KACHEN #21 (Winter 2019) English edition

GR AN
CANARIA
A MINIATURE CONTINENT
The Canary Islands and its seven diverse islands lie off the coast of Morocco just a
few hours' flight from Europe. In the middle, Gran Canaria stands out for its almost
perfect circle.
TEXT Martine Carret
144
It's a small continent in itself with contrasting, varied and
spectacular landscapes. A hint of America with canyons
like the ones in Arizona, high rocks and sheer cliffs, a
dash of Asia with heavenly golden sandy beaches, a pinch
of Africa with dunes reminiscent of the Saharan lands,
a European calm with age-old fishing ports and floral
villages, a slice of Oceania with volcanic regions and
misty mountains that bring New Zealand to mind and a
taster of Central America with banana plantations and
humid rainforests.
Gran Canaria is all this and so much more
Beaches account for 60 of its 236 km of coastline. They are
what catch your eye and make you want to get away from
cold, dark and wet Europe. The year-round warm climate
means you can even visit in winter. The Atlantic is a chilly
18°C but it's not freezing. The nights may get cool but your
skin will be warmed by the sun's heat in the day.
The iconic 2900m long Maspalomas beach (south) belongs
to a protected area. That means no buildings have
disturbed the landscape of dunes sculpted by the wind
of time. There are very long beaches in the north too and
some are in cities such as the capital, Las Palmas, where
you'll find the crescent-shaped 3km Las Canteras beach
and its fabulous promenade.
Near the “capital” you'll find the 27-hectare Viera y Clavijo
botanical garden home to over 500 endemic plants, some
of which are endangered. The Swede Eric Sventenius
founded it in 1952 to protect native flora. The setting is
incredibly beautiful with a tropical palm grove, a garden
with 2000 species of cactus, and a laurel forest (subtropical
forest).
The village of Lomo Quiebre, Mogàn fishing port and harbour
in the south west are a sight for sore eyes. Houses
clinging to sheer cliffsides lie alongside more modern constructions
standing in a lakeside area. Wander from bridge
to bridge wherever takes your fancy in this “little Venice”.
The white walls are often teeming with bright pink bougainvilleas
whose floral clusters artistically burst out onto
the walls, porches, arcades and footbridges.
KACHEN No.21 | WINTER 19