---
title: "Along the Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria"
description: "For the past few years I've been trying to escape gray, depressing Prague for a few days somewhere warm and sunny. I'm a person who likes winter, but a few days in the warmth work wonders"
canonical_url: "https://gramino.com/blog/camino-de-santiago-de-gran-canaria"
last_updated: "2022-03-07"
---

# Along the Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria

Authors: Michaela Czempková

Date: 2022-03-07

For the past few years I've been trying to escape gray, depressing Prague for a few days somewhere warm and sunny. I'm a person who likes winter, but a few days in the warmth work wonders

For the past few years, I've been trying to escape gray, gloomy Prague for a few days and head somewhere warm and sunny. I'm a person who actually likes winter, but a few days in the warmth work wonders. The Canary Islands have become a proven destination, so this winter I'm heading to Gran Canaria again. On a previous visit, I found out that the Camino de Santiago trail runs across the island, and when planning this trip, hiking it was one of my goals. So I'm packing the right ultralight hiking gear into my 45L ultralight backpack. After a few days by the ocean in the capital, Las Palmas, I pick up my pilgrim passport at the info center and take a bus to the small town of Gáldar, where the trail starts at the aptly named Plaza de Santiago.

- **Route length:** 64 km
- **Total elevation gain:** 2 837 m
- **Route link:** [mapy.cz/s/domogupuvu](https://mapy.cz/s/domogupuvu)

## Day 1

After arriving in Gáldar, I stock up on water and food at the local Spar. I'll need plenty of water, since I won't come across another water source until at least tomorrow morning, and the island sun is relentless. The island is dry, and all its drinking water is shipped in from mainland Europe.

With great effort, I heave my fully loaded backpack onto my back and head to the start of the trek. Plaza de Santiago is a picturesque little square with beautiful old trees, a cathedral, and a fountain, but I make for the info center, hoping for my first stamp in the pilgrim passport. Stamp done – now just a coffee and a zumo de naranja (freshly squeezed juice with pulp) to send me off well. The first half of the Camino is basically uphill the whole way; somewhere in the middle, inland, the trail “dips” a couple of times before finishing with a descent back to the sea.

As soon as I get out of town, I start climbing. A handful of small houses, trail through nature, and stretches of road keep alternating. After 8 sweaty kilometers, I feel it's high time for a lunch break. I get lucky – the village of Sucillo has a bar-cafeteria… basically a spot where the locals hang out, but at midday there's no one around, so I grab a cold can of Coca-Cola and go lie down on a bench at an empty playground. In the end, I take a mini siesta there and don't move for another hour and a half. I needed it badly after 750 meters of climbing!

The second half of the day goes better right away. I put a podcast in my ears for a while so I don't focus so much on the constant climbing. I keep climbing along the road and paths further inland. At kilometer 13, I hit a rest/picnic spot – there are plenty of them on the island. I try to drink a lot, since I'm sweating hard in the direct sun. I check the map for where I'd like to reach and set up a stealth camp tonight. Two hours of daylight left, so 4 kilometers and 300 meters of elevation shouldn't be a problem. I put fresh batteries in my headlamp, so I'm not afraid of the dark, but I'd rather not set up camp after dark.

I meet a couple returning from a day hike. Aside from the morning restock in town, I've met about 5 people on the Camino on this first day. After 5 p.m. I reach a beautiful spot with a view and would love to stay the night, but there's a strong wind, so, like it or not, I backtrack about half a kilometer down the trail and start looking. I change spots twice, wanting to get it just right, until I finally find my hotel for the night. With the last of the daylight, I string up my hammock between the trees and set up my by-now traditional ultralight kit inside it: a Klymit Static V2 sleeping pad and a Cumulus [Lite Line 400](/p/cumulus-lite-line-400) sleeping bag. I throw some food into myself so it's said and done, shoot a few clips for the vlog, and burrow into my sleeping bag. I absolutely love this setup – it's like being wrapped in a fluffy cloud. First there's wind, then it's replaced by stars in the sky. I read on my e-reader, because I really don't want to fall asleep at half past seven and end up awake at 5 a.m., when it doesn't get light until almost 8. And after 9 p.m. I try to get some sleep.

## Day 2

The night was… how to put it… interesting. Around 10 p.m. the wind picked up, and watching the treetops, I started to feel scared. The hammock swung side to side with me, and something similar was happening in the treetops above me. I knew I simply wasn't going to fall asleep in these conditions. I think about it for a moment, but then I just crawl out of my sleeping bag and pack up to make a run for it. About 4 km below, I'd spotted a picnic area (Área recreativa Monte Pavón – the island's mountains are full of them), so by headlamp light I head there. I unpack everything again, but end up on the ground, tucked against two sides of the concrete wall of the toilet block… hiker trash, what more can I say.

Waking up, I realize just how fast I can pack up my setup. I don't know if that's down to me (I wish 😉) or simply to the great gear I can rely on. I set off on the Camino again, and again it's uphill. After 8 kilometers I reach the Cruz de Tejeda pass, where I have an early lunch and top up my water. Ahead of me are gorgeous views into the island's interior, and the most beautiful stretch of the trail was waiting for me too. Fueled up on food and drink, I walk with a smile on my face all the way to the foot of the island's highest peak, Pico de Las Nieves (1 949 m). I detour off the Camino for a couple of kilometers to do the summit hike up Pico.

After taking my summit photos, I buy a can of beer for the evening from a guy in a camper van and head to tonight's camp. After a slightly dramatic night, I'm not taking any chances today, so I go to a picnic spot (Llanos de la Pez). There are plenty of benches, natural grills, toilets, and drinking water, and by around 6 p.m. most of the day-hikers are already heading down off the mountain. I unpack my camp, make dinner, and enjoy a well-earned beer. Since it's already dark by 7 p.m., I spend a couple of hours alternating between reading on my e-reader and checking my phone. I fall asleep around 10 p.m. and wake up with the dawn.

## Day 3

The first day when the Camino finally “turns” and I'm not just climbing the whole time, but actually descend a bit too. I pack up camp, and since there's running water I get some hygiene done too, just to be thorough, then set off. Today the trail gradually leaves the pine forests behind and swaps them for prickly pears and other subtropical vegetation. After 10 km I arrive in the beautiful mountain town of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and head to a restaurant on the square I already know from last year, where I discovered the local specialty – papas arrugadas (small potatoes with a chili, garlic, olive oil, and other tasty sauces). During my lunch break I write postcards home and start sorting out tonight's stay. According to the map, there's supposed to be pilgrim accommodation at today's destination, so I want to call ahead to know what to expect, but unfortunately I can't get through to anyone… Spain. I'm a little annoyed that the Spanish are just like that, and I'm hoping for some hiker's luck as I head off into the second half of the day.

From town I climb up to a pass, and after that it's downhill the rest of the way on a rocky path. The sun is beating down on me full force, so I try to drink enough and make it to the restaurant at today's destination before it closes at 5 p.m., so I can stock up on water for the final stretch of the trek. Along the way I meet a couple who also look like they're hiking the Camino, wearing [ultralight gear](/). We smile at each other and I ask where they're planning to sleep. The reason I'm even thinking about this today is that I know I won't find any more trees to hang my hammock from, and I don't want to sleep out in the open in the desert landscape. Plus, I wanted to end the trek in style and get a good night's sleep in a bed.

I arrive in the village of Ayaguares, where the search for a place to sleep begins. The woman at the restaurant who sold me water tries to help, because the original guesthouse has become a shelter for migrants. She calls people she knows in the village to see if anyone could put me up for the night, but no luck. I thank her for the effort and the water and walk about a kilometer further, where I try my luck at another restaurant that's just opening up for the evening. My mom's saying “a lazy mouth means bad luck” runs through my head, but I'm already starting to make peace with sleeping outside on rocky ground somewhere. The cook at the second restaurant overhears me asking the bar manager about accommodation, and without hesitation calls around to people he knows. First call – nothing. Second call and… I have a bed for the night! I thank him and run up a bar tab in the restaurant in the form of a beer. After a whole day in the sun, it tastes the best! I've earned it, and then head to the woman's place where I'll be staying. It's not luxury, but after 3 days, a shower and a bed are basically luxury. I sleep like a rock.

## Day 4

I wake up to my alarm at 7:30 and set off with the sunrise, just before 8. Ahead of me are 18 km to the sea, to the town of Maspalomas. There's a climb up to a pass waiting for me, then a long canyon down to the edge of town. I try to avoid the harsh sun, so I walk fast and look forward to my reward in the form of food. I walk about 4 kilometers through town, so I stop for a celebratory can of a cold drink and look for the tourist info center to get the last stamp in my pilgrim passport. The woman at the info center put on a little show for me and was the only one to celebrate the end of the trail with me. After lunch I'm already at the sea and go straight to dip my feet. It's time to symbolically celebrate the end of the Camino – the only Camino that doesn't actually end in Santiago.

At the finish line of a solo hike, there's usually no one waiting for you (especially abroad), so I make up my own little “welcome” ritual and thank my legs, my body, and the trail for getting me through it again! This was my first time solo trekking abroad! To finish it off, I treat myself to pizza, coffee, and ice cream, and in the early evening I take the bus back north to spend my last few days in the warmth before heading back to winter.

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