One of the most charming areas with less tourism of the island is the town of Telde. Would you like to discover it?
Maspalomas' Lighthouse is one of the icons of the island of Gran Canaria. It is located in the tourist area par excellence and just between Maspalomas beach, with its spectacular dunes, La Charca - the pond- the Oasis and Meloneras which is an
area undergoing great expansion.
Anyone who has walked around Gran Canaria recognizes the silhouette of Maspalomas' lighthouse, especially its beautiful panoramic view next to the Dunes of Maspalomas, which is an all visitors classic photograph, but few know much about its history.
Maspalomas' lighthouse was a project by engineer Juan León y Castillo and was built from 1884 to 1889. The lighthouse was first lit on the night of its operation, February 1st 1890 and it has been operating ever since without interruption.
The lighthouse rises 60 meters into the air above sea level and its maritime coast coverage goes from Punta de Arinaga (northeast) to Punta Castillete, northwest of Gran Canaria, and its flashes have a night range of 19 nautical miles.
The building at the foot of the lighthouse is the original lighthouse keeper's dwelling and its horizontal structure has a central courtyard as the most typical buildings on the island. Right above the main entrance there is a tea timber balcony. Since 2007, some of the lighthouse's buildings have been promptly used for cultural events and it's expected that they'll soon become a permanent cultural centre.
Maspalomas' lighthouse is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the Canary Islands and in 2005 the Government of the Canary Islands officially declared it as an asset of Cultural Interest, in the category of Historical Monument.
If you are staying in one of our hotels in Gran Canaria, go and have a closer look at Maspalomas' lighthouse it is just at your fingertips.
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Related points of interest
Did you know that in Gran Canaria we have the one and only coffee plantation in the whole of Europe? Come and discover it.
You'll always have charming corners to discover in Gran Canaria, one of them is San Francisco, in Telde.