# Maspalomas Dunes and the South of Gran Canaria

A protected dune field between the lighthouse and Playa del Inglés and, behind it, the Fataga ravine up to Tunte. About 45 minutes from Las Palmas on the GC-1.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/canary-islands/maspalomas-dunes · Revisado: 2026-11-13

The Maspalomas Dunes are more than 400 hectares of protected sand between Playa del Inglés and the Lighthouse, at the southern tip of Gran Canaria. It is not just a big beach: it is a special nature reserve with four very different parts, the beach, the dune field that the wind moves every day, the brackish Charca lagoon and the palm grove of the Oasis. And behind, half an hour of bends away, another south begins: the Fataga ravine, the Arteara aboriginal necropolis and Tunte, at 890 metres, where the island's Camino de Santiago arrives.

## How do you get there from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria?

By car, along the GC-1, the southern motorway. Turismo de Gran Canaria gives 56 km to exit 46, the Avenida Touroperador Tui one, and about five more along that avenue and Avenida Cristóbal Colón to Plaza del Faro. Allow about three quarters of an hour without traffic. For the dunes viewpoint, in Playa del Inglés, leave a few exits earlier.

Without a car it is also easy to get there. Global's guagua 50 leaves from the San Telmo Station and ends at the Maspalomas Lighthouse; on its public-holiday timetable it leaves every hour from 9:05 to 17:05 and returns from the Lighthouse from 10:05 to 18:05. The 30 goes direct from Santa Catalina and the 5 passes through Playa del Inglés. From the Lighthouse, line 18 climbs along the GC-60 to the Degollada de las Yeguas, Arteara, Fataga and Tunte.

## Where to park

We haven't found a public car park with published fares next to the Lighthouse: look for a space on the streets around the square and arrive early at weekends. To enter from above, park in Playa del Inglés, near the Hotel Riu Palace viewpoint. In Fataga and Tunte you park at the village entrance. If you are going on the cetacean boat, there is paid parking at Puerto Rico harbour, about €3 for two hours.

## Can you walk on the dunes?

Yes, but only on the marked trail and its branches. The Canary Islands Government asks that you not leave it, not feed the animals, not pick plants, not stack stones, take your rubbish with you and not make noise. Entry is free. There are two convenient entrances: the dunes viewpoint, next to the Hotel Riu Palace, from where you see the whole field, and the beach, from the Lighthouse or the Charca. Allow between an hour and a half and three hours, and remember that walking on sand is twice as tiring.

## How much time do you need?

One day covers the essentials: the Charca, the Lighthouse, the crossing of the dunes and the beach in the morning, and in the afternoon the Fataga ravine up to Tunte or the dolphin boat from Puerto Rico. With one or two nights you can see the dunes at dawn, when they are empty and cool, and leave a whole day for the interior. From Las Palmas, many people do it as a Sunday outing.

## When to go

All year. The south is the driest and sunniest part of the island, and in winter there are mild days for walking on the sand. From October to April is the best time for the dunes and the Camino de Santiago. In summer, the sand burns at midday and the ravine is very hot: move early or at sunset. At weekends and at Christmas there are more people at the Lighthouse and in Playa del Inglés.

## What lies behind the beach

The GC-60 climbs from Maspalomas up the Fataga ravine. The first lookout is the Degollada de las Yeguas, with the valley open below. Then come Arteara, with its palm grove and the island's largest aboriginal cemetery, 809 burial mounds that the Cabildo now lists as temporarily closed, and Fataga, a white village among palms in the valley the town council calls the Valley of a Thousand Palms. Higher up is Tunte, capital of the municipality since 1835, with the church of San Bartolomé, one of the two Jacobean churches of Gran Canaria. The first stage of the island's Camino de Santiago, which starts in Maspalomas, climbs on foot as far as there.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Tejeda and Roque Nublo (a 28.1 km), Agaete and the North-West of Gran Canaria (a 41.3 km), Anaga Massif (a 108.4 km), Teide National Park (a 119.5 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Walk through the Maspalomas Dunes on the marked trail** (2 h 30 · Families and anyone who can walk on sand · Self-guided · free): You cross the Maspalomas dune field on foot, more than 400 hectares of sand that the wind moves every day, between Playa del Inglés and the Lighthouse. It is a special nature reserve: you walk only on the marked trail and its branches, without leaving the stakes.
Where to enter
There are two convenient entrances. The upper one is the dunes viewpoint, beside the Hotel Riu Palace, at the end of the Costa Canaria promenade in Playa del Inglés: from there you see the whole dune field and go down onto the sand. The lower one is Maspalomas beach itself, from the Lighthouse or from the Charca, and you climb towards the interior. The trail crosses the different types of dune and has several branches; number three goes down to Maspalomas beach. Between Playa del Inglés and the Maspalomas Oasis it is about three kilometres.
How long it takes
Allow an hour and a half to three hours, depending on how much you stop and whether you return along the shoreline. Walking on soft sand is twice as tiring as on tarmac: with children, do only the descent from the viewpoint to the beach and return along the shore towards the Lighthouse.
When to go
All year. The best time is early, when the sand is not yet burning and the wind has not wiped out the night's tracks, or late in the day, with low light and long shadows over the crests. In summer avoid midday: there is not a scrap of shade.
Reserve rules
The Canary Islands Government asks you to stay on the marked trails and obey the signs, because leaving them damages the vegetation and can be dangerous. Do not feed the animals, pick plants, move stones or build stone towers, take all your rubbish with you, cigarette butts included, and do not light fires. No loud music or shouting either. In strong wind the sand flies at face height: sunglasses and something to cover your mouth.
- **Birds at the Charca de Maspalomas and the palm grove** (45 min · Everyone; flat and short · Self-guided · free): The Charca is the brackish lagoon left where the Fataga ravine meets the beach, about two hundred metres from the Maspalomas Lighthouse. It is full of tamarisks and reeds, and a boardwalk runs along its western edge. It forms part of the Maspalomas Dunes Special Nature Reserve, with the dune field and the palm grove.
Resident herons and passing visitors
According to the Canary Islands Government, up to 24 species of bird can be seen here, resident and migratory. Grey herons and little egrets are usually here all year, and it is hard not to see one standing still at the water's edge. Sanderlings scurry along the shore, and moorhens and coots swim on the water, with yellow-legged gulls around. Every so often an osprey or a Barbary falcon appears; do not count on them, but look at the sky. Turismo de Gran Canaria describes it as a protected area where many migratory birds rest, so the autumn and spring passages bring more variety.
The boardwalk on the west edge
The place to look from is the boardwalk on the west side, the one nearest the Lighthouse: it is the best spot for photographing and for using binoculars. Walk it slowly and without leaving it. The birds are used to people passing, but not to being approached. Behind the lagoon is the palm grove, with the only serious shade in this part of the reserve. Allow about three quarters of an hour at a relaxed pace, longer if you sit and wait.
What not to do in the reserve
Do not feed the animals and take all your rubbish with you, cigarette butts included: scraps attract rats and feral cats, which attack the local wildlife. Do not pull up plants, take stones or leave the marked paths. If you find an injured animal, call 112.
From the Lighthouse square
By car, take the GC-1 south to exit 46, and then the avenidas Touroperador Tui and Cristóbal Colón to the Lighthouse square, about 5 km. By bus, the Global lines that end at the Lighthouse drop you a few steps away. From the square it is about two hundred metres on foot. It makes a good first stop before crossing the dunes or walking the shoreline to Playa del Inglés, and on the way back you have the Lighthouse in the same square.
- **Maspalomas Lighthouse and its ethnographic centre** (1 h · Everyone): The Maspalomas Lighthouse marks the south-western end of the dunes. It was first lit on 1 February 1890, is still working and is 56 metres tall. It was designed by the engineer Juan de León y Castillo, with grey-green basalt brought from the Fataga ravine, and its construction took five years, from 1884 to 1889.
What is inside
The lighthouse keeper's former quarters house an ethnographic centre supported by the Fundación para la Etnografía y el Desarrollo de la Artesanía Canaria (FEDAC). It holds over 5,000 objects of the island's traditional life: costumes, farm tools, musical instruments and household items. There are themed exhibitions on history, crafts, music and cooking, and workshops and guided visits in groups of up to 15 people.
Before you go
The opening hours change with the season and guided visits are best booked: confirm before counting on it. Even if you find it closed, the tower is worth the stop: the Lighthouse square is the end of the seafront promenade coming from Meloneras and the start of Maspalomas beach, with the Charca two hundred metres away. Until the hotels were built, the lighthouse was the only building between Playa del Inglés and the Oasis.
Getting there
By car, take the GC-1 south and exit 46, Avenida Touroperador Tui and Avenida Cristóbal Colón to the Lighthouse square. By bus, the Global lines that end at the Maspalomas Lighthouse stop a few steps away.
- **Maspalomas beach, from the Lighthouse to Playa del Inglés along the shore** (1 h · Everyone · Free): Maspalomas beach is the seaward edge of the dunes reserve: about 2.7 km of golden sand between the Lighthouse and the Punta de Maspalomas, where the same beach changes its name and continues as Playa del Inglés. Walking it along the shoreline is the easiest way to see the dunes without stepping on them, and it costs nothing.
From the Lighthouse to the Point, stage by stage
It starts at the Lighthouse square, with the Charca two hundred metres away, and turns east hugging the dune field. Along the sand there are numbered kiosks that serve drinks and something to eat, with public toilets, from 10:30 to 18:00; they also help you find your bearings. The naturist stretch is in the middle: according to Turismo de Gran Canaria, between kiosks 3 and 4 if you are going from the Lighthouse towards Playa del Inglés, and between 5 and 6 in the opposite direction. The water-sports areas are towards the centre, and on the bend that joins Maspalomas to Playa del Inglés the surfers gather.
Sun loungers, showers and shade
The east end, towards Playa del Inglés, is the best equipped: sun lounger and parasol hire, kiosks and showers, which are also at the entrance from the Lighthouse. No soap or shower gel is used in the showers. Outside those points there is no shade at all: there are no trees on the sand. The water is usually calm, but it is open sea: check the day's conditions.
An hour's walk along the shore
The suggestion is to walk: from the Lighthouse to Playa del Inglés along the shore is a relaxed hour, with the water on one side and the sand crests on the other. Wet sand is firm and easier to walk on than dry. You can return along the marked dune trail, which leaves from the viewpoint beside the Hotel Riu Palace, or go up to Playa del Inglés and take the bus there. Inside the reserve, walk only on the marked areas and paths.
With children
It is a long, open beach: keep an eye on little ones in the water, settle near a kiosk with toilets and bring your own shade. If they get tired of walking, the short stretch from the Lighthouse to the Charca has herons and egrets almost all year.
Getting to the Lighthouse
By car, take the GC-1 south, exit 46, and then the avenidas Touroperador Tui and Cristóbal Colón to the Lighthouse square, about 5 km. By bus, Global has several lines from Las Palmas that end at the Lighthouse or pass through Playa del Inglés.
- **Dolphin and pilot whale watching from Puerto Rico on the Spirit of the Sea** (2 h 30 · Families; children from age 2 pay the child fare · Desde 40 € per adult): A two-and-a-half-hour catamaran trip from Puerto Rico, about twenty minutes west of Maspalomas, to see dolphins and pilot whales in the wild. It is run by Spirit of the Sea, from the company Dolphin & Whales, and the boat has galleries below the waterline, in the hulls, for watching them swim.
What you see
The company cites the Atlantic spotted dolphin, the bottlenose and the common dolphin, the short-finned pilot whale, Risso's dolphin and the false killer whale. With luck, sperm whales, beaked whales, turtles and flying fish, which are not guaranteed. What is guaranteed is this: if you do not see any cetaceans, they give you a voucher to repeat the trip within a year.
Times, prices and what is included
It leaves every day at 10:30 and 13:30 from Puerto Base, in Puerto Rico. It costs €40 for adults, €25 for children aged 2 to 12 and nothing for babies. On board, water and soft drinks are free; other drinks and food are paid for. On the 13:30 trip, if the sea allows, the boat stops near the coast for a swim. It carries up to 100 people including crew, has a toilet and QR codes with audio in more than twenty languages.
Getting there and parking
Puerto Rico is in Mogán, along the GC-500 or the GC-1 from Maspalomas. The departure point is in front of the port's entrance barrier, about 70 metres away; check-in is at the counter opposite the boat. There is paid parking in the port, about €3 for two hours, and a blue zone on nearby streets. If you have no car, the company offers pick-up from hotels in Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés for €5 per adult, to be requested 24 hours ahead.
Booking and cancellation
Book on its website, on 928 562 229 or at reservas@spiritofthesea.es. If you cancel 24 hours ahead you get your money back; if they cancel because of the weather, they refund you or change the date.
- **Degollada de las Yeguas viewpoint, above the Fataga ravine** (20 min · Everyone · Free): The Degollada de las Yeguas is the first big lookout on the GC-60, the road that climbs from Maspalomas to Fataga and San Bartolomé de Tirajana. You stop at the edge and have the Fataga ravine open to the north in front of you: bare slopes in layers of ochre tones and, below, the riverbed with its palm trees. A quarter of an hour from the beaches, it is the first glimpse of the volcanic interior behind the hotels.
What you see from the edge
The ravine from side to side, with bare slopes on both sides and the green palm-filled bottom that continues towards Arteara and Fataga. The Town Council calls that upper part the Valley of a Thousand Palms. It is a short-stop viewpoint: twenty minutes is enough to look, take photos and move on.
Going up by car on the GC-60
From Maspalomas, take the GC-60 towards Fataga and San Bartolomé de Tirajana. It is about fifteen minutes of bends from the coast. The viewpoint has a small widening to stop; enter and leave slowly.
Without a car: bus 18
Global line 18 leaves the Maspalomas Lighthouse and climbs the GC-60 to Tejeda. After Las Llaves, La Loma and Mundo Aborigen, its next stop is the Mirador de las Yeguas, and then it continues via Arteara, Fataga, San Bartolomé, Ayacata and the Roque Nublo. On Saturdays and public holidays it leaves the Lighthouse at 8:00, 9:00, 11:00, 12:30, 13:30, 15:00, 17:00 and 18:00; on weekdays it adds a departure at 6:25 and another at 19:30, and some end at San Bartolomé without reaching Tejeda. Check the return timetable before getting off: you will find it in the line 18 service.
Going further up
The viewpoint is the gateway to an afternoon in the ravine. A few kilometres on are Arteara and Fataga: the palm grove, the island's largest aboriginal necropolis, which in November 2026 the Cabildo lists as temporarily closed, and the white village at the bottom of the ravine. Above is Tunte, the capital of the municipality, at 890 metres, the end of the first stage of the Camino de Santiago of Gran Canaria.
- **Fataga and the Arteara aboriginal necropolis, in the Valley of a Thousand Palms** (2 h · Everyone): Fataga is a village of white houses at the bottom of the ravine of the same name, surrounded by palm trees, half an hour from Maspalomas along the GC-60. A little before it, beside the hamlet of Arteara, is the island's largest aboriginal cemetery.
The Arteara necropolis
According to the Cabildo, the necropolis holds 809 funerary structures, individual and collective tumuli of the ancient Canarians, over 137,570 square metres. It lies on a phonolite badland, the chaos of rocks left by an avalanche, beneath the Amurga cliffs, which rise above a thousand metres. A dry-stone wall surrounds the whole of it. The tomb they call the King's Tumulus occupies a central place and is the first to be touched by the sun at dawn on the spring and autumn equinoxes. It has a visitor centre; general admission costs €4 and is valid for a year, and reduced €2. Under-10s do not pay.
Note: in November 2026 the Cabildo lists it as temporarily closed. Before going, ask on 638 810 591 or at necropolisdearteara@arqueocanaria.com.
Fataga
Continue along the road to the village. The best thing is to park and stroll unhurriedly through its streets, among white houses and palm trees, with the ravine slopes above you. The Town Council counts the Camino de Fataga among its best-known routes: it links palm groves and crags up to the Valley of a Thousand Palms, and it is also one of the three paths that the Camino de Santiago of Gran Canaria proposes from Maspalomas to Tunte.
Getting there
By car, the GC-60 from Maspalomas, passing the Degollada de las Yeguas. Global bus 18 stops at Arteara and Fataga; on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays it leaves the Maspalomas Lighthouse at 8:00, 9:00, 11:00, 12:30, 13:30, 15:00, 17:00 and 18:00, and comes down from Tejeda at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:30, 16:30 and 17:30.
- **Camino de Santiago of Gran Canaria, from Maspalomas to Tunte** (Experienced walkers in good shape · Self-guided · free): The Camino de Santiago of Gran Canaria, the "Camino de Santiago entre Volcanes" (Camino de Santiago among Volcanoes), leaves the Maspalomas dunes and crosses the island to Gáldar, in the north-west: about 70 km with 2,700 m of ascent, passing through Tunte and the Cruz de Tejeda. The first stage takes you from the sea to Tunte, at 890 metres, and is the most serious way to understand what lies behind the coast.
Three paths to Tunte
San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Council proposes three ways of climbing from Maspalomas to Tunte: via Ayagaures and the Degollada de Manzanilla, via Gitagana and the Degollada del Garito, or via Arteara and Fataga. It also allows the climb to be split in two, from Maspalomas to Ayagaures and from Ayagaures to Tunte. The whole is recommended in two, three or four stages, on foot or by bike, and its difficulty is medium-high. The terrain is dry with little shade: take plenty of water and set off early.
Tunte, the destination
Tunte is the centre of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, capital of the municipality since 1835, at the foot of the Morros del Pinar and beside the Tirajana caldera. Its church of San Bartolomé is one of the island's two Jacobean (St James) churches, with Santiago de los Caballeros in Gáldar. Since 1965 both have had the same jubilee privileges as Compostela, granted in perpetuity in 1992.
The credential
To stamp the Camino and request the certificate at Tunte or Gáldar you need the pilgrim's credential. It is issued by the churches of Tunte, Tejeda and Gáldar, the tourist offices and museums of those municipalities, the Patronato de Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Asociación Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Las Palmas.
Getting back from Tunte
Global bus 18 runs down from Tunte to the Maspalomas Lighthouse via Fataga. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays it leaves Tejeda at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:30, 16:30 and 17:30, and passes through San Bartolomé shortly afterwards.

## Dónde comer
- **La Palmera Sur** (Restaurant, Playa del Inglés, €€€). Qué pedir: the red porgy ceviche, the squid sandwich on charcoal bread and the black-pig cheek taco; for dessert, the brioche torrija
- **La Tapita Los Jose's** (Bar, San Fernando de Maspalomas, €€). Qué pedir: the sautéed mushrooms with prawns and ham, the goat's cheese log salad and, at midday on weekdays, the dish of the day
- **La Aquarela restaurant** (Restaurant, Patalavaca, €€€€). Qué pedir: the Experience menu with the Canarian wine pairing; if you do not eat meat or fish, the Harvest, which is vegetarian

## By car: By car: coast in the morning, ravine in the afternoon
From Las Palmas you drive down in about three quarters of an hour along the GC-1, the southern motorway. The car is useful for what is not on the beach: going up the GC-60 to the Degollada de las Yeguas, Arteara, Fataga and Tunte, and going down to Puerto Rico for the dolphin boat.
Presupuesto orientativo: 120–220 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas** (Hotel, desde 163 € / night): At the gateway to the dune field
The Riu Palace Maspalomas is at the top of Playa del Inglés, on Avenida de Tirajana, right where the dune field begins. Many rooms face the sand and the sea. Next door is the dunes viewpoint, the most convenient entrance to the reserve, and inside the building itself the Canary Islands Government has the visitor centre, with panels and videos about how the dunes formed. The beach is about 800 metres away, down across the sand, and the centre of Playa del Inglés about two kilometres. From Gran Canaria airport it takes 30 to 40 minutes by car.
Adults only and half board
It is a five-star hotel of the RIU Palace brand, adults only, with 367 rooms whose interiors were refurbished in 2021. It operates on half board, not all-inclusive: breakfast and dinner are in the price, lunch is not. Breakfast is served in the Dunas restaurant, with a buffet and live cooking; in the evening there are also themed restaurants, such as Krystal, and an à la carte one. There is a pool bar and a lobby bar, and a programme of shows and live music. The RIU Party nights are held at another hotel in the chain, the Riu Gran Canaria.
Rooms and prices
The website publishes the standard double from €163, the double with sea view from €189 and the superior junior suite, with Balinese beds, from €277, depending on dates. There is an adapted room, also from €163.
Pools, spa and bicycles
Two outdoor pools, heated in winter, with loungers in the water, a chill-out terrace and sun deck. Spa with massages and treatments, and a gym. Free wifi throughout the hotel, laundry service, bicycle hire and parking, charging points and hire of electric or hybrid cars. It lets you check in online and offers transfers. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. The website does not make clear whether there is parking for cars: ask if you are arriving in your own.
By the GC-1 or on bus 5
From Las Palmas, take the GC-1 south to Playa del Inglés. Without a car, Global bus 5 links Las Palmas with Playa del Inglés and the Maspalomas Lighthouse. On foot from the hotel you have the crossing of the dunes and, about twenty minutes towards the centre, La Palmera Sur for a weekend lunch outside the half board.
- **Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia** (Hotel): Between the palm grove and the dunes
The Grand Hotel Residencia is on Avenida del Oasis, on the Lighthouse side, between the palm trees of the Maspalomas Oasis and the reserve. The dunes and beach are about five minutes' walk away, and at reception they give you a beach bag with towels and water. The Charca and the Lighthouse are a short stroll. It is a grand-luxury five-star hotel of the Seaside Collection, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
The hotel
Low buildings around a garden with palm trees and bougainvillea and a fire corner. Two heated pools: the main one, with salt water, at about 27 °C, and the thalassotherapy one, at about 32 °C. The spa, with sauna, steam bath, salt cave and gym, is included; massages and treatments are paid for separately. There is a main restaurant, a pool bar and a piano bar; for dinner they ask for smart casual dress, with long trousers and closed shoes for men. 24-hour reception in Spanish, German, English and French. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00.
With children, without a dog
It admits children: it has a small pool for babies, cots, sterilisers and baby monitors, and the sister hotel Palm Beach, five minutes' walk away, offers a kids' club and playground. Pets are not allowed. It has wheelchair access by ramp and lift and two adapted rooms.
Getting there and parking
Parking is free: you leave the car at the door and the staff take it to the garage, which has two charging points. The airport is about 35 km away, half an hour by car. In high season it usually asks for a minimum of one week depending on the arrival date.
- **Hotel Faro, a Lopesan Collection Hotel** (Hotel, desde 286 € / night): On the Lighthouse square
The Hotel Faro is on Plaza de Colón, right in front of the Maspalomas Lighthouse, at the end of the promenade that comes from Meloneras. Maspalomas beach and the dunes begin a few steps away; the Charca is five minutes' walk. It is the most convenient base if you arrive without a car: the Faro bus station, where the Global lines from Las Palmas end, is next door.
The hotel
It belongs to the Lopesan collection, for over-18s only, with 179 rooms. It has two pools: the main one, on the ground floor, of 232 m², and the Sky Lounge infinity pool, on the roof, of 36 m², with views of the dunes and the lighthouse. There are three restaurants, among them Ocean, with a buffet and dinners, and Callao, a Mediterranean grill, and four bars, such as the SURU Cocktail Bar, the Rooftop Faro and the Erizo, by the pool.
Prices
The website publishes the deluxe double from €286 a night, the superior double from €371 and the junior suite from €666. It also offers a day pass to the rooftop from €40 per person.
Getting there
By car, take the GC-1 south, exit 46 and the avenidas Touroperador Tui and Cristóbal Colón to the Lighthouse square. By bus, Global line 50 leaves the San Telmo station in Las Palmas and ends at the Maspalomas Lighthouse.

## Car-free: Without a car: bus from San Telmo and everything on foot
Maspalomas works very well without a car from Las Palmas. Global bus 50 leaves the San Telmo Station and drops you at the Lighthouse, a few steps from the Charca, the beach and the dunes. For the Fataga ravine and Tunte there is line 18, which leaves from the same Lighthouse.
Presupuesto orientativo: 110–200 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas** (Hotel, desde 163 € / night): At the gateway to the dune field
The Riu Palace Maspalomas is at the top of Playa del Inglés, on Avenida de Tirajana, right where the dune field begins. Many rooms face the sand and the sea. Next door is the dunes viewpoint, the most convenient entrance to the reserve, and inside the building itself the Canary Islands Government has the visitor centre, with panels and videos about how the dunes formed. The beach is about 800 metres away, down across the sand, and the centre of Playa del Inglés about two kilometres. From Gran Canaria airport it takes 30 to 40 minutes by car.
Adults only and half board
It is a five-star hotel of the RIU Palace brand, adults only, with 367 rooms whose interiors were refurbished in 2021. It operates on half board, not all-inclusive: breakfast and dinner are in the price, lunch is not. Breakfast is served in the Dunas restaurant, with a buffet and live cooking; in the evening there are also themed restaurants, such as Krystal, and an à la carte one. There is a pool bar and a lobby bar, and a programme of shows and live music. The RIU Party nights are held at another hotel in the chain, the Riu Gran Canaria.
Rooms and prices
The website publishes the standard double from €163, the double with sea view from €189 and the superior junior suite, with Balinese beds, from €277, depending on dates. There is an adapted room, also from €163.
Pools, spa and bicycles
Two outdoor pools, heated in winter, with loungers in the water, a chill-out terrace and sun deck. Spa with massages and treatments, and a gym. Free wifi throughout the hotel, laundry service, bicycle hire and parking, charging points and hire of electric or hybrid cars. It lets you check in online and offers transfers. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. The website does not make clear whether there is parking for cars: ask if you are arriving in your own.
By the GC-1 or on bus 5
From Las Palmas, take the GC-1 south to Playa del Inglés. Without a car, Global bus 5 links Las Palmas with Playa del Inglés and the Maspalomas Lighthouse. On foot from the hotel you have the crossing of the dunes and, about twenty minutes towards the centre, La Palmera Sur for a weekend lunch outside the half board.
- **Hotel Faro, a Lopesan Collection Hotel** (Hotel, desde 286 € / night): On the Lighthouse square
The Hotel Faro is on Plaza de Colón, right in front of the Maspalomas Lighthouse, at the end of the promenade that comes from Meloneras. Maspalomas beach and the dunes begin a few steps away; the Charca is five minutes' walk. It is the most convenient base if you arrive without a car: the Faro bus station, where the Global lines from Las Palmas end, is next door.
The hotel
It belongs to the Lopesan collection, for over-18s only, with 179 rooms. It has two pools: the main one, on the ground floor, of 232 m², and the Sky Lounge infinity pool, on the roof, of 36 m², with views of the dunes and the lighthouse. There are three restaurants, among them Ocean, with a buffet and dinners, and Callao, a Mediterranean grill, and four bars, such as the SURU Cocktail Bar, the Rooftop Faro and the Erizo, by the pool.
Prices
The website publishes the deluxe double from €286 a night, the superior double from €371 and the junior suite from €666. It also offers a day pass to the rooftop from €40 per person.
Getting there
By car, take the GC-1 south, exit 46 and the avenidas Touroperador Tui and Cristóbal Colón to the Lighthouse square. By bus, Global line 50 leaves the San Telmo station in Las Palmas and ends at the Maspalomas Lighthouse.
### Servicios
- **Global buses from Las Palmas to the Maspalomas Lighthouse**: Lines 50, 30 and 5 from Las Palmas · the 50 leaves from San Telmo and ends at the Lighthouse
- **Bus 18 from the Lighthouse to Fataga, Tunte and Tejeda**: Climbs the GC-60 · stops at the Mirador de las Yeguas, Arteara, Fataga and San Bartolomé

## Luxury: Luxury beside the reserve
The south has luxury hotels a few steps from the reserve: sleep beside the palm grove or in front of the lighthouse, go down to the sand before anyone else and dine on a starred menu in Patalavaca.
Presupuesto orientativo: From €250 por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in style
- **Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia** (Hotel): Between the palm grove and the dunes
The Grand Hotel Residencia is on Avenida del Oasis, on the Lighthouse side, between the palm trees of the Maspalomas Oasis and the reserve. The dunes and beach are about five minutes' walk away, and at reception they give you a beach bag with towels and water. The Charca and the Lighthouse are a short stroll. It is a grand-luxury five-star hotel of the Seaside Collection, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
The hotel
Low buildings around a garden with palm trees and bougainvillea and a fire corner. Two heated pools: the main one, with salt water, at about 27 °C, and the thalassotherapy one, at about 32 °C. The spa, with sauna, steam bath, salt cave and gym, is included; massages and treatments are paid for separately. There is a main restaurant, a pool bar and a piano bar; for dinner they ask for smart casual dress, with long trousers and closed shoes for men. 24-hour reception in Spanish, German, English and French. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00.
With children, without a dog
It admits children: it has a small pool for babies, cots, sterilisers and baby monitors, and the sister hotel Palm Beach, five minutes' walk away, offers a kids' club and playground. Pets are not allowed. It has wheelchair access by ramp and lift and two adapted rooms.
Getting there and parking
Parking is free: you leave the car at the door and the staff take it to the garage, which has two charging points. The airport is about 35 km away, half an hour by car. In high season it usually asks for a minimum of one week depending on the arrival date.
- **Hotel Faro, a Lopesan Collection Hotel** (Hotel, desde 286 € / night): On the Lighthouse square
The Hotel Faro is on Plaza de Colón, right in front of the Maspalomas Lighthouse, at the end of the promenade that comes from Meloneras. Maspalomas beach and the dunes begin a few steps away; the Charca is five minutes' walk. It is the most convenient base if you arrive without a car: the Faro bus station, where the Global lines from Las Palmas end, is next door.
The hotel
It belongs to the Lopesan collection, for over-18s only, with 179 rooms. It has two pools: the main one, on the ground floor, of 232 m², and the Sky Lounge infinity pool, on the roof, of 36 m², with views of the dunes and the lighthouse. There are three restaurants, among them Ocean, with a buffet and dinners, and Callao, a Mediterranean grill, and four bars, such as the SURU Cocktail Bar, the Rooftop Faro and the Erizo, by the pool.
Prices
The website publishes the deluxe double from €286 a night, the superior double from €371 and the junior suite from €666. It also offers a day pass to the rooftop from €40 per person.
Getting there
By car, take the GC-1 south, exit 46 and the avenidas Touroperador Tui and Cristóbal Colón to the Lighthouse square. By bus, Global line 50 leaves the San Telmo station in Las Palmas and ends at the Maspalomas Lighthouse.

## As a family: Sand, herons and dolphins

With children, the south works in short stretches: a heron at the Charca, a dune to run down, the shoreline and a boat with galleries below the water. What does not work is midday on the sand, with no shade.

### What works best
The Charca de Maspalomas: flat, short and always with birds in sight

Going down from the dunes viewpoint to the beach and returning along the shore

The cetacean catamaran: children aged 2 to 12, €25; babies free

Maspalomas beach near the kiosks, with toilets

### Sleeping
Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia, with a baby pool and cots

The Riu Palace and the Hotel Faro are adults only

### Eating
La Palmera Sur, on Sunday at midday

La Tapita Los Jose's, Tuesday to Saturday, for something simple

### Bear in mind
In the dunes there is no shade or water: bring a cap and a litre per person

The sand burns at midday in summer

A tablet or wristband for seasickness before the boat

### Qué hacer as a family
- Walk through the Maspalomas Dunes on the marked trail
- Birds at the Charca de Maspalomas and the palm grove
- Maspalomas beach, from the Lighthouse to Playa del Inglés along the shore
- Dolphin and pilot whale watching from Puerto Rico on the Spirit of the Sea

## Consejos

### The dunes, early
At first light the sand is cool, without footprints and without people. At a summer midday, don't even try.

### Lighthouse, Charca and beach on foot
They are less than ten minutes from each other. If you arrive on guagua 50, everything starts at the stop.

### Check the public-holiday timetable
On Sundays the guaguas follow the public-holiday timetable, with fewer departures than on weekdays.

### Go up the ravine in the afternoon
With the low sun, the Fataga slopes look much better than at midday.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Las Palmas to the Maspalomas Dunes?
About 45 minutes by car along the GC-1, about 60 km to the Lighthouse. By guagua, Global's line 50 leaves from San Telmo and ends at the Lighthouse.

### Do you have to pay to enter the dunes?
No. It is a freely accessible nature reserve, always along the marked trail.

### Can you go with children?
Yes. The Charca is flat and short, the stretch from the viewpoint to the beach too, and the cetacean boat charges €25 for children from 2 to 12. Bring water and shade: there is none in the dunes.

### Where are the dunes best seen?
From the viewpoint next to the Hotel Riu Palace, in Playa del Inglés, which looks over the whole dune field.

### What is there to see near Maspalomas other than the beach?
The Fataga ravine along the GC-60, Arteara, Fataga and Tunte, 15 to 40 minutes away; and the ethnographic centre at the Lighthouse.

### Can you go with a dog?
We haven't found a published rule that allows dogs in the reserve or on Maspalomas beach. Ask at the tourist office before going.