The Canary pine (pinus canariensis) is a miracle tree. Its needles make rain from the clouds and protect the tree from intense forest fires.
When the Trade Winds blow clouds and mist through the Gran Canaria pine forests the mist condenses on the long, droopy needles and falls as rain. This allows the pine forests to grow in areas with little rainfall, provided that they are high enough to get covered in cloud during the winter. The same long needles protect the trees from fires by burning fast before the heat damages the growing buds.
Canary pine grows all over the mountains of Cumbres of Gran Canaria, as well as on Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro. It can reach 45 metres with a trunk at least 1.5 metres in diameter. The island's pine forests are home to a number of endangered animals and plants, including the Blue Chaffinch.
Gran Canaria's forests are recovering after centuries of over-exploitation and most of the forest you see was planted after the 1960s: Big old pine trees are rare as most were cut down for timber and charcoal.
Canary pine trees have lots of other uses: The seeds are edible, and a needle tea treats colds, coughs and bronchitis. Canary pine oil from the needles makes a powerful rub for arthritis and rheumatism, as well as being antiseptic. Canary pine wood is excellent for making furniture, but is no longer harvested.
The best way to see the Canary pine is to head up to Roque Nublo in the centre of the island. The whole surrounding area is covered with pine forest and there are plenty of walking tracks. Be careful with cigarettes, and never leave glass bottles behind, as the pine forests catch fire easily!
This is one of the most common questions we get in our Facebook Group (with over 30,000 members) and fortunately, it is an easy one to answer. The Gran Canaria Info admin team and the fans in our Facebook group agree...
The best car hire companies in Gran Canaria are local ones with desk at the airport and honest pricing policies that don't have any hidden insurance or fuel deposit costs. They just rent you a good car at a good price with no fuss at all.
We recommend Mr Car Hire Gran Canaria (Nick); an idependent car rental professional who works with all the main local rental companies in Gran Canaria. This means that he can always find you a good deal.
Mr Car Hire also offers fully comprehensive insurance on all car rental, three-day bookings, and delively of your car right to your door anywhere in Gran Canaria.
We advise all Gran Canaria visitors to avoid booking the cheapest possible car on generic car rental websites or via their flight company because you often end up paying large deposits, extra fuel and insurance costs and all kinds of other costs once you arrive to pick up your car at the airport.
More on Gran Canaria car rental problems here.
Lex Says: Our guide to driving in Gran Canaria like a local is pure gold (unlike the car rental company you really should avoid at all costs)
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