The Dunes of Maspalomas

Monday, we headed east to Maspalomas to see the sand dunes there.  It was only about a ½ hour drive away and we luckily found a perfect parking space.  It is so great that nearly all the places we’ve been, except for Teror, have had free parking.  I’d read the best place to see the dunes is to walk through the Hotel Rui Palace (5 star) and we were stunned when we walked down towards the shore and saw them.  





The dunes are spectacular and, with the wind blowing a bit and the clouds moving as well, they were changing all the time.  We both remarked on how it was almost magical.  We sat there for quite a while and there was a guy playing the guitar and one song he played was Apache which I remembered from the early ‘60s. 



The Maspalomas Dunes (Spanish:  Dunas de Maspalomas[) are sand dunes located on the south coast of Gran Canaria.  The 404-hectare (1,000-acre) area has been protected as a nature reserve since 1987.  They were formed by sand from the now subdued marine shelf, when it was laid dry during the last ice age and the wind blew the sand towards the coast of the island.  The immense expanse of sand is continuously sculpted by the wind.  The dunes emerged hundreds of years ago and in essence are fossilised remains spread far and wide by the wind.  They provide a unique habitat on the island for African fauna including the giant lizard and several bird species.  Some say it’s a desert, though not like any other given the proximity to the sea and a nearby shopping centre.  The dunes stretch from Playa de Maspalomas and its lighthouse to Playa del Inglés.  The average annual temperature is a pleasant 23 degrees and there is little rainfall.  In fact, there are only around 10 to 15 days of rain every year, usually in February and November.  It’s therefore no surprise that Maspalomas is a popular destination for tourists on the hunt for guaranteed sun. The area has at least 259 sunny days per year.

As the dunes are protected, there are strict rules about where you can walk on them and you are supposed to stay on the marked trail.  That being said, we were shocked to see so many people ignoring that rule and just hiking wherever they wanted.  There were police blowing whistles to stop them but they weren’t deterred.  


On the way back walking up the walkway, we spotted a restaurant with a deck overlooking the dunes.  It was part of the hotel.  We decided to have lunch there and it turned out to be much more reasonable than we expected.  For example, the wine Kim ordered was only €5 a glass.  I had a Bellini and a Ceasar salad which was really quite good and one of the best meals I’ve had so far. The hotel looked quite luxurious.  
 





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