DISCOVER THE HERITAGE OF Gran Canaria

A UNESCO World Heritage Site at the heart of the island preserves traces of an age-old aboriginal culture in lush surroundings

Away from its famous beaches, Gran Canaria’s rural centre is a place where volcanoes soar and gorges dip into a tangle of green. But it’s not just its biodiverse credentials turning heads: hidden among the landscapes are traces of the island’s pre-Hispanic culture, which travellers can explore at the World Heritage Site of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria.

Cave dwellings, temples and granaries all feature in the troglodyte-era Amazigh settlement of Risco Caído. Scrawls of rock art coating the walls of its 21 caves may relate to magical or religious beliefs, but it’s thought the site might also have functioned as a prehistoric astronomical clock: one of the caves, the almogarén, has an opening in its roof letting light in from the summer solstice to autumn, revealing rock art engravings. Risco Caído is just one of 1,500 settlements that make up the Sacred Mountains’ aboriginal landscape, with archaeological sites in Artenara, Tejeda, Agaete and Gáldar.

In its entirety, this World Heritage Site covers around 18,000 hectares — including almost all the entire Caldera de Tejeda crater, the Tamadaba massif and part of the Barranco Hondo gorge. Get your bearings at the visitors’ centre in Artenara before setting off along one of the island’s hiking trails, many of which are based on age-old caminos reales (king’s highways). With the site sharing part of the territory of the island’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, scenic views await after every turn. The circular five-mile route of Acusa-Las HoyasLugarejos-Coruña takes you through farmland that still retains some of the ancient traditions practised by the Canary Amazigh people.

Elsewhere, head towards the north edge of the Caldera de Tejeda on a five-mile hike, where dramatic views of the Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountain Areas sit in the shadows of Roque Nublo, Roque Bentayga and Altavista. Then there’s the longer trek along the crossroads of Roque Nublo; the seven-mile path strides towards this mountain that’s become a national symbol of the island, where you can stare out across Risco Caído from on high. Carriers including EasyJet, BA and Ryanair operate direct flights from the UK to Gran Canaria. Renting a car is recommended.