GRAN CANARIA is situated of the north west coast of Africa opposite Morocco and part of a group of  seven islands known as the canaries. The Canary Islands are a group of islands and autonomous regions which are part of Spain, in the Atlantic Ocean, found of the north-western coast of Africa. The islands were a single province and were divided into the two provinces of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1927. The islands of the group are Tenerife; Fuerteventura, (the closest to Africa) Grand Canary (Gran Canaria); Lanzarote; La Palma; La Gomera; and El Hierro. The also are several barren smaller islands in the group.The Canary Islands have an estimated population of 1,894,868.
 The island was originally known as Tamaran which apparently meant land of the brave. The temperatures in the south of the island tend not to fall below 20 degrees and easily reaches 35 degree’s in the summer. The temperatures are pretty constant throughout the year. The is suppose to be a temperature difference between the south of the island and the north and apparently it is roughly seven degrees with South being the warmest. These islands are volcanic in origin and have subtropical climates. Therefore the island is very mountainous providing great back drops for photos.

The hottest temperatures are generally found in the south of the Island around Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas, these areas are generally very hot and arid whereas the more north you go you tend to find areas of green and forests. The Canaries are noted for their scenery and mild, dry climate, which makes them an ideal site for astronomical observation. In areasof the islands below about 400 m (1,300 ft) elevation, the plants are typically north African- dry with palm trees and cactus. At higher levels are found eucalyptus, pine amongst othersThe mountain of Las Nieves forms the center of the island rising to around 1,949 meters.
In the south, is found Maspalomas with its dunes that are protected as nature reserves. They are likely to have been formed from sand being blown from the Sahara’s to the east of the island, so I heard. These dunes are spectacular, they stretch from Maspalomas to Playa del Ingles making for a nice but long walk and meaning you can always find a relatively quiet spot on the beach.
Heading to the west coast you have the quieter Puerto Rico (quieter compared to Playa del Ingles) and quaint Mogan (a very sleepy town) with spectacular cliff side views, overlooking the sea.    
The shore of the island, is  frequented by dolphins and whales, at certain times of the year and the are many boat trips on offer to take you to see them. As well as this the Dunes at Maspalomas in the south are home to the Camels who give rides for a price.

The whole island seems to be geared up for tourists in a big way. Although this is an officially Spanish speaking island, most people tend to speak English or at least a little of it anyway. It was amazing to see the amount of English born people living on the island many of whom have opened bars or restaurants, which in turn means you can usually get an English breakfast, Sunday dinner or many over traditionally British foods with ease, as well as a decent bit of conversation. The food seems to be cooked to quite high standards, I have a very sensitive stomach and thou I was careful about what I ate like any one would, I was’nt ill once form eating here.
If you look round a bit you can also get the odd pint of carling or Stella. But most people seem to drink tropical here.
The whole island layout is amazing, its roads allow you to get from A to B with relative ease the are lots of roundabouts rather than traffic lights as we are so accustom to in the UK. Which means the traffic is constantly flowing.
The island is amazing, we have fallen completely in love with the place and if it ever becomes possible to move there and open a bar, we will.

 THE ISLAND

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Published- 07/06/05 Updated- 30/06/05

Geoff and D’s gay guide to Gran Canaria

Visits so far....