Gran Canaria essentials

Gran Canaria’s landscape features the Sahara-like Maspalomas Dunes and volcanic peaks such as Roque Nublo and Pico de las Nieves. Its colonial history is centered in Las Palmas, home to the 16th-century St. Ann Cathedral and the Casa de Colón. The island also contains the pre-Hispanic grain storage caves of Cenobio de Valerón and the neo-Gothic Church of San Juan Bautista in Arucas. Coastal highlights include the reef-protected Las Canteras Beach and the Poema del Mar aquarium.