El Espinillo: Hiking, Roque Bentayga and Local Traditions

Hiking and Archaeological Traces

El Espinillo lies along the route of a hike through the values of the Biosphere Reserve. It also includes La Solana and El Chorrillo; its endpoint is in El Carrizal de Tejeda. On the Cruz Timagada–Bentayga route, a turnoff to the left leads to the district of El Espinillo. For your planning, a route through several places and a clearly marked turnoff can be considered as different route variations alongside one another. This means that the hiking route, turnoff and path are listed as distinct route details.

Near El Espinillo, at the foot of the Roque Bentayga monolith, there is an interpretation centre. From the interpretation centre at Roque Bentayga, a somewhat steep path leads to the archaeological site at the foot of the monolith; the site can be reached in about ten minutes. The route and approximate duration can be considered separately when planning your own day.

Culture and History

In the vicinity of El Espinillo, the Roque Bentayga archaeological site includes an ancient defensive wall, an almogarén and caves. Also nearby is Cuevas del Rey, a settlement of artificial caves carved into tuff, which were used as living quarters and granaries. The Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria preserve traditional terraced farming structures.

As part of the Lustral pilgrimage in Tejeda, El Espinillo was represented by the Virgen de la Milagrosa. El Espinillo continues to have a small permanent population. Archaeological evidence, terraced farming and local history are presented here as distinct cultural perspectives.

When planning personally, the main focuses can be organised chronologically or thematically: the route and landscape stand alongside archaeology, pilgrimage and the culinary aspects of the fiesta. You decide which information to explore in greater depth first.

Nature and Landscape

The area around El Espinillo forms part of the Gran Canaria World Biosphere Reserve. The pine forests in the surrounding area consist of Canary Island pines; in addition to the remnants of the original extensive pine forest, there has also been extensive reforestation. When considering the landscape, the protected-area status, tree species, original woodland and reforestation can be recorded separately.

Other places for your travel planning: Lomo Quiebre, Vega De San Mateo, Arinaga, Gáldar, Maspalomas, La Sorrueda, Carrizal and Guía.

When booking a holiday apartment in El Espinillo, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation conditions separately on the offer pages. Check these details for the specific offer each time. Hiking, archaeology, landscape and tradition are separate areas of focus and can be considered independently when planning your trip.

Agriculture and Local Traditions

El Espinillo is predominantly agricultural in character. In the surrounding area of El Espinillo, some goats are kept to produce milk and cheese. At the Fiesta del Almendro, carnival tortillas and rice pudding are offered for tasting as a contribution from El Espinillo. The Fiesta del Almendro continued in 2025, marking its 55th year.

For the higher-level travel overview: Gran Canaria.