Maspalomas Dunes

The famous Dunes of Maspalomas are a surprisingly large area of hills and troughs of sand with patches of vegetation.  They have been designated as a nature reserve park and contain many varieties of wildlife; notably sand lizards.

Cruising area

The Dunes area is however better known its reputation as a cruising ground; primarily for gay men but it also has its fans in the straight community.  They are busy all year round, but more so at weekends when the numbers of visitors to the island is swelled by many residents from Las Palmas and the rest of the island.

To reach the cruising area you can take an extended walk round the shoreline from Playa del Inglés beach although this will take at least an hour.  The main bathing area eventually gives way to an extended nudist beach with gay men favouring the end of this stretch.  To reach the cruising area, you should walk away from the beach and over the dunes until you reach the flatter scrubland.

A more convenient way is to pass under the Riu Palace Hotel at the end of Avenida de Tirajana in Playa del Inglés and follow the road down to the viewing platform where the dunes themselves can be seen.  On the right hand side are a set of steps which you should take and then walk until you reach the scrubland and palm trees in front of you.  Alternatively, just follow other like minded souls who seem to know where they are going.  The instructions end here; the rest is up to you....

Links

• gcgay.com has a detailed map of the different zones in the dunes, gay and straight.
• Google map with all gay cruising areas on Gran Canaria (including the Maspalomas Dunes of course).

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