# A weekend in the Maspalomas Dunes, 45 minutes from Las Palmas: dunes at dawn, dolphins and the Fataga ravine Two nights by the Lighthouse to walk the dunes when they are empty, watch dolphins from Puerto Rico and drive up the Fataga ravine to Tunte on Sunday. 45 minutes from Las Palmas. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/canary-islands/maspalomas-dunes/itineraries/maspalomas-dunes-weekend-from-las-palmas · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Dónde: Maspalomas Dunes and the South of Gran Canaria From Las Palmas, Maspalomas is three quarters of an hour away: you can go and come back in a day. But sleeping there changes the best part of the trip, which is walking on the dunes at dawn, cool and without footprints, before anyone arrives. This weekend splits Saturday between the sand, the Charca and the sea, with a whale-and-dolphin catamaran and a Michelin-starred dinner, and leaves Sunday for the drive up the Fataga ravine to Tunte. ## When to go and how to get there From October to April the sand and the ravine are easier to walk; in summer, do everything first thing. By car, take the GC-1 south to exit 46 and the Faro square. Without a car, the Global bus (guagua) 50 leaves from San Telmo and ends at the Faro, a few steps from the hotel, and the 18 climbs from the Faro to Fataga and Tunte. WhatTimePriceWho for Crossing the dunes1 h 30 – 3 hFreeEveryone, best early Charca and palm grove45 minFreeWith children Whale-and-dolphin catamaran2 h 30€40 · children €25Families Fataga and the GC-60Half a dayFreeBy car or on the 18 bus ## Where to sleep Hotel Faro, adults only and with a rooftop infinity pool, is on the Faro square: all of Saturday can be done on foot and the buses from Las Palmas stop next door. With children, the Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia, next to the Oasis palm grove, welcomes families and has a baby pool; in high season it usually asks for a one-week minimum. The Riu Palace Maspalomas, also adults only, is by the dunes viewpoint in Playa del Inglés. ## El plan ### Friday · 19:00 · Arrival at the Faro From Las Palmas to the Maspalomas lighthouse in about 45 minutes. Leave your suitcase at Hotel Faro, on the Plaza de Colón, and go for a stroll along the promenade towards Meloneras. If you prefer to eat outside the hotels, La Tapita Los Jose's, in San Fernando, is open on Friday until midnight. ### Saturday · 07:30 · The dunes at dawn Enter from the beach, next to the Faro, and climb the marked trail towards the Playa del Inglés viewpoint. At that hour the sand is cool and empty. Come back along the shore and stop at the Charca to watch the herons. ### Saturday · 11:00 · The Faro The ethnographic centre in the former lighthouse keeper's houses holds more than 5,000 objects from traditional Canarian life. Check the opening hours first. ### Saturday · 13:30 · Dolphins from Puerto Rico Twenty minutes by car, or hotel pick-up for €5. The 13:30 Spirit of the Sea departure lasts two and a half hours and stops for a swim near the coast if the sea allows. Bring swimwear and a towel. ### Saturday · 20:00 · Dinner at La Aquarela In Patalavaca, five minutes from Puerto Rico. Michelin-starred tasting menus of Canarian produce, dinners only, Tuesday to Saturday. Book well ahead and take a taxi back if you have the wine pairing. ### Sunday · 09:30 · Along the GC-60 to Tunte Drive up the ravine: the Degollada de las Yeguas, the Arteara palm grove, with the necropolis temporarily closed, and Fataga, where a stroll is worthwhile. Continue to Tunte, at 890 metres, the end of the first stage of the island's Camino de Santiago. If you feel like walking, do a stretch of the path towards Fataga. ### Sunday · 13:30 · Lunch in Playa del Inglés and the drive back Go down to La Palmera Sur, which serves lunches on Sunday from 13:30 to 15:30. Then the GC-1 to Las Palmas: home by mid-afternoon. ## Un consejo más Set the alarm on Saturday. The dunes at half past seven in the morning have nothing to do with the dunes at midday. ## Cuándo no ir The midday sun of July and August on the dunes. There is no shade and the sand burns: if you go in summer, do everything first thing or at sunset. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is it worth sleeping in Maspalomas if I live in Las Palmas? If you want to see the dunes at dawn and do the ravine without rushing, yes. In a day it can be seen, but in a hurry. ### How much does the weekend cost? Between €350 and €600 per person with two nights at Hotel Faro in a double room, the boat and meals, depending on the season. ### Can I do it without a car? Yes: bus 50 to the Faro, hotel pick-up for the boat and bus 18 to go up to Fataga and Tunte. ### What do I do if the sea is rough for the boat? The company refunds the money or changes the date. Swap the boat for the Charca and Maspalomas beach. ### Is the Arteara necropolis open? In November 2026, the Cabildo lists it as temporarily closed. Call 638 810 591 beforehand. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas**, 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**: 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**, 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. ## Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas**, 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**, 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. ## Dónde dormir in style - **Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia**: 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**, 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.