Best Attractions and Things to Do in Gran Canaria

1. Best Attractions and Things to Do in Gran Canaria

2. Scuba in Gran Canaria Gran Canaria boasts incredible biodiversity, both above and below sea level, so take the plunge with a scuba dive to see an impressive variety of marine life. Get up close and personal with a manta ray or sea turtle, or lose yourself just gazing at the remarkable colours of fish and crustaceans found in abundance at sites like the El Cabrón Marine Reserve. If you’re feeling adventurous, tackle a submerged wreck at Puerto Mogan or the dramatic La Catedral cave dive at Las Palmas.

3. Ride sand dunes on camelback Make like Lawrence of Arabia in Maspalomas, a glorious 8km-long white beach featuring colossal dunes that span half its length and extend a further 3.5km inland. Sure you can walk, horse ride or even quad bike these 404 hectares of rolling sand hills, but for something out of the ordinary, take a camel ride. The camels’ long legs mean there’s a different rhythm – it’s a slower pace than on horseback and strangely calming. Playing safari in this mini Sahara is hot work, so cool down with a sorbet in the shadow of the magnificent 56-feet-tall Maspalomas lighthouse. The promenade is the place to people watch at sunset, and if you’re lucky you’ll catch the beach’s resident sand artist hard at work crafting his next sculpture.

4.  Moonwalk at Roque Nublo Bang in the centre of the island, this little and large rock pairing is well worth a visit. The relatively short hike up to this unmistakable landmark is hot work, so get hydrated with a fresh juice from the van in the car park. Standing 80 metres tall and 1,813 meters above sea level, the Roque Nublo isn’t actually the highest point on the island (that accolade goes to Pico de la Nieves), although with its exposed position rising out of the Caldera de Tejeda, it is certainly the most prominent. You can enjoy panoramic 360-degree views of the island from on top of the peak, but the quasi-lunar landscape itself is the real draw: it’s quite uncanny.

5. Go stargazing Is there life on Mars? Thanks to the island's position on the equator, low-level cloud phenomena that filter out light pollution and a law that regulates air traffic, Gran Canaria is one of the best places in Europe from which to see the stars. The unusually clear and bright skies allow for cracking views of constellations found in both northern and southern hemispheres.

6. Surf like a Big Kahuna The coastline of PozoIzquierdo plays host to some seriously impressive surf. Sit on the sand and watch as the boards and sails cut and glide through the water, or if you want to have a go yourself, check in with the friendly staff of one many local surfing schools, who will make getting started a breeze. With a little practice you’ll be upright and cruising in no time. Be warned though, once you’ve successfully surfed your first swell, you’ll find the experience is addictive – so be sure to pack a few pairs of board shorts.

7. Sup Arucas rum Five centuries of sugar cane cultivation has given the Canaries a sweet tooth. It wasn’t long before this tendency led to the creation of rum, first sweetened with sugar cane honey and then bee’s honey. Nowadays, in Gran Canaria, Arucas rum is ubiquitous and is exported worldwide. A visit to the distillery, 15 minutes journey from the capital Las Palmas, is a very merry way to spend an afternoon. Every year, more than 3.5 million litres of rum are produced here; see the rum production process before sampling one of the many flavours, from banana and coffee to honey and toffee. And don’t miss the celebrity autographs on the casks.

8. Experience the Gran Canaria Carnival As you may have guessed from all that rum, the Gran Canarians love to party, and aren’t shy of a festival or two. By far the biggest event of the calendar year is the Carnival, an explosively colourful street parade held every February, in the spirit of the Rio Carnival or Sydney's Mardi Gras.

9. Have a grand day out in Palmitos Park Palmitos is the biggest zoological park in the Canary Islands, with hundreds of ocean dwellers like dolphins, turtles, seals, reptiles, lories, toucans and pelicans calling it home. There's a schedule of feeding times, shows and demonstrations every day, and for just €60, you can spend time with one of the dolphins in a hands on lesson about the species in the water. Aqualand is also 10 minutes away, if you'd prefer slides to seals.

10. Relax in the Viera y Clavijo Botanical Garden This garden was named after the scholar Jose Viera y Clavijo after he attempted to found the Canary's first botanical garden in the eighteenth century, but failed. It was Erik RagnarSvensson who found this spot, which is able to hold all of the Canary Islands different plant species. There are 600 unique plants in this garden - try to spot them all.

11. For more Info Visit our Website https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk