At the southern tip of Gran Canaria the island’s most popular holiday resorts, Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas sit side by side. Playa del Ingles is the larger and caters predominantly for low budget package holiday tourists whilst Gran Canaria is a more upmarket and quieter resort.
Although the two resorts join at the eastern end of a beautiful, four mile stretch of sandy beach, they are separated inland by a 250 hectare area of sand dunes. The area is a nature reserve and habitat for several rare species of flora. Some dunes are over ten metres high and when you are in the deep valleys between them, it is easy to imagine that you are lost in a vast area of sandy desert. In reality, most of the dunes area is more like a fertile oasis and there is even a large lagoon of great ecological value. It is an important nesting site for many species of birds.
