Until the mid-twentieth century, in the northwest of Gran Canaria there have been troglodyte populations that are currently part of the aboriginal legacy recently declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Artenarain Gran Canaria is the entrance to this fascinating place and well worth a visit.
Where is Artenara?
Artenara is located northwest of the island of Gran Canaria, at the entrance of the Pinar de Tamadaba forest park. It is accessed from the center by the GC 210 road.
It is the highest municipality on the island, specifically its urban area is located 1,270 meters above sea level.
What can I visit?
The urban center of Artenara is made up of a group of houses and cave houses of great charm, so a walk through the town is more than recommended. As particular points of interest, we recommend:
- Mirador de Unamuno: From this point, you can see the landscape that Miguel de Unamuno defined as “petrified storm”. With a view of the three most important peaks of Gran Canaria: Pico de las Nieves, Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga. Do not forget that you are in the heart of the “Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria”.
- Casas Cueva ethnographic museum: A typical cave house -very probably of pre-Hispanic origin- that was inhabited until the end of the 20th century and that currently forms a museum in which you can understand the traditional way of life in this type of structures, in addition to learning about the culture and traditional crafts of the island.
- San Matías Church: It stands out for its Neomudéjar coffered ceiling and its furniture, all made of Canarian pine wood.
- Interpretation Center of Risco Caído: Following the declaration of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there is the possibility of visiting a museum – interpretation center on this archaeological site in this locality. Towards the end of 2019 it will also include an installation with a real-scale reproduction of cave number 6 and the shocking phenomenon of light that occurs in it.
What is in the surroundings?
In addition to this beautiful town, a few kilometers away you can visit the municipality of Tejeda and Cruz de Tejeda.
If you continue west on the GC-216 road, you will enter the impressive Pinar de Tamadaba. To the south, on the GC-210 road, you can visit the troglodyte town of Acusa Seca. To the North, on GC-217 you will find beautiful dams. Keep in mind that all these roads are very difficult to access.
* Update: due to the forest fire that occurred in August 2019, access to Tamadaba via GC-216 is currently closed.
Do you want to discover this place with us?
In Sky Rebels, we have created an exclusive excursion to discover this and other interesting places of Gran Canaria, so you can understand the fascinating history of the first settlers of the island. As always, in small groups of maximum 6 passengers, without commercial stops, with authentic homemade food and accompanied by two guides that will make you spend an unforgettable day. You sign up?
Risco Caido and Sacred Mountains
Are you interested in history, archaeology and ethnography? Do you want to know more about the surprising history of the first inhabitants of Gran Canaria?
We propose a journey through time in which you will learn about the history of the ancient Canarians while visiting places like the cave houses in Artenara, the beautiful Tejeda and La Fortaleza.
- 2 local guides.
- No commercial stops.
- Canarian homemade food included.
- Maximum 6 passengers per group.
- 8 hours.
