Mogán: the dream coast

Southwest Gran Canaria, located some 88 kms (by road) from the capital, bordering the towns of San Bartolomé de Tirajan, Tejeda and La Aldea de San Nicolás.
Bus Lines:
01: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria-Puerto de Mogán
84: Puerto de Mogán-Mogán
33: Playa del Inglés-Puerto Rico-Puerto de Mogán
38: Puerto de Mogán-La Aldea de San Nicolás

Mogán is mainly a tourist hub, most commonly booked for the beaches along its extensive coast. The township boasts six tourist complexes: Arguineguín-Patalavaca, Anfi del Mar, Puerto Rico, Amadores, Tauro, Playa del Cura, Taurito and Puerto Mogán. In all of them, hotels and restaurants abound, bordering with avenues and promenades to each of the beaches.

The Puerto de Mogán, with its black sand beach, is a fishing district that, due to its unique enclave and natural beauty, has given rise to one of the most beautiful developments in the Canary Islands. Its sports marina, a meeting point for many international boating enthusiasts, has 225 berths, with its optimal marine environment, making Puerto de Mogán an unforgettable place.

If you opt for a cultural visit, we recommend a walk through the streets of the town, where you can see the Church of San Antonio, built in 1814. Its beautiful coffered ceiling of carved wood is noteworthy, as well as the images of San Antonio de Padua and the Immaculate Conception.

The natural environment of Mogán is well worth a visit. The Southwest Massif offers great geomorphological and botanical interest, as well as unique landscape and archaeological treasures. Herevisitors may appreciate large areas of tabaibals, endemic plants. The Barranco de Veneguera begins at the foot of the spectacular rock formation of Los Azulejos, a great wall of rocks whose colors range from dark red to blue, to various yellow tones.

In the high zone, the Natural Park of Ojeda, Inagua and Pajonaleswe find an impressive pine forest. Many come to hike its trails. From Arguineguín, and through a steep and curvilinear road leads to the Soria Dam, the largest reservoir on the island, a large green lake surrounded by palm trees. In the Barrancas de Toscas, Puerto Rico, Taurus and Taurito there are interesting routes for hiking.

The beaches

The coast of Mogánis mostly cliffed, although at the mouth of its numerous ravines, several major beaches are located. Arguineguín village and fishing port, is the town’s largest population center.

Patalavaca Beach, located between Arguineguín and Playa de la Verga, offers an important hotel infrastructure, with hotels and apartments of various categories, all on the beachfront. By continuing along the coast, you find the Anfi del Marholiday resort, which has a beach with calm waters, a jetty for sports boats and luxurious facilities operated on a time-sharing basis.

Puerto Rico is Mogán’slargest tourist resort. Its marina accommodates recreational boats and luxury yachts and hosts an internationally recognized School of Sailing, where several gold medal winners from Olympic competitions first trained. Official sailing courses are offeredat all levels.

A one-kilometer promenade connects Puerto Rico with Playa de Amadores. This new beach of white sand, has a commercial area surrounded by gardens. A few meters from Amadores, you will find Tauro Beach, a natural and sparsely populated beach, an ideal place to sunbathe, away from the hustle and bustle. Land that was once used for farming and tropical fruit plantations, will soon be transformed into a more ambitious project, featuring luxurious urbanizations, artificial lakes and large green areas.

Next to Tauro, the Playa del Cura offers visitors a wide range of hotels and apartments, and a small shopping center, located very close to the sea. Its black sand beach and coves are the perfect place for anglers. Los Frailes Beach, Medio Almud Beach and Tiritaña Beach are part of the virgin territory that the town conserves.

These places are accessed along dirt roads, leaving the car on the main road. Nearby we find Taurito Beach, with fine sand and high rock walls that crown the valley and protect it from the winds. Visitors can take in a large artificial lake of seawater, surrounded by large green and sports areas.

In the Costa de Mogán, deep-sea fishing has become a popular sport over the past two decades, with catches registered by the International Fishing Association (IGFA), in the Ports of Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán, 87 world records have been achieved.

Cuisine

In Mogán, it is customary to dine in the port on local fresh fish, mainly the grilled tuna, or the popular fish broths, the limpets with green mojo and fish with aubergine.

These typical dishes coexist with the traditional island cuisine in which the salty new potatoes with mojo, sancocho (fish platter), goat meat and garbanzo stew (known as ropavieja) predominate. For dessert, there is nothing better than the digestive papaya with orange, mangos or custard apples, fruits that are grown in this region of the island.