Inland Gran Canaria

Sun, sea and beaches are the Canary Island's big attractions but it is also worth taking a trip inland so long as you are prepared for a drive up winding roads and have a head for heights.

On this trip we decided to take the road through the Mogán valley to the reservoirs; Presa del Mulato and Embalse de la Cueva de las Niñas. The first stopping point was in the small village of El Molino de Viento near Mogán which translates rather appropriately as Windmill.

After Mogán itself the road divides into two. The GC-200 heads for the coast road to the north of the island (a trip we did later in the holiday) and the GC-605 climbs its way towards the centre of the island and the reservoirs. This view was taken from the Mirador el Mulato. Mogán can be seen at the bottom of the ravine and there are glimpses of the many twists and turns in the road leading up to the viewpoint.

 

To give an indication of the height at this point, the mountain on the left is Montaña de Tauro which is about 4000 feet high. This is roughly the same height as Ben Nevis in Scotland.

When we reached the first reservoir, Presa del Mulato, the landscape had changed to forests of Canary Island pine trees. Unsurprisingly, the Canary Island pine, Pinus canariensis, is a subtropical tree and one of the most drought-tolerant species of pine. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_canariensis).

Also unsurprising, given the climate, was the density of the forest. I am guessing that each tree needs enough space to abstract any moisture from the ground and from the air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thin density of trees was a real advantage for the quality of composition and I picked out this small group to produce one of my favourite shots of the day.   

At Embalse de la Cueva de las Niñas there was a recreation area with footpaths around the reservoir allowing more of an opportunity to explore the landscape on foot. These were some of the results:

 

 

 

 

To finish the visit we headed back to Maspalomas on GC-60 stopping at the Mirador Degollada de las Yegus for a photograph of the Fataga Valley.