If during your stay in Gran Canaria you are going to visit Tejeda, you cannot miss a stop to know the Roque Bentayga. Together with Roque Nublo, it is one of the most important natural symbols and monuments of the island. Furthermore, this geological formation was used by the Canarian aborigines as a fortress until the Castilian troops arrived at the end of the 15th century. In this archaeological site you will find different caves, walls, inscriptions and rock paintings. We tell you everything below!
Roque Bentayga, Gran Canaria
In addition to the sites that we told you about in the introduction, it stands out for housing the Bentayga almogarén, a place associated with the religious practices of the ancient Canarians. Apparently, the location and design of the Bentayga almogarén is naturally aligned with the The Roque Nublo e indicates its astronomical use as an equinoctial marker. In addition, from all of the above, keep in mind that it is within the 46% of the island's territory declared Biosphere Reserve.
As you can imagine, it is a place with a lot of history, full of energy and with spectacular views of the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. There is path that leads to the foot of Bentayga, we will tell you in the next lines in case it is of interest to you to complete this place What to visit in Gran Canaria.
Hiking Roque Bentayga
As we told you, There is a marked trail of less than 2 kilometers, although with quite a bit of unevenness.. Although there is a part where you have to hold on to a rope to climb, we can say that it is a climbing route. hiking for kids if you're careful. The way It is well marked and the distance is short. We take to long less than an hour between stops to take photos and inspect the area.
Once up, you will be able to appreciate some of the sites and several artificial caves. In addition, you can enjoy the best views of the pretty town of Tejeda, Roque Nublo and all the surrounding areas.
By the way, if you are going to visit this town, also take a look at our article on what to see in Tejeda and where to eat.
Interpretation Center
On the other hand, next to the beginning of the trail, there is a Interpretation Center that you can visit (in December 2022 they were under construction). Here they will explain the archaeological complex of the city much better than us. Bentayga Mountains and everything related to the deposits. The Admission is free.
Please note that depending on where you are in Gran Canaria, You could confuse the Bentayga with the Nublo. They are quite similar. Furthermore, as you may have seen in this article, Depending on where you look at the Bentayga, its shape changes completely.
How to get there Roque Bentayga
The Roque Bentayga is about 10 minutes drive from the town of Tejeda. There is parking before the start of the route where you can park for free without problem. As we always tell you, avoid leaving things visible in the car. If it were of interest to you, they just put up a Cabildo electric car charger here.
The Bentayga Basket, Tejeda
If you like photography, on the way to Roque Bentayga, once past the town of Tejeda, we find this Tejeda's Basket. Here you can make one of the most instagrammable photos of Gran Canaria framing the Roque Bentayga in the background. A good memory of your trip to Gran Canaria! Tag us or mention us @welovegrancanaria, we will be very excited.
The work is completely made of metal and symbolizes the agriculture and livestock trades. Specifically, the hard work of the harvesting almonds and potatoes from Tejeda. It was designed by the Portuguese artist Doña Rita Loureiro da Silva during a Plastic Art Symposium held in this municipality. Subsequently, the Tejeda City Council chose this basket and location to commemorate the Marrero García family, residents of Tejeda who died in a flood during a strong storm in 1946.
Circular route Charco de La Paloma, Cruz de Timagada and La Culata de Tejeda
From the Tejeda basket starts a hiking route that we recommend you do if you have time. This goes through the La Paloma Puddle, Cross of Timagada and La Culata de Tejeda. During this route you can enjoy impressive views of Roque Bentayga and the Roque Nublo Natural Monument. We also suggest a circular that starts from Cross of Tejeda with spectacular views of Roque Bentayga and that you can see in our section hiking in Gran Canaria.
Keep in mind that in Charco de La Paloma and its waterfall water will only flow after days of rain, in summer it is completely dry. Even so, It is a route that we recommend taking through the beautiful areas through which it runs, especially during the flowering of the almond tree (January and February).
Video of the route to Roque Bentayga
Finally, below we leave you with the video of the route to Roque Bentayga, We hope you like. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven't already!
Local guides of Gran Canaria
Finally, wouldn't it be nice to forget about planning places to see and where to eat on the island? Then, by clicking on the following image, you will be able to see all of our Gran Canaria travel guides. We will help you discover the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own without leaving anything behind and, most importantly, without wasting your time searching for information on the internet.
Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.
Carmen Maria says
My next visit is already scheduled to the Bentayga, thank you for this beautiful video
Local Guide Gran Canaria says
brilliant!!! Good luck, remember that the interpretation center is closed for renovations at the moment.
José Antonio says
The photos are beautiful and the landscapes spectacular.
The history of this emblematic place in Gran Canaria is authentic and endearing.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
Local Guide Gran Canaria says
Hello José Antonio! Thank you very much for your comment, you know, visit it soon!! All the best
Luis says
Very well explained, I will surely do the route soon.
Local Guide Gran Canaria says
Brilliant! Thank you very much 🙂