Bikepacking the Gran Canaria Grande
The Gran Canaria Grande is a 5-day bikepacking route in Gran Canaria, at the heart of the Canary Islands. Forming a challenging but spectacular bike touring loop which starts and finishes at Maspalomas, the Gran Canaria Grande is an incredible showcase of the island, taking in most of the most famous must-see spots whilst at the same time staying mostly off the beaten track, and featuring some truly spectacular mountain landscapes. The route covers mixed terrain, with plenty of gravel, dirt roads and singletrack, but it also has plenty of good paved road sections, where traffic is very light. The route is therefore very well suited to gravel cycling, although I was very happy to have my mountain bike for extra comfort and capability on the descents.
Gran Canaria has a fantastic climate with great weather all year-around, even in winter, and this makes it one of the best destinations in Europe for anyone looking for a week’s cycling holiday in the sun. Flights are cheap, so Gran Canaria makes for a perfect winter escape.
In this bikepacking documentary film, a friend and I cycle the full route for the first time, showing off what makes the island so special, as well as what makes bike trips so much fun, with some incredible riding and some great camping along the way. I’m really proud of the Gran Canaria Grande and think it’s easily one of my favourite bikepacking routes in Europe!
