If there’s one place where you can ALWAYS ride a motorcycle in great weather, it’s the Canary Islands. I’ve visited twice (January and March 2023) and explored Gran Canaria and Tenerife with the motorcycles from Canary Ride. A great getaway from the dark, cold and wet days in The Netherlands and there’s more islands to explore.

Want to ride on the Canary Islands too? If you use my discount code you get 5% off your rental price with Canary Ride. Use LNRMOTO to apply this to your reservation. 

* Bikes ridden: Ducati DesertX, Ducati Multistrada V2S, Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled.
** This trip can also be seen as a series on my YouTube channel, scroll down to start watching.

This special island has many faces, with a different climate every 15 minutes so it seems. I’ve had numerous weather changes, going from sunshine and not a cloud in the sky, to heavy winds and rainy patches not a few kilometers down the road. Having completely different weather on opposite sides of the island is totaly normal here. It has its charme, but who visits the island can count on an overall sunny and dry stay. All year round!

Not only the climates differ greatly, also the roads are mindblowing. I personally had to get used to all those twisty roads and started to get dizzy after two hours. I can guarantee it’s true bikers paradise for anyone who loves a good workout. Just in case you might get bored with all those great roads (which I can hardly imagine), then you can always climb up a random mountain, shut your eyes for a nap on one of the lovely sandy beaches or take a stroll on the boulevard of Las Palmas.

It basically doesn’t matter where on the island you start riding, you are ensured of a great route.

Even though the island isn’t that big, it can be a challenge to ride to the good spots straight away, since there are hundreds of small roads to get lost on. So let me help you a little bit with that. The tarmac had been recently renewed on a lot of places when I visited and it surely enhanced my fun in riding there. There are over a hundred ‘miradors’ on the entire island, which gives you some of the best views over valleys, forests, mountains and beaches. And maybe just as important: don’t you forget about the local cuisine. Hmmm…

Everything between the northern Agaete and Teror and the southern Arteara is worth visiting. I’d leave the eastern highway GC-1 if I were you. Unless you have to get from A to B pretty quickly. The most central part is the town Tejeda and from that spot you can pretty much go anywhere. You could rush your way through everything in a day or two, but I guess you’re gonna take your time to enjoy the beauty of Gran Canaria in every aspect, just as I did. In my YouTube videos you can see lots more, but below I will point out some of the most beautiful spots I’ve visited that I think you should add to your list too.

The northwest part of the GC-200 is one of the prettiest coastal roads in my honest opinion. I’ve ridden here two times, of which the first in thick fog. It can be very humid here, as it’s the more “rainy” side of Gran Canaria. I felt as if I was in Wales, but a bit more tropical. Beautiful nonetheless. Between Agaete and Los Caserones you wish to never return home, the road here is just so good.

When you continue west on the same road, you will see a village called El Cruce; follow the GC-200 up towards Mirador del Balcón and you’ll quickly see why this is one of the most beautiful miradors on the island. During daytime, but especially in the late hours when the sun sets. For those who are afraid of heights, I suggest you don’t step onto the glass balcony, as you’ll find yourself hanging above the sea and a steep cliff. From the viewpoint you have a clear view over the wall of sea cliffs called the Dragon’s tail for obvious reasons and if you’re lucky you can spot Tenerife in the Atlantic Ocean.

On a tip of the north side you can find a gigantic lighthouse, Faro de Punta Sardina, where the wind never dies down. I met Nieves at Canary Ride’s shop and we decided to ride together for the day. Both of use not being the tallest, we got blown away when finally reaching the tip of the coastline. The Faro is 24 meters high and the light source itself is around 47 meters above sea level. That light can be seen 20 nautical miles away! Fun fact, the road leading to this p.o.i. is one where you will see many banana plantations.

The center part of the island has some of the best roads. Make sure to write these down: GC-15, GC-21, GC-42, GC-60, GC-70, GC-130, GC-134, GC-150, GC-210, GC-217, GC-220, GC-600, GC-605, GC-606. Don’t know where to start? Then Tejeda is a nice central village to depart from. One of my favorite corners there is located exactly here. This is truly picture paradise. Cruising through these corners and seeing Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga from the corner of your eyes, is actually a view best viewed while standing still on one of the parkings. And afterwards, ride on!

Did someone ask for hairpin paradise? Say no more. The GC-605 near Mogán is exactly that and when you’re at the top the view down is spectacular. Ditto when you’re standing halfway, like I was in the picture. The mix of green forest patches, random palm trees, red rocks and a freshly paved road makes for a great backdrop. The road is narrow on some places, so be aware in the blind corners.

From this epic road you can follow the famous GC-200 which takes you from El Cercado in the south, towards Agaete in the north and is one of the best bigger roads on Gran Canaria if you ask me! Amidst great corners you can spot some insanely colorful rocks from afar, called Los Azulejos De Veneguera, roughly translated as the ‘Rainbow Rocks’. It’s absolutely worth stopping here. And if you don’t care about the views, than maybe the fresh fruit smoothie bar can persuade you to park the bike.

Pico de las Nieves, an astonishing view on the island and Roque Nublo giving some contrast to the skyline. You can take the small GC-134 road up to the parking on a deadend and climb up to get an even better view. There’s not much room for parking, but luckily you are on two wheels. Just squeeze it in there. A place not to be missed for sure.

The next road is not too familiar, but I had a ton of fun here. When you go south at the Mogán hairpins, you will come across this special stretch of tarmac and gravel between the GC-605 and the GC-505. It’s absolutely not in the best shape, but what it lacks in quality, it makes up in riding pleasure! I did not expect so many cyclists here, but apparantly it was very popular for training purposes.