Jamie and I love to hike. We’d hiked in Andalucía, and we both agreed it had been the best holiday we’d ever taken.
That made us slightly nervous about booking another walking holiday. What if it wasn’t as good?
So, was it? Read on, and I’ll reveal all.
An early flight meant a 3.30 am alarm on day one. This was followed by an email cancelling our taxi transfer from Gran Canaria Airport to our first destination. We should probably have booked the transfer through Inntravel, our holiday agent, but we’d used this company many times before and assumed it would be fine.
Fortunately, we didn’t panic. We were confident we’d find a taxi at the airport—and we did. Our driver was a lovely chap who had lived in Gran Canaria all his life but had never driven to our hotel.
Alarm bells?
We hadn’t paid much attention to how many metres above sea level Cruz de Tejeda was. After all, everything looks flat on a map! 😊
To put it into perspective, Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain, stands at 970 metres. Our destination was 1,510 metres above sea level.
Our taxi wasn’t the most powerful, and our driver followed his SatNav, which, in my experience, always chooses the shortest and most traumatic route possible. He was ecstatic when we finally reached the top of the mountain pass—and so were we!
We later discovered that the transfer arranged by Inntravel was run by someone who lived in the mountains and knew the roads well… including the best route. Lesson learned.
But the journey was soon forgotten.
On arrival, I was stunned by the magnificent views and completely in awe of this unexpected landscape. Sitting on our balcony with the mountains stretching out before us, their imposing height and rugged terrain were simply magical. Below was a patchwork of trees, shrubs and grassland, framed by endless blue skies—the most idyllic real-life picture I had ever seen, and impossible to capture properly on camera.
I couldn’t wait for our first sunset and the three days of walking ahead.
After one of the best breakfasts we’d ever had, the walks certainly didn’t disappoint. We hiked through an extraordinary landscape, with sweeping views across the cliffs and ravines of the vast volcanic basin surrounding Tejeda.
We chose a holiday with Grade 2–3 walks because we enjoy a challenge, though there are plenty of more leisurely trails for those who prefer a gentler pace. We crossed paths through the spectacular mountains, enjoyed the hotel’s wonderful spa and ended each day watching the sky burst into shades of red and yellow before the stars stole the evening show.
After four nights in this paradise, transfer day arrived—and it was hammering down!
The mountains had disappeared, replaced by low cloud and mist. We debated whether to set off, but with a long walk ahead and thunderstorms forecast for later in the day, we knew we needed to get going.
Luckily, we didn’t get too wet and arrived at our next destination just as the first clap of thunder echoed in the distance.
If you want to disconnect from everybody and everything, this next location is just for you. It was the perfect place to escape and enjoy nature. A family-run business, it was run by a lovely lady named Fatima, who looked after every detail.
Unfortunately for us, Gran Canaria decided to experience one of its worst storms during our one-night stay, bringing extreme cold with it! A small electric heater in our cabin and two extra blankets helped, but with thunder clapping overhead, a frightened dog barking nearby, and church bells chiming on the hour, every hour, it was certainly an interesting night.
Thankfully, a superb breakfast awaited us the following morning, along with a hearty picnic for our onward hike to our final destination.
There was plenty of elevation gain—and descent—during our seven days of walking, and the route to Agaete, our final destination, was no exception. It was tough, and our knees were beginning to feel the effects of the 1,000-metre descent through the Barranco.
We were exhausted when we arrived at our Finca, but another warm welcome in an idyllic setting soon made us forget our weary legs.
This beautiful colonial mansion dated back to 1895, surrounded by abundant orchards of oranges and lemons. Set deep within a valley, craggy mountain peaks loomed above us, creating a dramatic backdrop as we enjoyed breakfast in the courtyard.
The final two days took us to the highest peaks and our most challenging walks of the holiday. A hair-raising descent down a steep mountainside, with ravines and abrupt cliffs below, eventually opened up to spectacular coastal views.
In some ways, it reminded us of England’s beautiful Cornish coastline—our home—but this was Cornwall on a rather more dramatic scale!
Our final two evenings were spent in Puerto de Las Nieves, where the restaurants were filled predominantly with Gran Canaria locals who clearly knew where to go for a good seafood meal. Watching the sun sink into the sea where the mountains met the coast, feeling proud that we’d pushed ourselves beyond our limits, and enjoying freshly prepared paella made for the perfect end to another fabulous holiday.
So, was it as good as Andalucía?
Honestly, it was different—but every bit as memorable.
Gran Canaria challenged us, surprised us, and took us far beyond anything we expected from an island many people associate purely with beaches and sunshine. We had climbed mountains, descended ravines, survived storms and discovered landscapes so beautiful they barely seemed real.
And perhaps that’s the beauty of stepping outside your comfort zone. You never quite know what you’ll find.
Life definitely begins outside of your comfort zone.
