TIPS FOR A NICE TRIP
When to go
The Canary island don’t understand about low season, this is due to the weather. Soft temperatures make possible outdoor activities during the whole year while in the rest of Europe it can be snowing here you can enjoy a sunny day, even a beach day! The south of the island will provide you more sunny hours per year and more chances of a beach day than north Gran Canaria.
But if you want to know when is the best moment to visit the canaries, well, in my opinion, you will find the best weather from August to December. February can be a bit colder and rainy but our carnival is able to throw away any sad feeling. If you like party, this one deserves your visit.
How long should I stay?
Avoid the idea of a small island where you will get bored soon after discover everything in 4 days. You’ll need more than that to enjoy some of it beauties. Spend one week in Gran Canaria can be a good idea, perfect to enjoy many things. If you can spend more than a week, that can be perfect too. Trust me, you are not going to get bored, you are not going to be able to discover everything but, at least, you will see many places and do the right activities at them.
Furthermore, if you are interested about local activities or experiences you will find leasure and culture ones at the webpage "La Brújula" , its in spanish but we think you will be able to find easily what you are interested in.
To sum up, visiting Gran Canaria: 6-8 days.
With who should I go?
The Canaries is a destination that you can always enjoy alone or with your loved ones. Nowadays you will find the perfect places and plans to do with all of them or just by your own.
It offers a nice atmosphere for everyone. Hostel experiences are better if you come with friends or travelling alone. At hostels people gets closer and at the end of your trip you will notice all the new friends you have met.
I used to travel with my family as a kid and i have to say that i loved the rural houses they rented, at the canaries the rural houses got a traditional look accompanied by beautiful gardens or lands where children are totally free to play around and that was the best.
Did i said garden? If you are interested about botanic you can always visit for free "El jardin canario" , the widest garden in Spain and considered a reference of native Canarian and Macaronesian flora. Its located in Tafira, 7km away from Las Palmas city.
Rent a car or not?
If you really want to enjoy the island as it deserve or go around freely without limits, rent a car, trust me, I definitely recommend it .If the kind of car isn’t quite important for you, you can find really cheap offers. As locals, we definitely recommend you Orlando because is the cheapest one. Picking up the car at the airport can be the best to save time and be able to go around by your own from the first second.
If you really love a vanlife, you can also rent big ones but the prices can go too high.
If you dont want to rent you can always take the bus, you will find the blue ones that will take you to other villages and the yellow ones to go around Las Palmas city
Rent climbing gear or carry mine?
If you are travelling with hand luggage and you were looking for a climbing holiday you should know that it’s not legal to take your climbing ropes and gear with you, they will ask you to pay for it to take it as checked baggage or just leave it at the airport if you are not able to pay. Same happens with slacklines and that kind of material that we would love to take always with us but airport security isn’t going to allow it. In this case, the best option can be rent at your destination or pay for some climbing technification lessons.
If you are a climber with the idea of climbing as much as possible by your own, or with local guides, bring your climbing gear. It can be perfect if you buy the Gran Canaria climbing guidebook to make sure you go to the right places and you find the crags easily.
If you love outdoor sports and you prefer avoid to carry everything you can always enjoy one day activities or one day course, so you will be able to enjoy things that you like at a different place but enjoying other kind of things as a tourist.
Food
If you like to eat fish, Canaries is your place. If you want to enjoy this kind of food i recommend you fisherman villages like Agaete, Sardina del Norte, Barrio de San Cristobal or Arinaga ( there are more nice places where to find seafood around the island but those ones are the main ones). The west area it’s quite interesting too.
You can find local markets at weekends (mercadillo) at every mountain village where you can buy local food or handicrafts. It’s so common for local people to go eat outside at weekends, eating traditional food at the mountain villages or fish in the coast.
North of the island produces huge quantities of bananas while the south west produces mango and avocado, just delicious! Visit Mogan’s village if you want to try these local fruits.
If you are a coffee lover, you have to visit Agaete’s village, one of the main places in Europe where coffee is cultivated. The only one in the island, due to the area’s microclimate, just amazing!
Is it possible to sleep on nature?
Well, it’s quite interesting to sleep around the island but the best, is always adapt it to your plans.
If you are thinking about camping on nature, that’s perfect and totally free, we recommend you to check the weather before and ask for permission at the officialwebpage, it’s not legal to go camping without it. Many camping areas got toilets, or barbecue areas but there are a few conditions during the year to do fire in nature.
You will be allowed to make fire to cook but portable barbecues are forbidden. Gas cookers are allowed. There is a schedule to use fire is from 8am to 6pm.
From the 1st July to 30 September is fire risk high season so we recommend you to pay special attention to the fire to avoid accidents.
If you dont have a tent, sleeping in the car is permited except if the car is at the parking.
Clothes
Always take a windstopper with you, island temperatures are nice but the humidity and the wind can make you feel that the temperatures are lower.
Light clothes for the day but always a jacket or sweater, evenings turns a bit fresh. If you are driving around the island, you will never know what’s the weather like at other villages.
Swimwear! Maybe you will arrive to the south and it’s going to be a beach day waiting for you, avoid suffering watching everyone in the water while you are not.
If you rent a car ( above mentioned) you can always take at the trunk a bag with towel, swimwear but also jackets if the day turns cold. Travelling always with that bag will make you enjoy the island like a local. Trust me, I’m local and I always carry at my bags bikini and hoodies in spite of it sounds weird.
For the girls ( or boys, I’m not going to judge anyone): If you are thinking about wearing a really light skirt, check the wind, you can spend the whole day making local people so happy with the views of your panties! The east of the island the windiest.
Welcome to Gran Canaria, where you can wear warm clothes at morning, swimwear at midday and windstopper at night, microclimates style!
Last info, the sea temperature goes from 19ºC in Winter to 23ºC in September and October so if you are thinking about watersports and you want to spend a long time in the water, maybe you will need a wetsuit.
Enjoy the swim!
