Artenara: The best area in Gran Canaria

Caves, caves and more caves. Literally, our house was built right into a cave. Before we tell you our experience of this beautiful village, lets start by telling you a bit about the Canary Islands.

The Canary Islands were formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The seven main islands are Tenerife, Fuertevantura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. The name Islas Canarias is derived from the Latin term Insula Canaria, meaning “Island of the Dogs”. It is thought that these ‘dogs’ were actually a species of Monk Seals.

Artenara is the highest and oldest village in the western part of the island of Gran Canaria in the Las Palmas province. A difficult but beautiful road leads you to this incredible village, with spectacular views (Do not try to drive this road at night if you are not familiar with the island). Many of the houses are built into caves dating from prehistoric times but with renovations they are equip with many modern amenities.

 

After landing in the Grand Canaria Airport we rented a Car and headed towards Artenara. There are many rent a car services inside the airport but it is best to book online first and then check in at the counters to save time. The drive was about 1.5 hours and we highly recommend taking an early flight and driving up in daylight, we made a stop on the way and had to drive in the dark and it was not a fun experience. The majority of the road is a one lane winding road. We arrived at night not knowing what to expect, but we woke up the next morning in awe. Our view from our cave house was better than any picture we had seen on the internet! The first two days we had rain fall and fog so it was hard to see the view but once it cleared up we didn’t want to leave our balcony! There was lush greenery everywhere, mountains and caves and the view of the famous Roque Nublo (which also happened to be the name of our Airbnb lol). Overall, our experience in this village was incomparable.

*Side Note – If you’re cave house isn’t getting warm buy some candles at the local market and light them up around the house. This should make the place fairly warm and cozy. But don’t forget to turn them off before leaving the house and sleeping. We were there in April and we had a combination of cool/rainy days as well as very warm sunny days. You can expect spring like temperature year round with summer months warming up to an average of 26 ºC to 28 ºC (79 – 82 °F), and sometimes exceed 30 °C (86 °F). In winter, daytime temperatures can range from 16 ºC to 24 ºC (61 – 75 °F) with much cooler nights.

Things to see:

Once the weather warmed up a bit, we went on a hike through Artenara, this hike is not very difficult so we recommend it to everyone! Its like a tour of the village. We passed through the center of the village and made our way to more rural areas. Along the way we passed by the stunning cave church, La Ermita de la Cuevita, which houses the statue of Virgen de la Cuevita, and was carved into a cliff side in the 18th century. Those who pass by are allowed to go inside and take a look inside. Along our walk we also made a friend donkey, lol!

Our next hike was throughTamadaba (Pinar de Tamadaba), which is one of Gran Canarias most pristine areas. We hiked thought the pine forest and were stunned by the views surrounding us. . We saw many large rocks and cave structures along the way as well as views of the ocean. This hiking trail has a road that can be taken with a car, so after we were finished with our hike, we went for a drive around the trail and it was definitely worth it. (If you plan on taking this road, be mindful that it is a one way road so you cannot turn around, the drive takes around 10-20 minutes to complete depending on any stops you may make along the road, which we recommend you do!)

On your way though the town you will come across a local museum, all about the village. The guides in the museum are very helpful and will help you plan your stay. They have information for all the hikes as well as information about all of Gran Canaria. The museum itself is very interesting, with preserved rooms of what the village and cave houses used to look like. The hosts even dressed us up in traditional outfits and played music for us.

Artenara is a great place to shut off and tune into yourself, becoming one with nature. There are many hiking trails around the island, some a walking distance away and other a drive away. Where you love adventure or are looking for some peace and quiet, this small village offers both.

Oh my, if you’re a potato lover this is the place to be! A Majority of the restaurants here serve locally grown produce, so the taste is impeccable. Being vegan was definitely not a problem here since we got to eat endless canary potatoes with their canary Mojo Sauce (mouthwatering good). Many nights we went shopping at the local grocery store and bought fresh ingredients to cook with.

A typical breakfast we had was, bread with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. This dish is often also served as a side for lunch and dinner.For dinner we would have a typical tapas style lunch, including olive oil and vinegar with bread, canary potatoes, garbanzo beans, grilled vegetables and whatever the special of the day is. Moral of the story is, its delicious, healthy and you’re eating in a cave so why not. (Yes even the restaurants are built into the caves)

We went in the spring time but weren’t expecting the cold weather in Artenara as most of Spain is starting to warm up. But given the high elevation, it definitely got chilly up their the first few days. Living in a cave keeps the weather cool and moist so regardless of what month you’re going in you should pack these few suggesting things.