THE BARRANCO DE BARAFONSO
Walls of volcanic tuff in the Cows Ravine / Image: Alamy
Get a load of the variegated red-ochre patterning and velvet-smooth weathered walls on this striking slot gorge. A favoured hideout for local herders – its other name is ‘valley of the cows’ – it’s studded with intriguing ancient hand-holds and cool little bivouacs. Keep your eyes peeled for an unassuming pedestrian tunnel between the towns of Agüimes and Temisas on the GC-550 road, specifically on a bend at around Kilometre 14. Follow the trail and brace yourself for a truly rose-coloured spectacle.
Tobas de Colores del Barranco de Las Vacas, Agüimes
Barranco de Guayadeque
Find some inner calm at Barranco de Guayadeque / Image: 123rf
It’s no surprise this sublime 11km gully in the east of Gran Canaria is nicknamed the ‘reserve of tranquility’. Since prehistoric times, human beings and nature have lived here in exquisite harmony. Folks have carved out not only homes, but agricultural buildings and even churches, many of which are lovingly preserved and open for you to have a poke about in. As for nature, select plants endemic not only to the island but specifically this valley abound – shout out to stick-thin Kunkeliella canariensis. Oh, and look out for Gallotia stehlini – at 80cm long the largest lizard in Europe or Africa.
GC-103, Ingenio
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El Charco Azul
Bring your swimmers to the Charco Azul volcanic cavern / Image: Adobe Stock
Little pro tip: if it’s been distressingly rainy on your long-awaited sunny getaway, make tracks for the El Risco ravine, which is itself a short amble from a cutesy little village of the same name. It’s a life-affirmingly lush hiking trail all year round, but after a fresh deluge, rainwater carves a path through a valley floor leading you to El Charco Azul, a popular bathing pool surrounded by high stone walls, worn glass-smooth and iridescent-hued by aeons of runoff from the surrounding Mountains of Tirma.
Barranco del Risco, El Risco
