So this is going to be an ongoing project which we started back in the summer of 2013 to cover all of the main beaches of Gran Canaria, whether it be a man-made tourist beach in the touristy part of the south or something more natural and deserted on the west coast perhaps.
Gran Canaria has more than 80 beaches (more than 100 if all the smaller, rocky coves are included) to choose from, many are golden sand, dark volcanic sand, pebbles .... we have pretty much all types of beaches here. The beaches in the towns and resorts are developed for the mainstream/tourism whilst those more secluded remain (for the moment) unspoilt havens to discover.
Have a look at the map below and where you see "Playa" then there's a beach. The map's split into 4 parts for easier viewing
Before I get started, a few things to bear in mind that perhaps you didn't know about beaches here :-
Just to the east of Playa del Ingles, almost a continuation of the beach you'll find two man-made coves (3 beaches) with dark, golden sand. The first cove is Playa El Cochino and the second Playa El Veril though the council seem to have called all three beaches Playa El Veril.
Playa Guayedra is up on the north west coast of the island, not far from Agaete.
This is the smaller and more protected of the two beaches in the village of Playa del Hombre (guess what the other one is called?)
La Garita is an odd little town full of character and with its own large, dark volcanic sandy beach. Be sure to check what the tide is doing as when there's a high tide it's often too rough to do much swimming, as is the case with most of the beaches in the north that aren't protected by any kind of breakwater.
A locals beach frequented by people who live in the neighbouring residential area and nearby La Garita. The name "Malpaso" menas "bad access" and during high tide the pathway to the adjacents beaches and La Garita is bashed by waves but there is a walkway taking you up to the clifftop.
My favourite beach; thanks to the not-so-easy access the beach itself is very laid back, the dark sand is soft and plentiful and the water crystal clear. It's also a dog-friendly beach as long as your dog is well-behaved and social of course, like everyone else who goes down there ;)
