This weekend the Maspalomas Pride Parade 2026 culminates with the parade in Playa del Inglés. Many LGBT tourists will be locking themselves up in the gay bars of Yumbo Shopping Centre. But why not enjoy the entire island on your next visit? I rented a car, traveled the island and experienced first-hand ten things that are worth doing in Gran Canaria. Here are my recommendations:

1: Agaete

In the north of Gran Canaria you have the port of Agaete. It’s a charming fishing village with beautiful white buildings with blue doors and windows. In Agaete you have some nice seafood restaurants.

I ate at restaurant Cofradía de Pescadores, ordered a local fish dish and had some dangerously delicious mandarin sorbet as dessert. The setting is great. Whilst you are eating men next to the restaurant are crafting fishing nets by hand and you can see the port in the back.

From this port there are several ships a day leaving to Tenerife, that other delightful island of the Canary Islands. I stayed in Gran Canaria however and walked to the Piscina Natural. A Piscina Natural is stagnant pool that gets filled with ocean water without human intervention because of its natural structure. They can be find on different locations of Grand Canaria. Piscinas Naturales are used as public pools when the weather conditions allow it and you can swim in them for free. Make sure to bring your swimming gear to Agaete!

2: Teror

Another place worth visiting in the northern part of Gran Canaria is Teror. The name might sound terrifying but the town is actually very welcoming. The old town center is full of houses with beautiful facades with typical wooden Spanish balconies.

Downtown you have the 18th century Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pino, a church dedicated to ‘Virgin of the Pine’. The exterior of the church has some very quirky gargoyles. In front of the church you have the legendary Virgin’s Pine, where the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared in 1481. While the original 15th-century tree was destroyed by severe weather in 1684, the site remains a major religious landmark.

Teror is also an important town for providing Gran Canaria with mineral water, alongside Firgas. You also notice this in the streets of Teror. In the Calle de la Diputación for example you have the water steps.

3: Firgas

Now I’ve mentioned mineral water, I have to talk about Firgas as well. Mineral water is also produced in Firgas. As Teror and Firgas are not far away from each other, it’s worth combining a visit to the two towns in one day.

The town celebrates its role of water town with its 30-meter-high (98 ft) waterfall. Next to the waterfall there are some tile benches referring to different towns in Gran Canaria.

You can also admire relief models in tiles of the different Canary Islands.

Even a small roundabout is being decorated with a fountain. This town most certainly is Instagram-friendly!

4: Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo

Time to head into nature after the town visits. Being the son of a flower seller, I never skip a good botanical garden on my journeys. Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo is definitely worth the visit! This botanical garden houses about 500 indigenous plant species, among which trees, cacti and succulents. Take at least two hours to walk through this vast garden.

Look a bit closer and you will see the many colorful flowers that give the Canary Islands it’s natural attraction.

In the ponds you spot frogs. Some of them are quite loud and thus easy to find.

There is also a cacti garden, not for people with a fear of needles! Here you can admire an agave, which is grown frequently on the island and used in cosmetic products.

Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo is a very well-maintained garden. Access is completely free, so is the parking in front of the garden.

5: Puerto de Mogán

Let us head to the south-west coast of Gran Canaria! There I visited Puerto de Mogán, a picturesque fishing village. If you park your car near supermarket SuperDino Mogán, you don’t have parking costs! A well-maintained walkway with a joyful ‘fish motive’ leads you to the port.

Puerto de Mogán is called ‘the Venice of the Canaries’, because of the many canals running through the marina and the fishing harbor. The beauty of the town is accentuated by the many nice with houses with colorful window frames on the facades.

Ornamental vines of pink and orange Bougainvillea connect the opposite houses.

There a nice bay where you can lay near the water, watching the ships roll in. Or feed your Instagram with the Mogán sign on the beach promenade.

You like to keep it active? Then climb up to the viewing point on the rock next to the town. While climbing the stairs you come across a house that is beautifully decorated with a mosaic wall and an ambiguous statue of a boy holding a fish.

The effort pays off with a top view of this beautiful village.

6: Palmitos Park

Let us head south! We’ve seen the sea, the towns and the plants. Now let us admire some beautiful animals in Palmitos Park. I must admit, getting there by car was quite an adventure with narrow roads full of sharp turns. Luckily there are also regular busses running from the center of Maspalomas to Palmitos Park.

This 20-hectare zoo is really worth the visit. You can admire dolphins, birds of prey, exotic birds, eagles, owls, reptiles, gibbons and fish here.

There are two major animal shows. The first is a live dolphin show with the dolphin interacting with the audience doing flips and other kind of tricks. In some countries (like my home country Belgium) these kind of shows have been prohibited. Here they are not. The animals are taking very well care of in a big and modern aquarium. It’s up to everyone to form an opinion on this topic. What I can say, is that the show was spectacular.

The other major animal show consists of two parts. It’s a show with birds of prey and exotic birds. The zookeepers invite guest to wear a protective glove and let the exotic birds sit on your hand before the show.

During the show the birds fly freely over your head. Some of the birds of prey fly out far over the mountains. Don’t worry if they don’t come back immediately. Some birds are known for wandering off during the show.

Besides the birds, I have even spotted some wild animals between the rocks.

Besides animals you also have a house of orchids and a butterfly house in this zoo. This zoo is really worth every penny!

7: Aqualand Maspalomas

You can save some money on trips by buying a combiticket for Palmitos Park and Aqualand Maspalomas. This combiticket is valid for 90 days from purchase. The visits do not need to be consecutive, allowing flexibility. Staff at both parks will inform you about the current terms and conditions for combitickets.

Aqualand Maspalomas is a water-amusement park featuring several attractions, including over 40 different water slides, several children’s areas, a wave pool and a lazy river.

Thrill seekers can opt for the thrill slides with suitable names like Anaconda, Tornado, Kamikaze and Boomerang.

My favorite slide was Racer Twin Turbolance, one of the biggest water slides of Europe! The slide features a thrilling drop into a nearly vertical slope, followed by a reverse path over a bump, ending in a dry-out. You can reach a speed of 52 kilometers per hour in this ride.

Aqualand Maspalomas has a nice theming going on. With decorations like a broken ship, stone fortress walls and a skull-shaped rock housing waterslides for children.

When even the toilets are ‘themed’, you know this attraction park means business for the spoiled waterpark fanatics like myself.

The food (as in any theme parks) is a bit pricy. But you are allowed to bring your own food and drink into the park. Access with glass containers is however prohibited. The park has a nice parking lot but you can also save some money and just park for free opposite of the park. Cash money is accepted everywhere in the park: for buying food, renting a locker or paying for the parking.

8: Maspalomas Dunes

After all these thrills, you might want to calm your nerves. No better way to do that than by visiting the Maspalomas Dunes at dusk. A promenade through the Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas brings you to the Mirador de las Dunas. From this viewing point with sitting stairs you can enjoy the rich colors of the dunes while the sun goes down and visually touches the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

You can also take an evening walk trough the dunes. This is a beloved cruising spot for gay people. But be aware that this is not actually allowed. You are in a nature reserve and you are not allowed to walk outside of the indicated paths. Police regularly patrols in the dunes and hands out fines for tourists breaching these rules. Don’t be a cunt! If you want to cruise: take it to one of the many gay cruising bars in town.

Maspalomas Dunes is vast, 404-hectare nature reserve. Don’t think of just desert like sand hills. This area actually is full of plants. It even has some flowers and palm trees in it.

Due to the high temperatures in the afternoon, walking through it at dusk is much more pleasant.

9: Parque Tony Gallardo

Also within Maspalomas you have Parque Tony Gallardo, named after a local sculptor and politician. The entry to the park is free, so is the parking on the other side of the roundabout at which the entrance of the park is located. Check the opening hours before visiting because they are limited!

The park features a variety of native plants and trees, as well as bird species, insects, frogs and Canaria lizards. It’s a nice place for people who like to spot birds. In the crowns of the palm trees I have spotted some monk parakeet and at another spot my sight came across a laughing dove.

This park is a shaded place built around a small lagoon. It’s nice to be under its palm trees during warm days. The symphony of singing birds just adds up to natural theatre!

10: CITA

But you might be a night owl. In that case it’s nice to switch from Yumbo Shopping Centre to another bar and restaurant complex for once: CITA. The facades on the outside are an attraction of their own. They are shaped as famous European monuments.

There is also a gated garden surrounding the complex with some very questionable copies of famous statues. Never have I seen such ugly versions of Rodin’s The Thinker and Michelangelo’s David!

My take on kitsch is: if you are going to do it, there is no holding back! And at CITA they certainly understood that. In the slightly impoverished garden you have a formation of superhero’s in no apparent logical order. A Hulk statue is posing right next to Bavarian like figure with curves in all the right places wearing Lederhosen and remarkable red gloves. This is kitsch at its best.

Some of the stone features of the outside facade are so ugly they become delightful in a different way.

There actually some pretty good restaurants in CITA. I ate at restaurant Peaters and really enjoyed the food. Besides party pubs there are mostly straight swinger clubs. CITA is a place that is worth the experience.

And so …

May I conclude by saying that there is so much more to enjoy in Gran Canaria then just good old Yumbo? The above attractions can appeal to anyone: gay, bi or straight. So: come out, get out and enjoy the entire island!