Maspalomas Dunes

About this place

The Maspalomas Dunes are sand dunes on the south coast of Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Islands, in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, about 45 km southwest of Las Palmas in a straight line. They cover 404 hectares and have been protected as a nature reserve since 1987. The dunes formed from the sand of an old marine shelf, laid bare during the last ice age, which the wind then blew towards the island's coast. They are the only dune system of their kind on the island, sheltering protected plants and birds and endemic insects, and the Gran Canaria giant lizard lives in the palm grove near the Maspalomas lagoon. The golden dunes ripple with lines etched by the wind and run down to the blue sea, dotted with scattered green shrubs. At their edge lies the Maspalomas lagoon ringed with palms, with the white buildings of the resorts on the horizon. Visitors walk the marked paths through the dunes to the beach and watch the sunset over the sand. The climate is warm and dry all year, averaging 23.5 °C with very little rain, so bring water and sunscreen; walking barefoot can be hard on hot sand.