Gran Canaria: Climbing, Via Ferrata, Zipline & Cave Adventure

4.96

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We met our guide, Dani, just off the main road — he had this way of making everyone relax right away (maybe it was the way he joked about his “climbing shoes” looking like old slippers). The hike started easy enough: dusty paths winding through scrubby bushes and these weirdly silent cliffs. Dani pointed out where the island’s aboriginal people once held their last stand; I tried to imagine that kind of courage while my boots crunched over loose stones. There was a warm breeze that smelled faintly of wild herbs — or maybe just my nerves.

I’d never done real rock climbing before Gran Canaria, so when it was my turn to scramble up the wall, my palms were sweaty inside the harness gloves. Dani showed me how to find footholds (“trust your feet more than your arms!”), and I actually made it higher than I thought I would. At the top, you could see all the way down the valley — not postcard-perfect but raw and huge. We moved on to the via ferrata section; metal rungs hammered into the cliffside, cool under my fingers. It felt safe but still gave me that little jolt in my stomach every time I looked down.

After all that adrenaline, ducking into the cave was like stepping into another world — cool air and sudden quiet. The volcanic tube was rough under my hands and smelled a bit damp (not unpleasant though). Dani explained some geology stuff I half-remember now — something about lava flows shaping this whole place. We laughed when someone’s headlamp flickered out for a second; honestly, being underground made me feel oddly calm. The last thing we did was the zipline: 50 meters across open space, wind in my face and nothing but sky for a few seconds. Not sure if I yelled or just grinned like an idiot.

I keep thinking about how strange it felt to do so many things in one day — hiking, climbing, caving, flying (kind of). My muscles were tired but in that good way where you know you’ll sleep well later. If you’re even a little curious about adventure tours in Gran Canaria, this one’s got enough surprises to make you forget you’re following a route at all.