The Cistern of Gran Canaria
Hiking and Exploring the Wet Jungle in the North of Gran Canaria
The Barranco Moya canyon also ends near the fisher village San Felipe. This steep, wet canyon which is also abundantly covered with vegetation is pervaded by cisterns and aqueducts which are still functioning today. In winter, during the raining season, one can even find many water falls there. This sight is a must for every person who loves the great outdoors!
The access to the canyon starts in an unspectacular manner directly underneath the highway bridge. But after hiking for a little the vegetation becomes denser and the canyon becomes narrower. Due to the canyon’s narrowness the hike can sometimes only be completed by hiking right above the aqueducts which are full with water during the winter time.
Complete silence reigns at the only five metre wide bottom of the canyon. One has the feeling that nothing changed here in the past hundred years. The hike can be compared to a jungle-safari because one has to constantly fight through weeds, ferns and other vegetation in order to move forward.
If you do not want to walk far, only half an hour into the canyon one can already marvel at small waterfalls and tarns – even frogs can be seen jumping through the canyon. The locals use the vertical walls of the canyon for climbing (look at photos).
