Behold the Beauty of Gran Canaria
This island is filled with different European, American, and African vegetation landscapes. Its mountain range is as high as 2000 meters with bizarre canyons, making it a very diverse landscape, with different climates across different geographical zones.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This capital, with 352,641 inhabitants, has a highly unique architecture which displays the 5 continents’ influence together with its colorful houses. The feisty ambience is proof of the slow pace of cool climate living. Its great culture and delectable cuisine sets this city on the international map.
Places of Interest
This city boasts a Gothic cum Neoclassic cathedral, which was constructed after America was discovered. At the square of Santa Ana are the Archiepiscopal Palais and Canarian architecture buildings.
The Barrio de la Vegueta holds many Latin-American manorial houses of colonial design. There is a contemporary art collection at the local museum.
La Casa de Colón, or Columbus’ home, houses Columbus’ ships that stopped here while on the way to America.
The Canarian Museum or Museo Canario exhibits the entire exposition of the Guanches, the islands’ first inhabitants.
We have Pueblo Canario at Doramas Park, which is a beautiful garden. It was created by Néstor de la Torre, who was a Canarian artist, and it represents the typical architecture of the island. There are colorful, traditional performances every Thursday and Sunday.
Other places of interest include the Art Museum, the Pérez Galdós Museum, and the Nestor-Museum. Also available is the Canarian Garden, Jardin Canario, just 8km away from Las Palmas. This garden displays no less than 500 species of island flora.
Tracking the Guanches
The original inhabitants of the Canary Islands were the Guanches, and they were known by the Tenerife natives as Guan Chenech. These mysterious natives are thought to have been very fair skinned and tall. Nothing more can be determined by the historians.
Las Palmas Canarian Museum houses some interesting findings from the Guanches. There are traces of their presence on the island, such as Cueva Pintada, a cave with wall paintings of polychrome geometry style, the ‘Holy Mountain’ of the Guanches, Montaña Sagrada, with many archaeological findings in Malpais, as well as fishing villages and bays.
Sight Seeing
There is an astounding landscape known as ‘the petrified storm’ around Tejeda. It has green valleys and almond trees at the foothills of the mountainous peaks of Bentayga and Roque Nubo.
Teror is a mesmerizing village, that seems to be ‘floating in the air’, as it is 575m above sea level. It has awesome mountain ranges all around. This place is renowned for pilgrimages.
Arucas is an old town with a magnificent high coast and quaint bays, together with acres of banana plantations.
Santa María de Guia, in the north of the island, holds many caves full of petrified lava.
From Agaete, you will see a breath-taking canyon landscape of papaya, coffee, banana, and avocado plantations, as well as thermal springs.
At the island’s south lies a dreamy fishing village, with a great view, as well as a splendid valley of tropical fruit trees.