Rock climbing and Bouldering in Gran Canaria
The dormant volcanic mountain of Tamadaba (1949m high) dominates the rugged landscape of Gran Canaria. This volcano produced an abundance of volcanic rock, creating everything from vertical cliffs to deep canyons. There is a great variety of climbing from sport, trad and bouldering to be found in Gran Canaria. The style of climbing ranges from sea cliff climbing to the nation park of Tamadaba at an altitude of well over 1,000m, with plenty of routes across a wide range of grades.
Sport climbing is very well developed on the island with over 650 routes at 14 separate areas. Some of the larger crags include Tamadaba, Sorrueda, and Fataga, where there is good climbing on volcanic rock, across a wide range of grades. The Trad climbing is based around the town of Ayacata in the centre of the island where there are multi-pitch routes up to 100m long.
There are bouldering opportunities all over Gran Canaria with the largest area being Mogan. At Mogan there are around 500 boulder problems from Fb5 to Fb8b+, offering a good variety of bouldering on volcanic rock. There are many vertical walls and small caves with huecos holds in a beautiful location with reasonably easy access. Some other well-established areas such as Guiniguada, Tamadaba, and Sorrueda. The Bouldering in Spain guidebook provides an overview of 11 bouldering venues across Gran Canaria, including colour photo topos for a selection of boulder problems at Mogan.
| No | Crag | No of routes | Grade Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tamadaba | 170 | F5 to F8b |
| 2 | El Cenobio | 30 | F6a to F8c |
| 3 | Barranco de Moya | 75 | F4 to F8a |
| 4 | Quintanilla | 12 | F5 to F6b+ |
| 5 | Barranco de Banaderos | 11 | F4 to F7a+ |
| 6 | Cueva de Arucas | 5 | F7a to F7c |
| 7 | Costa Ayala | 15 | F4 to F6c+ |
| 8 | Guiniguada | 20 | F5 to F7b |
| 9 | Roque Nublo | 23 | F4 to F7b+ |
| 10 | Candelilla | 41 | F5+ to F8b |
| 11 | Salt del Perro | 14 | F6c to F8c+ |
| 12 | Sorrueda | 110 | F4 to F8a |
| 13 | Fataga | 100 | F4 to F8b+ |
| 14 | Ayagaures | 46 | F5+ to F8a+ |
| 15 | Mogan | 500 | Fb5 to Fb8b+ |
Map of the sport climbing areas in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria Logistics for Rock Climbers
Weather – The best time to visit Gran Canaria for rock climbing is from the autumn through to the spring. During this period the fresh trade winds bring pleasant warm sunshine with very little rain.
Getting to Gran Canaria – The only airport on the island is Las Palmas airport, which has many connecting flights to all over Europe.
Climbing guidebooks for Gran Canaria – The Bouldering in Spain guidebook provides an overview of 11 bouldering venues across Gran Canaria, including colour photo topos for a selection of boulder problems at Mogan. There are currently no guidebooks covering the sport climbing on Gran Canaria.
Gear required – For sport climbing at least a 60m rope though a 70m long rope is ideal, plus around 15 quickdraws. For Trad climbing twin ropes are recommended as many of the routes are multi-pitch, plus the usual cams and nuts.