La Mesa del Junquillo, Gran Canaria

Photo of La Mesa del Junquillo by and copyright of Javier Gil Leon courtesy of UNESCO.

In a previous article, I mentioned that there is more to Gran Canaria than Maspalomas. And that is certainly very true. You just have to take a look at the above photo to see what I mean. The photo is a view of La Mesa del Junquillo, a plateau that rises 869 metres between two reservoirs (Siberio and Parralillo). The top of the plateau, is surrounded by several man-made caves used as rooms and storage, which you can just about make out in the photo. I don’t know about you, but this is now on my travel bucket list.

UNESCO World Heritage List Nomination

Each year, nominations are submitted for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The list includes areas of significant natural beauty and wildlife or cultural importance or both. One of the nominations for 2019 is “Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape,”an area of outstanding beauty and cultural signifcance on the on the volcanic island of Gran Canaria, Spain. La Mesa del Junquillo is just one of the many landforms of cultural significance in this area.

Road-Trip to see La Mesa del Junquillo

The best way to see this stunning feature in the heart of Gran Canaria is on a road-trip from Las Palmas or Maspalomas. You need to head through the centre of the island towards the village of Tejeda, which is about an hour and 5 minutes from Las Palmas and an hour and 30 minutes north of Maspalomas. Depending which way you’re going, you’ll need to head west to Mirador de Parralillo, either before or after you reach Tejeda.

Other stunning landmarks

You’ll also want to look out for other landmarks in the area such as Roque Nublo (a volcanic landmark that I mentioned in my previous post) and Pico de las Nieves, as well as stop at some of the lovely villages in the region where you can grab a drink and a bite to eat, or even stay for a night or two. Whether you go just for the day, or you stay for a few days, is definitely worth a visit to La Mesa Junquillo just for the spectacular view. And, if you’re energetic and want to hike to the top of the plateau, you’ll have stunning views of the Tejeda Caldera.

Learn more about La Mesa del Junquillo (if you know Spanish)

If you don’t know about La Mesa del Junquillo, or the area in which it is located, and you want to know more, check out this site or this site (but you’ll need to know Spanish to read them 🙂 – but you can at least see where it’s located on the first.

On My Travel Bucket List

I visited Gran Canaria many years ago but didn’t have the opportunity to visit this magnificent region, so I’ve put La Mesa del Junquillo on my bucket list for my next trip there. Will you be putting it on yours?

Tip: Some of the roads may not be suitable for some rental cars. Be sure to rent a vehicle suitable for the terrain.