The North of Gran Canaria

Before the mushroom growth of the southern resorts, the cloudier, rainier, greener and far more fertile north of Gran Canaria was the place to be. Both of the island's pre-Hispanic kingdoms had their centres here: one in the northwest, the other at Teide, in the northeast. The Spanish capital of Las Palmas, in the northeast corner, became one of the leading· cities of the Spanish nation. Behind Las Palmas, the hills are lushly suburban, but the landscape is surprising, interspersed as it is with volcanic craters and cones.

Inland towns and villages such as Teror  and Arucas offer fine old Canarian architecture. Overwhelmingly, the main crop is bananas. Because of the general sense of fertility and greenery, the barrancos appear softened, and some Agaete above all produce fine tropical and subtropical fruits.