GC-200

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

10/10

Road Scores

Asphalt Quality 9/10

Route Quality 10/10

Landscape 10/10

Description

THE road of Gran Canaria. It has it all: fast, flowing sections, roads overhanging the ocean, views, towns, legendary beaches... Not to be missed. It starts from Puerto de Mogan, one of the most charming port towns of Gran Canaria. The first stretch, up to La Aldea, is a wide and well-paved road, very fun to ride on a motorbike. It touches some points of great beauty, like the Mirador de Veneguera and Fuente de los Azulejos. It's also the closest road to the mysterious Güigüí beach. Much more easily accessible but still beautiful is the La Aldea beach as well. The second part, instead, is one emotion after another. It begins with the legendary Mirador del Bàlcon, a terrace overhanging the ocean with a unique view. Then it continues with a road sheer above the ocean, winding but extremely rewarding, with an almost continuous view of Tenerife and its imposing Mount Teide. Probably one of the most beautiful roads and emotions of Gran Canaria. You arrive at the end in Agaete and its port, Puerto de las Nieves, one of the most charming ports on the island.

Included Points of Interest

Los Azulejos de Veneguera

The extraordinary palette of colours is the reason it is famous: greens, blues, ochres, purples and reds painted onto a sheer rock wall deep within the **Barranco de Veneguera** — the result of mineral deposits in the ancient volcanic rock. There is no formal tourist infrastructure, just a pull-in area and the silence of the ravine, which is exactly its charm. The approach road through the valley is scenic and peaceful, with progressive views as the coast drops away behind you. The rock walls are best seen in morning or afternoon light, when the colours are most vivid against the surrounding dark basalt. No crowds, no entrance tickets, no facilities: if you want to visit **Los Azulejos** on foot, remember to bring your own water. The road through the **Veneguera** valley is narrow but well surfaced, with tight but very enjoyable hairpins for those seeking the pleasure of the ride. It lies within the **Parque Rural del Nublo**, so the surrounding terrain is wild and largely untouched. Combine it with a loop starting from **Puerto de Mogán** and continuing along the coast to **La Aldea** for a complete tour of the south-western part of **Gran Canaria**.

Latitude: 27.88 Longitude: -15.74

Playa de La Aldea

**La Aldea de San Nicolás** is the most remote community on **Gran Canaria**, isolated by the mountain ranges that give it a character entirely its own. The beach is dark sand, wild and undeveloped — nothing like the tourist beaches of the south. There are no hotels, no umbrellas for hire. The **Cactualdea** cactus garden lies nearby and is well worth a visit. The **Fiesta del Charco** on September 11th sees the villagers wade into the local lagoon to catch fish with their bare hands — a remarkably local tradition. The town is authentic and uncommercialized: eat simply, watch the ocean from a shore where the horizon is open, and take in the scale of the cliffs that ring the valley. The local restaurants serve typical island food, honest and genuine. **La Aldea** is the reward waiting at the end of one of the island's most extraordinary roads, the **GC-200**, whether you arrive along the spectacular coastal cliffs from Agaete or descend from the mountainous interior. The sunset "on the road" heading back toward Las Palmas is one of the most thrilling things for anyone who loves to ride — and not only them.

Latitude: 27.95 Longitude: -15.8

Mirador del Balcón

The glass-floored walkway of the **Mirador del Balcón** juts out beyond the edge of the cliff, letting you look straight down several hundred metres to the Atlantic. The recent renovation added information panels and improved access, while maintaining the view it has always offered: one of the most vertiginous and extraordinary on any island road in Europe. Several birds nest in the rock face and can often be watched as they hunt. The **GC-200** road that brings you here is as much of an objective as the viewpoint itself: this road clings to the edge of the cliff for kilometre after kilometre with nothing but ocean on one side and rock on the other. Traffic is light, the road surface quality is good, and the rhythm of the curves is relentless in the best sense of the word. The stop is quick and accessible; there is no need to walk to reach it.

Latitude: 27.9 Longitude: -15.8