Azuaje Ravine

At the bottom of the steps the air turns damp and the dry hillsides of Gran Canaria give way to green. Laurel trees close over the stream, the banks stay wet, and the water runs clear over small waterfalls. It feels closer to a rainforest than to anything else on the island, and the stream keeps running when pools elsewhere have dried up.

Watch the water for frogs and fish, the canopy for birds, and the paths for the wild chickens that wander them. Further on, the walls of an abandoned spa stand among the trees. The best view of them comes from the path that climbs out of the ravine towards Firgas.

• Bring shoes with grip that can get wet: some stream crossings run over tree trunks, others through water and mud at least 5 cm deep.
• The paths are not maintained, and after rain they become slippery and very difficult to get along.
• There are no toilets and no drinking water nearby. Bring what you need.
• Going inside the spa ruins is not permitted, whatever the photos taken inside them suggest.
• Dogs are allowed in the ravine.

The ravine lies below Firgas. The public car park sits about 1 km away in a straight line; an unpaved car park about 350 m away is private, so do not plan on it. The nearest named bus stop, Entrada a Doramas, is about 900 m away. A guidepost and an information board stand along the way in.

From above, a rough flight of steps drops into the valley. At the bottom the paths follow the stream, crossing it on tree trunks and through mud, and one path climbs back up the far side towards Firgas, looking down over the spa ruins.

Best: after a run of dry days. Avoid: the days after rain. Rain turns the unmaintained paths to mud and makes the stream crossings hard going, and the ravine stays wet long after the rest of the island has dried out. Under the laurels the light is dim for much of the day; between the steep walls, direct sun reaches the stream mainly around midday.

Azuaje Ravine is a protected nature preserve. Dogs are allowed on its paths. The ruins of the abandoned spa are off limits: going inside the buildings is not permitted, however many photos from inside them circulate, so look at them from the paths.