Barranco de las Vacas in Gran Canaria

Discover the Las Vacas ravine in Gran Canaria it is an amazing experience. Because, even if you are warned, you do not expect to find a landscape so similar to the famous Grand Canyon of the Colorado de United States in Spanish territory.

His full name is Colored tuffs of the Las Vacas ravine for the stone formations that compose it and for its different shades. It is, therefore, a dream place that we advise you to see if you visit the southeast of the island. And, so that you are well informed, we are going to explain everything you need to know about the Barranco de las Vacas in Gran Canaria.

Origin and practical data about the Las Vacas ravine

This ravine is what is called a geological canyon. It is a gorge created by the effect of water that has been eroding its walls. As these are made up of hard rocks and softer ones, the results are different in terms of shapes and colors. The one of the Cows is not the only one that you can find in Spain. They are also impressive ebro canyon in the province of Burgos, of Almadenes in that of Murcia or from Arribes del Duero, in those of Zamora y Salamanca.

On the other hand, you may leave a little disappointed on your visit to the Barranco de las Vacas. But not because it is less beautiful than you expect, but because of its small dimensions. Because it is a gorge barely fifty meters located, in turn, inside another ravine, the one from Barafonso. This is important if you want to use GPS to get there, since you must enter this last name. Otherwise, it will point you to a different site.

However, you will enjoy taking pictures and going through this small transit with its rocks worn by erosion and its variety of colors ranging from red to white through tile and orange. In any case, so that you do not have orientation problems, we will explain the roads that take you to the Barranco de las Vacas in Gran Canaria.

If you travel from Agüimes, the capital of the municipality, the road is the GC-550 until you reach the vicinity of the canyon. There you have three car parks and you must do the rest of the way on foot, although, as we said, it is only a few tens of meters. Of course, it takes closed footwear to prevent the stones on the ground from hurting your feet.

The Barranco de las Vacas is accessed through a stone bridge and then a small tunnel. On the other hand, we advise you to go early because it is a place very visited by tourists. And, being so small, you could find yourself with a crowd of people trying to take pictures.

Other nearby canyons and points of interest

Although they do not have the spectacularity of the Barranco de las Vacas, in this area of ​​the island of Gran Canaria, you have many other cannons. Among them, you can do hiking trails through those of Guerra, Las Palmitas, Hondo or Guayadeque. The latter is located a little further north, separating the municipalities of Agüimes e Ingenio. It is one of the largest in the entire Canary archipelago and has many attractions.

Because it has enormous natural beauty, with several endemic species of flora and fauna. But, in addition, it houses several archeological sites from pre-Hispanic times. In them you can see the peculiar cave houses. Some of these can be visited and offer you information about how the ancient Canarians lived.

Also, this ravine has a interpretation Center which you can also visit. You can get to this canyon in your own vehicle, as there are parking lots. But, equally, you have the option of doing it on foot following the route of the Land Mountain Trail.

On the other hand, in the vicinity of Barranco de las Vacas you can do another very different activity. In the nearby village of themes there astronomical Observatory operated by the Temisas Observatory Canarian Foundation. It has a visitor center, an exhibition hall and several telescopes, among which the powerful Schmidt-Cassegrain Meade LX-600. If you visit it during the day, you won't be able to enjoy the firmament, but you will be able to enjoy the other facilities and, above all, you'll get wonderful views of the island of Gran Canaria, since it's about eight hundred meters above sea level.

But the natural wonders that this area of ​​the island offers you do not end there. In the same municipal area of Agüimes Do you have the Roque Aguayro. In this case, it is an ancient volcano 542 meters high that is MNatural Monument since 1994. Although it has steep areas, there are different hiking routes through this rocky wonder. One of them passes through the area of ​​the balos ravine, where you can see the most important cave painting site on the island. However, if you visit the Barranco de las Vacas in Gran Canaria, you can also see some pretty towns. We are going to tell you about them.

Agüimes, capital of the council where Barranco de las Vacas is located

This town has a beautiful historic helmet that has been declared A Cultural. Its nerve centers are the san anton square, where you have an interesting museum about the history of the town, and that of the Rosary, adorned by statues of famous people from the town. Likewise, in the latter is the church of san sebastian. Its construction began at the end of the XNUMXth century, although it was not finished until the XNUMXth. It presents a majestic neoclassical façade with two towers and a central pediment.

On the other hand, in the typical Canarian town of themes, that we have already mentioned, you have the beautiful hermitage of San Miguel. And in the Point of Arinaga a XNUMXth century lighthouse designed by engineer Juan de León and Castillo which, after being rehabilitated, houses a restaurant. But you also have magnificent beaches in the municipality of Agüimes. Ideal for families is the own arinaga. Instead, the bastard's It is perfect for you to practice scuba diving due to its fauna and underwater caves. Finally, the one of Vargas it's great for him windsurf by its winds.

Santa Lucia de Tirajana

Capital of the homonymous municipality, it is a beautiful town with traditional Canarian houses. Among them, those that are adorned with tiles stand out. We also advise you to visit the church of santa lucia, built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century mixing classicist elements with others typical of island architecture. To the religious patrimony belongs, equally, the hermitage of San Nicolás de Bari, built at the end of the XNUMXth century and which is currently the house of culture.

Already outside the town you have the Ansite Fortress, which, according to legend, was where the aborigines hid when the Spanish arrived in Gran Canaria. It has an interpretation center and you can also enter one of the cavities that make up the fortress to contemplate an impressive landscape. Of course, if you want to discover wonderful views, perhaps it is even better to viewpoint of El Guriete.

Another natural jewel of Santa Lucía de Tirajana is the El Saladar Maritime Park, with twenty thousand square meters and which includes the Salinas de Tenefé. It also has an interpretation center, but you will find it more curious Harvest Museum, dedicated to the Canarian agricultural life of the past, and the one with the gofio, dedicated to this typical dish of the island. Finally, among the beaches of the municipality, it stands out the left pole, famous for its winds that also make it ideal for windsurf.

San Bartolomé

We finish our tour around the Barranco de las Vacas in Gran Canaria visiting San Bartolomé. This municipality also has typical Canarian towns full of charm such as Fataga, tunte or own San Bartolome, which also has a beautiful classicist church. However, its greatest popularity lies in tourism, because it also includes the population of Maspalomas.

In this one, you have to see its famous dunes. cataloged as Special Nature Reserve, there are four hundred hectares of dune landscape that will transport you to the most mythical deserts, if it were not for the fact that they end on the beach. In addition, it is the habitat of endemic species of the island such as the Giant lizard of Gran Canaria, which you can see in the surroundings of the pond and the palm grove. Also in Maspalomas you have a spectacular lighthouse. Like the one in Punta de Arinaga, it was designed by Juan de León and Castilloalthough it is much larger. In fact, its tower is almost fifty-five meters high, which makes it the third highest in Spain after the one of the Tower of Hercules in La Coruña and that of Chipiona in Cadiz.

But the best of Maspalomas is its catalog of tourist equipment. It has numerous hotels, bars and restaurants where you can enjoy good Canarian food. In this, you can include the aforementioned gofio, a kind of puree made with flour, and the Crumbled potatoes with mojo. But it can also be made up of Watercress soup y sancocho.

In conclusion, we have explained everything you need to know to visit the Las Vacas ravine in Gran Canaria. Both this and its environment make up a natural landscape as beautiful as unique. Go ahead and visit it and enjoy the beautiful island of Gran Canaria.