Do You Feel Like - Waterstones

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CONTENTS    Do You Feel Like ...

Do You Feel Like … … adventurous hikes, beautiful views, colonial flair, subtropical gardens, sleepy mountain villages or pre-historic caves? A few ideas on Gran Canaria just the way you want them.

GREAT HIKES • Caldera de Bandama Walk around the crater on a trail with beautiful views. You can also walk down into the crater. page 146 • Pico de las Nieves Follow a spectacular trail from Cruz Grande to the highest peak on the island. page 203 • Roque Nublo “ The most popular hiking route on the island goes to the »cloud rock«. page 217

Do You Feel Like ...    CONTENTS CAVES FOR LIVING AND OTHER THINGS • Barranco de Guayadeque There is a cave village in the gorge and a cave chapel. There are even several restaurants in caves for visitors. page 133 • Cenobio de Valerón The cave labyrinth carved into the tuff stone is one of the most impressive cultural remnants of the aboriginal inhabitants. page 147 • Quatro Puertas Near the old royal city of Telde four caves are hidden in a mountain – with traces that point to an old cultic site. page 241

DISTANT VIEWS • Mirador de Unamuno »Stone thunderstorm« is what the Basque philosopher Miguel de Unamuno called Gran Canaria’s mountain ranges. page 139 • Mirador Balcón Along the GC 200 high above the western coast there are various observation points where it’s worth stopping to look. page 160 ◀◀ Santa Ana Cathedral Take a lift to the observation platform on the southern tower of the cathedral of Las Palmas. page 179

EXOTIC FLORA • Jardín de la Marquesa The subtropical garden belonging to an old noble family is located in the middle of a banana plantation. page 145 • Parque Botánico Maspalomas An as yet young botanical garden with decorative plants from all over the world. page 187 • Jardín Canario “ Awesome Canarian flora and dragon trees near the capital city. page 233

COZY PLACES • Embalse de Soria A picturesque hamlet above a reservoir bordered by palm trees. page 137 • Tejeda Expansive almond orchards around a mountain village are especially enchanting when they blossom in February. page 235 • Teror This rural town is known for its pilgrimage church. A colourful market is held on Sundays around the church. page 241

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE • Old city of Agüimes Around the Moorish-style domed church narrow lanes invite exploring. page 131 ◀◀ Casa de Colón Columbus‘ house in Las Palmas has decorative Renaissance portals, magnificent wooden ceilings and a secluded inner courtyards. page 179 • Plaza San Juan in Telde The old city square surprises with an intact 16th century ensemble and a basilica dedicated to John the Baptist. page 239

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Facts and Figures

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INSIGHT

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TOURS    Tour 1

Tour 1    TOURS

Amadores, where several luxury resorts were built recently, relieves the congestion. Of the resorts north-west of Puerto Rico, Puerto de Mogán is considered to be one of the most successful examples of holiday architecture. The area around the yacht harbour is a beautiful place to stay, but the »Venice of Gran Canaria« is generally flooded by day-trippers. Las Palmas

Anyone looking for local Canarian and Spanish culture will find it in the capital city of Las Palmas. The city has an excellent public beach and a large selection of hotels in all categories, but is not very quiet. The colonial old quarter with its interesting museums, attractive festivals and its carnival has a broad selection of culture and entertainment.

Turismo rural

The mountains offer holidays of a different kind. Rural tourism (turismo rural) is a movement that has restored country estates and hotels in the interior; these are ideal bases for nature-loving guests and hikers who want to discover the breathtaking mountains and lakes. This is the right place to spend the nicest weeks of the year away from crowds (“MARCO POLO Insight, p. 70).

Tour 1

Around the Island Start and finish: Playa del Inglés Duration: 1 day Length: 212km/127mi

This drive around the island is almost a must for first-time visitors to Gran Canaria, for it gives a good impression of the island‘s varied landscape. Of course, there is little time to tour the individual attractions at length.

Leave ePlaya del Inglés or Maspalomas heading west. Pass the ­fishing village of Arguineguín on a good coastal road to rPuerto Rico with its artificial beach. The western point of the large tourist region in southern Gran Canaria is tM MPuerto de Mogán. A stroll through Gran Canaria’s »Little Venice« is a must! The coastal road ends in Puerto de Mogán. Continue on the road GC 200 northwards through the fertile Barranco de Mogán. On both sides of the road small houses with gardens cling to the slopes of the mountains. Another 8km/5mi from Puerto de Mogán lies the town of uMogán. The main road now runs north-west and begins to climb. Vegetation becomes sparse. About 10km/6mi beyond Mogán a rock wall on the right shimmers in many colours. It is called Azulejos. From Toco-

domán the area is again populated, and the plains with alluvial land and an ample water supply around iLa Aldea de San Nicolás have the right conditions for productive agriculture. There are windmills to pump the water to the surface, but since the underground water table is sinking, not many of them are still running. For a long time La Aldea de San Nicolás’ only contact with the outside world went through Puerto de la Aldea. Beyond this little port the GC 200 runs mostly along the coast again. The main road offers several magnifi-

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