Church of San Juan Bautista
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All 28 photos in Gran Canaria 2026
Roque Nublo, the Maspalomas dunes, Teide on the horizon · Feb 2026 · 28 photos
February on Gran Canaria: clear skies, strong midday light and long sunsets on the west coast. The volcanic island is nearly round, about 50 km across, and nearly half of it is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The route sets out from the southwest at Anfi del Mar and continues in the northwest at Puerto de las Nieves, the harbor of Agaete.
Anfi del Mar
The landscaped cove, with a beach, palm trees, yachts at anchor and the marina.
Anfi del Mar, Mogán, Spain
Puerto de las Nieves
Big waves break on the boulders beside the promenade, with the coastal cliffs in the distance.
Puerto de las Nieves, Agaete, Spain
In the afternoon, the road climbs into the north of the island, to Montaña Alta, above the town of Santa María de Guía, and then into Doramas Rural Park. To the west, across the ocean, lies Tenerife, with the 3,715 m volcano Teide, which comes into view several times along the route. In the evening, the road reaches the west at the Mirador del Balcón viewpoint, then La Aldea de San Nicolás.
Montaña Alta
Green hills with villages in the valleys, prickly pears and a house carved into the rock, and above a sea of clouds, the cone of the volcano.
Montaña Alta, Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria, Spain 
Montaña Alta, Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria, Spain 
Montaña Alta, Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria, Spain 
Montaña Alta, Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria, Spain
Doramas Rural Park
A wooden path through prickly pears, on a ridge looking out over the hills of the north.
Doramas Rural Park, Valleseco, Spain
Mirador del Balcón
The cliffs plunge into the ocean, backlit by the setting sun, with Tenerife’s volcano on the horizon.
Mirador del Balcón, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Spain 
Mirador del Balcón, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Spain
La Aldea de San Nicolás
The sun sets straight into the ocean beyond the harbor breakwater.
La Aldea de San Nicolás, Spain
In the north of the island, near Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, lies the Jardín Botánico Canario. Next comes the town of Arucas, dominated by the church of San Juan Bautista, built in neo-Gothic style from dark volcanic stone.
Jardín Botánico Canario
Tall columnar cacti and pines along a path, under a cloudy sky.
Jardín Botánico Canario, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Arucas
The church’s pointed towers above the streets of the town center.
Church of San Juan Bautista, Arucas, Spain
In the evening, the route heads south to Maspalomas, where the lighthouse was built at the end of the 19th century. The road then climbs to the center, to Pico de las Nieves, almost 1,950 m high, one of the highest points on the island. Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga, the rocks on the surrounding ridges, are part of the Risco Caído and Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria cultural landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019. In the afternoon, the road returns to the Maspalomas Dunes, protected as a nature reserve. In the evening it passes through the Veneguera valley.
Maspalomas
The lighthouse tower in silhouette at sunset and in the blue hour, with the sun reflected in the water where the beach ends.
Playa de Maspalomas, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Maspalomas Lighthouse, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Maspalomas Lighthouse, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Maspalomas Lighthouse, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain
Pico de las Nieves
The Roque Nublo monolith on its ridge, with Teide behind it across the ocean, and volcanic crags above the deep valleys to the south.
Roque Nublo, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Pico de las Nieves, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Pico de las Nieves, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Pico de las Nieves, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain
Maspalomas Dunes
Wind-rippled sand with low shrubs, a lone palm and the ocean at the edge.
Maspalomas Dunes, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Maspalomas Dunes, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain 
Maspalomas Dunes, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain
Veneguera
The green valley and the mountain road, with jagged ridges against the orange sunset sky.
Veneguera, Mogán, Spain
On the coast, the route reaches Puerto Rico, a resort in the southwest of the island. The Agaete coast road closes the loop in the northwest, near the harbor passed at the start.
Puerto Rico
Waves over the rocks beside the promenade, and the cliff topped with hotels lit up in the blue hour.
Puerto Rico, Mogán, Spain 
Puerto Rico, Mogán, Spain
The Agaete coast road
The road cut into the hillside above a calm ocean, under a sky colored by the sunset.
The Agaete coast road, Agaete, Spain 
The Agaete coast road, Agaete, Spain