The Complete Travel Guide to the South of Gran Canaria

Now that you know all you can do in the North of Gran Canaria it’s time to travel to the South and get familiar with the natural landscapes, popular beaches, and the best food around.

So before you start packing, here’s a tip: pack a pair mountain boots with your swim shorts — you’re likely to wear both at the same time.

 

Weather in the South

There’s a significant weather difference between the north and the south of Gran Canaria. There’s like an invisible dividing wall preventing rain clouds from going south and ruining tourists’ tans.

The south gets over 320 days of sunshine per year, with temperatures between 25ºC and 30ºC. The best time to visit goes from May to mid-October.

To check the weather during your trip go to www.accuweather.com/Gran-Canaria-South

 

Transportation from the North to the South of the Island

Gran Canaria has a great public transport system. Buses are on time, cheap, and the best option to travel across the island.

A bus trip from Las Palmas → Playa del Ingles costs: €6.25
Duration: 45 minutes

Routes and schedules are available in  www.globalsu.net

 

What to do in the South

Faro de Maspalomas

Even though the Faro de Maspalomas is a landmark of the island, you don’t go there for the lighthouse itself — you go for its surroundings.

 

The area probably has the best walkway in Gran Canaria. The fresh air, the wonderful ocean view, and the fancy shops make it the ideal spot for a stroll. When the sun sets, the many bars and restaurants provide a pleasant evening out for dinner and drinks.

Puerto de Mógan

Puerto de Mogán is an idyllic little place by the sea where time seems to have stopped. Around here everything seems perfectly proportioned and perfectly placed. From the crescent-shaped beach, the busy little harbor that manages to accommodate local fishing boats and the yachts of visitors.

 

 

To the white houses built over the water canals, and the colored bougainvilleas creating natural shadows for people walking in the area.

 

Still, this perfect little nugget of a town can get crowded with tourists, particularly on Fridays and weekends. Meaning that the beach gets crowded, the streets busy, and the restaurants full.

 

 

Getting to Puerto de Mogán by Public Bus

From Playa del Inglés to Puerto de Mogán, get on the Bus nº 1, nº 32 (fast route), or nº 33.
Trip cost: €4.15
Trip duration: 45 minutes

For more info on the trip, check: www.guaguasglobal.com/timetables

Yumbo Shopping Centre

This alfresco shopping center near Playa del Ingles might look a tad generic during the day. But at night it turns into the inclusive gay mecca of Gran Canaria — don’t let the mosque at the entrance fool you.

From around 9 P.M, cabaret bars, karaoke cafes, and nightclubs are targeted to the LGBTQ crowd. Yet the fun atmosphere and popularity of the drag shows, always attract a very mixed audience.

 

 

When Nuno and I visited Yumbo all the bars were jam-packed, so we simply stopped by one that was announcing a drag show. To our surprise, we ended up watching 5 in-your-face Spice Girls impersonators on a concert that filled our hearts with 90’s nostalgia.

 

Maspalomas Dunes

The Maspalomas Dunes are a nature reserve of 400 hectares where 3 ecosystems coexist: a palm grove, a brackish water lagoon, and the sand dunes.

 

Photo by Marc Ryckaert.

The desert-like proportions of the sandhills block all wind and sound, allowing the visitor to submerge into complete silence and isolation on one of the most visited coasts in Europe.

 

Photo by Himarerme.

For us, the solitude didn’t last long. We only got a few minutes to enjoy the silence before a giant fart out of the ass of another tourist (probably also believing he was alone) echoed through the dunes and ruined the moment.

…and to think that those dunes are the resting place for birds migrating to Africa.
What kind of rest can any bird get under those conditions?

? Viewpoint “Mirador de las Dunas”

 

Popular Beaches in the South of Gran Canaria

Playa del Inglés

In spite of the fact that Playa del Inglés is the most visited beach in Gran Canaria, it has enough space for everyone. The 2.7 km stretch of sand offers different beaches for different folks. There’s a beach for:

• Families,
• Surfers,
• Nudists,
• Loners,
• LGBTQ crowds
But if laying on the sand all day isn’t for you, Playa del Inglés has plenty of sports activities like: windsurf, jet-ski, banana boat rides, and sail.

Prices start at €30 for one person.

 

 

If that’s too much action, you can always go for a walk on the Maspalomas dunes to live your Prince of Persia fantasy. If you’re hard to please or feel like walking on sand is bad for your knees, go over to the Paseo Costa Canaria: a 2km promenade by the beach brimming with restaurants, ice cream shops, and cafes.  

? Public Showers and restrooms available
♿ Beach accessible to wheelchair users

 

Puerto Rico

It’s the first artificial beach in Gran Canaria, popular among British and Irish families due to its calm waters and convenient amenities provided by the surrounding resorts such as:

• Sunbeds and sunshades
• Restaurants
• Leisure excursions
• Water sports activities (sailing, dolphin watching, jet skiing, etc)

? Public Showers and restrooms available

 

 

Amadores beach

Another man-made beach awarded with a blue flag for the cleanliness of its water and sand.

The white sands sit in a moon-shaped bay where the water is turquoise, shallow, and waves are pretty much nonexistent. That’s what makes Amadores a very popular beach among families with kids.  

 

 

? Smoke-free beach
♿ Disabled-friendly
? Public Showers and restrooms available
?️ Underground parking area

 

Underrated Beaches

San Agustín

A few kilometers from Playa del Inglés is San Agustín, considered to be a very calm beach with fewer tourists than its neighboring beaches.

 

Photo by Wouter Hagens.

Locals usually come here on weekends, so take advantage of the weekdays if you prefer a bit more room to spread out.

It’s an urban beach with a coastal walkway that connects to Playa del Inglés — meaning you’ll find lots of places to eat and drink close by.  

? Public Showers and restrooms available
?️ Free parking

Las Burras

Maybe it’s the wind that can be felt around here that pushes tourists away, but Las Burras beach remains the most local of beaches in the south of Gran Canaria.

Nevertheless, fewer tourists don’t necessarily mean that the beach isn’t busy in months like July, August, and September.

 

Public buses to all the Beaches (mentioned above)

Buses nº 1, 39, 91, 33 can drop you right by any of the beaches. Depending on your starting point, the trip can cost up to €4.

Check the timetables on the ‘guaguas’ Global website.

What to eat

Food in Gran Canaria is always fresh and seasoned to perfection, after all, we’re talking about the lovechild of Spanish, African and Latin-American cuisines, so you can’t go wrong.

Meanwhile, here are our recommendations:

• Papas arrugadas con mojo
• Anything with gofio on it
• Bienmesabe
• Huevos rotos
• Plenty of mojo rojo or mojo verde

 

Typical Villages to visit in the South of Gran Canaria

Ingenio

A small agricultural village and one of the oldest in the island. Besides a visit to the old quarter, we suggest:

• Playa del Burrero
• The pre-hispanic necropolis on the Guayadeque Ravine
• Caldera de los Marteles natural reserve

 

Photo by Backlit.

Agüimes

If you have time to spear on the island, to the east is the traditional hill town of Agüimes.

 

Photo by Martin Falbisoner.

Here in Agüimes, we recommend:

• A walk through the old quarter and medieval alleyways
• Festival de Sur, an international theater festival (September)
• Playa del Cabrón as it is one of the best diving spots on the island

 

Interested in visiting the North of the island?
Go to: The Complete Travel Guide to the North of Gran Canaria

Cover photo by Bertram Nudelbach.