Time passes very quickly and it’s already the fifth day of our stay in Gran Canaria. It’s actually the sixth day if you count the evening after arrival. Today we covered the most kilometres and took the most pictures. It’s definitely my favourite day on the island. We drove through the whole Gran Canaria along the coast. Since we saw a lot, the report will be divided into two separate posts. Below is a map of the trip (click here):
We set off a bit earlier, because we have a long road ahead of us. We drive along the motorway to the north passing the capital of Las Palmas, which was visited yesterday, on the left, and a moment later we drive right over the ocean. Las Canteras beach can be seen in the distance. I suspect that at that time there are not many people there, because the weather forecast was not lying and the north of the island is cloudy. We will visit only one town we care about and we will run back to the south. The route we follow is really beautiful. I observe the coastline through the glass and the waves crashing against the rocks, I look in front of me to admire the waves emerging from the distance of the town.
Puerto de las Nieves
Finally we reach our destination, which is the charming Puerto de Las Nieves. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful towns in Gran Canaria and I can confirm it. It has a special climate. White houses with blue decorations, mountains and the ocean together create something wonderful.
We leave the car in the very centre, right next to a church. We head for a restaurant we’ve found on the internet, where we plan to have a breakfast. Unfortunately, one is closed, another one is closed…. And on the door, there are cards that the employees are on vacation now. It turns out that they have made some sort of an agreement. We decide to go for a walk first, and on the way we may find a pub. We pass white and blue houses and an interesting monument showing a woman with a child looking towards the ocean.
Soon we reach the ocean. We get to the intimate beach, which consists of small pebbles. In front of us there is calm, crystalline water and on the right side there is a small pier, which we enter a moment later. Near the beach there is an interesting cottage, which each of us pays attention to. It is decorated on both sides with colourful buoys.
We go down from the pier and head towards the colourful houses. We also look behind us to admire the pier and the ferry just departing from the port. From Puerto de Las Nieves you can sail to Tenerife. The journey is said to take about an hour and twenty minutes. The costs are probably not that high. We plan to visit Gran Canaria more closely, there is still time for Tenerife in the future, so we continue to walk along the ocean.
We go back to the streets of the town.
Along the way we manage to find one open restaurant, but the opinions on google about it are tragic, so we decide to eat in the only really available place, which is the Meson del Bocadillo bar, which is two steps from our car.
After breakfast there is one more great attraction waiting for us, which I almost forgot about. We go north and move away from the center of the town. After a while we reach the promenade of Calle el Muelle.
Las Salinas
After a while you can see our destination from afar – swimming pools in the rocks of Las Salinas. The closer, the more beautiful they look.
The view to the other side is also great. I don’t know which one is better.
We reach the swimming pools. They were created as a result of a lava spill and later they were improved by people in order to better fulfill the role of swimming pools. A great place, apparently very crowded. We can walk peacefully between the pools and take pictures of the sea and the waves bouncing off the rocks.
The promenade does not end here, so we go further. Now the narrow sidewalk leads uphill.
In a moment the first wonderful views of the cliffs are already visible.
The path we follow looks interesting, especially from above. We admire the pools of Las Salinas, which are far away from us. We walk slowly and constantly wave our head once in one direction, once in the other.
Finally we reach the end of the path. Here we stop for a longer time. It is hard to leave such a landscape.
Droga GC-200
After the photo shoot we turn back to the car. We leave Puerto de Las Nieves on the famous GC-200 road. Right at the beginning of the road we can clearly see the lower village of Agaete, which we decide not to visit.
Just in the very beginning of the GC-200 road – we can see that it is remarkable in terms of views. We drive through the turns. Each of the turns offer us a new portion of views of the mountains and coastline. We feel that this road will be an unforgettable and unique experience. Only Wojtek will be harmed. In the end he is a driver and has to be extremely careful and precise.
Barranco de Guayedra
After just a few minutes we approach the next stop in the plan. It is the Barranco de Guayedra ravine and two beaches here. Right next to the bus stop we leave the main road and turn to the sand road. In a moment we see a bay to park, so we decide to leave a car here and not risk driving down into the unknown. It has its advantages, because the path is very scenic and we have a chance to take a lot of interesting photos. If we look towards the ocean, we can see the recently visited Puerto de Las Nieves in the distance.
Playa de Sotavento
When the wide path ends we turn left onto a slightly smaller and slightly steeper path. I recommend to take appropriate footwear, sometimes you have to be careful of slipping stones. After a while we reach the first beach. I must admit that it presents itself unusually. This is Playa de Sotavento. There are quite large stones lying on it and it’s hard to walk around. However, we have a lot of time, so we slowly put steps on the next pebbles. From time to time we also rest and enjoy the charms of this place. We admire huge waves. The beach is not suitable for swimming, but in my opinion you can’t miss it when you’re traveling through Gran Canaria.
Playa de Guayedra
After carefully discovering the beach, we go back to the path that we came by and go straight ahead. In a moment Playa de Guayedra appears before us. It is probably the only sandy beach in the west of the island. The sand is black and has volcanic origin. There is one nudist on the bay, so we do not want to disturb and we take photos of the beach from afar. It must be a great place for rest and swimming in the nature. The view of the nearby cliffs is one of a kind. But remember that this is a beach for nudists, so only the brave will make proper use of it.
After a short rest on the stones we turn back. Of course, in front of us we can see already visited beach of Sotavento. It is hard to take eyes away from these views.
The last look at the beach and we turn to the path leading up to our car. On our way there, we take a few more photos from the road.
In the next section further part of the route. It will also be beautiful 🙂 We still have the whole road GC-200 to go and a few interesting stops.
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