restaurants were closed for dinner: on the other hand, it was possible to order a sandwich to go. No water source can be found: it can be bought in the bars mentioned above.

 

• The best day of the Camino de Santiago Gran Canaria was the second: the views of the Roque Nublo are spectacular!

 

• You can find various information on the official website of the walk, taken care of in every detail!

 

• It is recommended to start with a small backpack, given the elevation gain at challenging times. I brought two spare T-shirts, a pant for the evening and a kway. Temperatures in March are around 20 degrees (even at the top) and you can see lots of flowers.

 

• Gran Canaria offers so many things to see!

 

• This is definitely the most beautiful trek in all of Gran Canaria, but it is home to other fantastic paths! It obviously deserves a mention the most beautiful trek in the Canary Islands, the TEIDE
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