Gran Canaria’s recent volcanoes

Route of the walk
Cruz de Tejeda-Degollada de Las Palomas-Mirador de la Caldera de Pinos de Gáldar-Barranco de Galeote-Volcán Hondo de Fagajesto-Montaña de El Lance-Hoya de La Fuente-La Frontera-Piedra de Molino o Montaña Alta de Guía.

Getting there: Saturdays & Sundays
9:30 am Global bus number 303, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to San Mateo
11:00 am Change to the number 18 bus, which goes to Tejeda-Faro de Maspalomas.
Take the first bus (303 at 9.30 am) from the station in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (San Telmo).
Starting point: Cruz de Tejeda, behind the Parador hotel.
Distance: 13 km.
Time: 3:45 h.
Level: Medium – Difficult
End point: Centre of the village of Montaña Alta de Guía.
Return on the number 107 bus, departing at 4:15 pm and 6.00 pm.

GLOBAL reserves the right to change this information.

The walk known as “Gran Canaria’s recent volcanoes” will take you in search of one of the best hidden volcanoes on the island. This is the Hondo de Fagajesto caldera, one of the volcanoes built in the final third of the Holocene (2210 BP) at the same time as Montañón Negro, Los Pinos de Gáldar crater and the gaping mouth of Los Berrazales. They’re all from the recent volcanic phase in Gran Canaria and they form a structural axis in which El Hondo had a double origin (Strombolian and phreatic eruption). The elliptic caldera of El Hondo measures around 205 x 175 m and is flat at the bottom.

Section 1: Cruz de Tejeda-Moriscos-Pinos de Gáldar

The walk starts from behind the Parador hotel in Cruz de Tejeda. A signpost indicates the way to Artenara. This is the short walk on the PR-GC-04, Cruz de Tejeda-Valleseco.

This section is known for its continuous ascent. The first part goes up to the lookout of Mirador de la Degollada de Las Palomas and continues going up to Los Moriscos track. At a junction, head in the direction of Artenara (it’s signposted). At the next junction you’ll find that several tracks meet up. Around 100 m before this junction you need to head down on a track to your right that’s shaded by pines.

This track will take you out of the pine forest and down a path of volcanic gravel, where the view to the right is of the first volcano and the Hoya de La Perra gully, visible due to the extraction of gravel in the 1980s that almost spelt the end of this volcano, Montañón Negro.

Keep going down and you’ll come to the main road. Head left and go as far as the next path, on your right. After this path crosses another road you can head down to the Caldera de Pinos de Gáldar lookout.

Section 2: From Pinos de Gáldar Caldera to Hondo de Fagajesto Caldera via Barranco de Galeote ravine.

To continue the walk, go down the gully used for moving stock to summer pasturing, as far as Cruce de Galeote. It’s a very steep descent on a loose gravel slope. After several zigzags you’ll come to Cruce de Galeote. From this crossroads you can see the towns of Fontanales and Teror to the right. Ahead of you lies Guía, beyond Tegueste and Hoya de Pineda. To continue the walk you need to go left and cross the next ravine.

You’ll come to an old well, a dirt track and a large stack of pine logs. The pines are felled as part of the forestry management tasks carried out on the pine trees in the area.

Go down the dirt track through the timber storage area until you come to a sealed road. Cross over the road and continue along the bed of the ravine. In the shade of some chestnut trees you’ll come to a dirt path in the centre of the Galeote ravine.

After you pass a water well, keep an eye out because before you reach a group of eucalyptus trees you need to leave the track and take a path that goes up to a small rocky arch encrusted in the volcanic lava on your right. If you miss this point you’ll come to a white house with a flock of sheep and barking dogs.

This path will take you around the plots of land and at the same altitude you’ll come to a pine forest and a dirt tack. At this stage you need to head right, to the Hondo de Fagajesto caldera, at an altitude of 1,122 m.

Section 3: Ascent to La Caldera – Chirino road-Llano de Tasaigo-Path to El Lance-end of the walk.

After going past the caldera, continue walking on an ascending track. After a few metres you’ll come to a curve where you need to take a path to the left. As you go up, you’ll see traces of the path’s historic paving before you end up at a dirt track next to a white house. Go left to come out on a sealed road and continue straight on. At the next curve, where you’ll see some rubbish containers, take a concrete path to the right.

You’re now at Llano del Tasaigo. Go straight ahead without turning off anywhere until you see a house with grey waterproof painting on the roof. After that, walk along the sealed road that you come to on the right. Before the next junction, take a shortcut so you come out on a dirt track where you’ll see the sign for the borough of Santa María de Guía. From here follow the sign for the SL-2.