Wednesday, 20 May 2015 12:47

GCF 605: From Pueblo Mogán To The Gran Canaria Highlands

View of Mogan from the viewpoint just past the hairpin bends View of Mogan from the viewpoint just past the hairpin bends

One of the three great barranco drives up into the Gran Canaria highlands, the GC 605 hairpins its way up the Mogan Valley until it reaches the cumbres at Ayacata village just below Roque Nublo.

hairpinsThe GC 605 starts just past Pueblo de Mogan, the inland twin of Puerto de Mogán, as a fork off the GC 220 that goes all the way along the west coast to Agaete. The first section is an epic series of hairpin bends winding up the west side of the valley past ochre cliffs and huge boulders. After 6.5 km, you reach a viewpoint with a great view of the bends you've just navigated.

Lex says: Nobody lives on this stretch so don't be shy about honking the horn on blind corners.

 The road continues upwards with more twists and turns until you reach the pine forests and the Presa de las Niñas reservoir. Here, there's a picnic spot by the water (if levels are high enough) with an ice cream van.

Alex says: Look out for the tame Canaries hopping about close to the toilet block.

After a break, continue driving past the reservoir and up the road through the pines. The views here get better and better as you see the sheer cliff faces of the Risco de Tirajana and steep gorges of the southern highlands. Eventually (it's a 10 km, 20-minute drive) you reach the GC 60 road in Ayacata village; a scattered but pretty settlement with several restaurants catering to day trippers and cyclists.

On the GC 60 turn left (west) for Tejeda and right for Roque Nublo and San Bartolomé. Take the first road off the GC 60 just 250 metres into Ayacata for the GC 600 road up to Roque Nublo, or carry on along the GC 60 through the village and onwards towards San Bartolome de Tirajana; the gateway to the Fataga Valley drive back down to Playa del Inglés.

Published in Day Trips

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Tip of the day

  • The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!
    The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!

    If there is one thing we hate it is visitors being tricked in Gran Canaria. In the past we've warned about overcharging at Gran Canaria chemists, and rip off electronics shops in resorts. 

    In this Tip Of The Day we return to the island's chemists or rather, to the island's fake chemists.

    A chemist in Gran Canaria is called a Farmacia and always has a green cross sign. Farmacias are the only place tobuy medicine in Spain, even basics like paracetamol.

    However, there is another kind of shop in Gran Canaria that looks and sounds like a chemist but doesn't sell medicine. This is the Parafarmacia and it also uses a green cross sign.

    A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

    Instead, parafarmacias sell herbal alternatives to medicine but don't have to prove that they work and they can charge whatever they want.

    We recently heard from a visitor to Gran Canaria who went into a parafarmacia and was charged 40 euros for a herbal alternative to Ibuprofen. It was only when they read the label that they realised what had happened. 

    To locate a genuine farmacia, see this website and search within your municipio (Puerto Rico is in Mogán, Playa del Inglés is in San Bartolomé de Tirajana). At weekends and on fiesta days many farmacias close but there is always one open, known as the farmacia de guardia, in each municipio.

    Search for the nearest one to you with this tool

    Lex Says: To keep costs down, see this article for the way to ask for generic medicine rather than expensive branded alternatives. 

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