The Gran Canaria Walking Festival reaffirms its impact among hikers from all over the world

 

The Gran Canaria Walking Festival successfully concluded its thirteenth edition after holding its final route, "Camino hacia la cumbre" (Path to the Summit), on October 27th in the municipality of Tejeda. The event has established itself as a must-attend event for hiking enthusiasts, with 179 participants from over 15 countries.

 

The event, organised by the Gran Canaria Natural & Active association and officially sponsored by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Turismo de Gran Canaria, is positioned as one of the greatest attractions for exploring the nature of Gran Canaria, as well as its rich ethnographic heritage and local products, all framed in an active tourism experience.

 

The success of this edition, held from 24 to 27 October, is also reflected in the increase of almost 30% in the number of hikers who venture to live the full experience of the festival, choosing the 4-route package and extending their stay in Gran Canaria by more than 4 days, thus having more time to enjoy the benefits of the island. 

 

The festival has brought together hikers from various countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Norway, among other nationalities. In addition, the event has become an attraction for national tourism with participants from various autonomous communities such as Madrid, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, Galicia, La Rioja, Castilla La Mancha and the Canary Islands. 

 

This year's four routes have been a true adventure to discover impressive landscapes full of contrasts. The festival opened with one of the greenest routes that ran through the municipality of Moya until reaching the charming Casa Rural Naturacanaria to recharge energy. The second route offered a descent from the summit of the island to Valsequillo in a route that left the hikers enchanted by the beautiful landscapes along the route, which ended in the El Troncón Recreational Area. The next day, the hikers explored the 'village coast' in the Aldea de San Nicolás where they were able to take a dip as a reward for a pleasant day of hiking. The last route took the participants to the beautiful and emblematic town of Tejeda, from where they set off to make an ascent to the Garañón where the grand closing of the event took place accompanied by music by the Parranda "Amigos de Tejeda".

 

One of the most important aspects of the festival is also its commitment to joining forces with brands that promote and share its values, such as Smurfit Westrock, which is committed to the importance of protecting and caring for nature and has offered the event sustainable packaging for the picnic and tasting and recycling points.

 

Furthermore, Gran Canaria Natural & Active continues to bet on creating synergies with Canarian products that cannot be missed, such as the tasty Ambrosias Tirma, the unique and energetic Gofibar bars from Gofio la Piña and the nuts from Isola, essential for recovering energy after a day of hiking.

 

A commitment to local producers

 

The festival organisers, in their commitment to publicise the great work of local producers and the excellence of their products made in Gran Canaria, have counted on the collaboration of cheesemakers and beekeepers from the municipality of Moya, as well as the support of the Moya Town Hall to offer the tasty and famous local sweets. Local cheese producers such as “Quesos Madre Vieja” and “Quesos Los Castañeros” were present, as well as the honey producer “Colmenar La Violeta”. The La Molina craft shop also provided Canarian jams and mojos for the participants to taste on all the routes of the event.

 

In addition, the excellent fruit grown in Gran Canaria also took centre stage thanks to the papayas from Grupo Félix Santana Melián, which the hikers were able to enjoy in juice form, as well as the bananas from Costa Caleta with the support of El Mundo del Plátano at Hacienda la Rekompensa. 

 

The last route of the festival was also able to count on the collaboration of the wines of Bodega Los Berrazales from Finca la Laja. A jewel that comes from the Agaete Valley. 

 

Other products that could not be missed were those from Ahembo, whose collaboration with zero-sugar soft drinks provided the most refreshing drinks after each walk.

 

The success of this edition has also been possible thanks to the commitment and collaboration of the Town Councils of Valsequillo de Gran Canaria, Tejeda Town Council and Moya Town Council, as well as the support of the Town Council of Aldea de San Nicolás. In addition to the official sponsorship of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Turismo de Gran Canaria, whose support is essential to continue reaping successes and to continue promoting the island as a hiking destination. 

 

 

 

The asociación

The Gran Canaria Natural & Active association is an official brand of Gran Canaria Tourism, responsible for promoting the offer of nature tourism and outdoor activities in the main issuing markets. The association includes hotels and rural houses, active tourism companies, wineries, archaeological sites, banana and Aloe Vera farms, companies that offer cultural routes and craft shops.

 

https://www.grancanariawalkingfestival.com/es/

www.grancanarianaturalandactive.com