28.00° N · 15.61° W
The volcanic heart of Gran Canaria, an hour from Las Palmas: Roque Nublo by reservation, the Pico de las Nieves, Bentayga and the almond village.
Part of Starry skies in Spain
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
The short and best-known walk on the ridge: a little under 3 km along a marked path to the foot of the Roque Nublo, with a booking from 9:00 to 17:00.
The roof of Gran Canaria, at 1,949 m: a viewpoint you can reach by car, with the Tirajana caldera on one side and the Roque Nublo and the Teide on the other.
The other great rock of the caldera, a sacred place for the ancient Canarians: a free interpretation centre, Tuesday to Sunday, and a short path to the rock.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From January to May, with almond trees in bloom in January and February and clear air. October and November are also good. In summer the summit is cooler than the coast but there is calima and more people; in winter it can freeze or snow.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The car is the most convenient way to see the ridge in a day: Cruz de Tejeda is 34 km from Las Palmas and Tejeda village 44, nearly an hour along the GC-15, a mountain road with many bends after San Mateo. With a car you reach the Pico de las Nieves and the Bentayga, which have no bus. For the Roque Nublo you leave it at Cruz de los Llanos or in Tejeda and continue on line 18.
The ridge is done by bus, with patience: the 303 takes you from San Telmo to San Mateo every half hour and there the 305 climbs to Cruz de Tejeda and Tejeda. On Sundays and public holidays the 305 makes only three trips each way, so the day is organised around it. From Tejeda, line 18 brings you closer to the Roque Nublo. The Pico de las Nieves and the Bentayga are not on any line.
From the Spanish mainland you fly to Gran Canaria airport, at Gando, with direct flights from many Spanish cities. From there the ridge is a little over an hour by car: along the GC-1 towards Las Palmas and then the GC-15 via Santa Brígida and San Mateo to Cruz de Tejeda. Without a car, three buses are chained together, and some hotels in the area offer a transfer.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The ridge works with children if you alternate a short walk, a viewpoint from the car and something sweet. The Roque Nublo trail is short and without difficult passages, and the rest can be seen with almost no walking. Watch the edges: the viewpoints and the Tablón del Nublo drop sheer.
At Cruz de Tejeda there are two places to sleep that admit dogs, and the viewpoints and village streets can be walked with one on a lead. What no source we have seen makes clear is whether you can enter the regulated Roque Nublo trail with a dog: ask when booking the access.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A 19th-century house in the centre of Tejeda, with 11 rooms, a patio, a lounge with a fireplace and a terrace facing the Roque Nublo and the Bentayga. Breakfast included.
Why we like it: Adults-only rural hotel at Cruz de Tejeda, with a garden, seasonal pool and its own dining room. Dogs allowed for a supplement.
Why we like it: Parador at 1,560 m above the Tejeda caldera, with a spa with an outdoor pool facing the Roque Nublo, a Canarian restaurant and free parking. Pets welcome.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Tejeda village | Old town, museums, sweet shop, guaguas 305 and 18 | |
| Cruz de Tejeda | Parador, stalls, royal paths | |
| Summit | Roque Nublo, Pico de las Nieves, Llanos de la Pez |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the grilled Tejeda cheese, a stone-grilled meat and, for dessert, the almond flan or the ice cream with bienmesabe
What to order: the set-menu dinner of the day, French-inspired, after a route on the ridge
Takeaway and markets
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
28.10° N · 15.70° W
By carCar-free
27.74° N · 15.58° W
By carCar-freeLuxury
28.55° N · 16.20° W
By carCar-free
28.27° N · 16.64° W
By carCar-freeOn footBy plane
Tips
No reservation, low light and almost no people on the Tablón.
On Sundays the last 305 leaves Tejeda at 18:00.
At Cruz de Tejeda they sell almond sweets and crafts in the morning.
Combine Roque Nublo in the morning with the Pico de las Nieves by car: they are a few kilometres apart and you see from above what you have just walked.
Tejeda is the municipality at the centre of Gran Canaria: an enormous volcanic caldera, broken into ravines, with two roques that can be seen from half the island, Roque Nublo and Bentayga, and a white village hanging on the hillside at 1,050 metres. Above it, the summit: the Pico de las Nieves, at 1,949 metres the highest point of the island, and the pine forests of the Llanos de la Pez. The ancient Canarians made these mountains a sacred place, and since 2019 the landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria has been a World Heritage Site. From Las Palmas it is a morning's mountain drive, and it works well in a day.
By car, along the GC-15: Santa Brígida, San Mateo and the climb to Cruz de Tejeda, 34 km, and from there the descent to Tejeda village, 44 km. Allow nearly an hour, with many bends after San Mateo. For Roque Nublo don't drive up to La Goleta: you can no longer park there.
By guagua, with Global: line 303 leaves San Telmo every half hour as far as San Mateo, and there the 305 climbs to Cruz de Tejeda and ends in Tejeda. On Sundays and public holidays the 305 leaves San Mateo at 8:00, 10:30 and 17:00, and returns from Tejeda at 9:00, 11:30 and 18:00. From Tejeda, line 18 takes you to Roque Nublo. You have everything in the guaguas from Las Palmas sheet.
Yes, if you enter via the Degollada de La Goleta, the access to the short trail, between 9:00 and 17:00. It is free, on reservasroquenublo.com, by the hour and with a quota of 60 people per hour; on Sundays the central hours sell out. Outside those hours there is no booking. At La Goleta you cannot park: leave the car at Cruz de los Llanos or in Tejeda and go up on line 18, ten minutes from Cruz de los Llanos. The detail is in access and parking.
If you prefer to avoid the regulated access, there is a longer, guided way: the route from La Culata, 8 km from the bottom of the caldera, on Mondays from October to May.
Start early with Roque Nublo, an hour and a half there and back. Then drive up to the Pico de las Nieves, with a stop at the Degollada de Becerra, and come down to Tejeda for lunch: La Casa de la Almendra opens on Sunday at lunchtime. In the afternoon, the old town and its museums, Tuesday to Sunday, and a bienmesabe or a palmera pastry at the Dulcería Nublo. If you have time left, the Roque Bentayga, with its interpretation centre, free until 16:30.
Yes, if you want the summit without crowds and at night. In the morning you climb Roque Nublo before 9:00, without a reservation and almost alone. At night, stargazing with a telescope on the Llanos de la Pez, on fixed dates each month, or the Parador spa with its outdoor pool overlooking the caldera. For sleeping, in the village there is the Fonda de La Tea, with 11 rooms and breakfast included; at Cruz de Tejeda, the Parador and the Hotel Rural El Refugio, adults only and dog-friendly.
January to May is the best time: in January and February the almond trees bloom around the village and Bentayga, and the air is usually clear enough to see Teide over the sea. October and November are quiet and mild. In summer the summit is cooler than the coast, but there is more calima and more cars. In winter it can freeze and, some days, snow on the Pico de las Nieves. Whatever the weather, bring a jacket: at 1,800 metres the wind cuts, and the mist rolls in within minutes.
Questions
Nearly an hour by car along the GC-15, 44 km. By guagua, the 303 to San Mateo and the 305 to Tejeda.
No. The reservation is free, but compulsory from 9:00 to 17:00 if you enter via La Goleta.
At Cruz de los Llanos or in Tejeda, and from there on Global line 18. At La Goleta only people with reduced mobility may park.
Yes, with Global lines 303, 305 and 18. The Pico de las Nieves and Bentayga have no guagua.
Meat grilled on a hot stone, Tejeda cheese, stews and, above all, almond sweets: bienmesabe and marzipan.
Yes. The Roque Nublo trail is short and the Pico de las Nieves and Cruz de Tejeda can be seen from the car park.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/canary-islands/tejeda-and-roque-nublo
