Dedo de Dios Rock

From the beach at Puerto de las Nieves the rock catches the eye at once: a dark column of basalt standing just off the foot of the cliffs, with the Atlantic working around its base.

Until November 2005 it ended in a thin, crooked tip, and that tip is what gave it the name God's Finger. Tropical Storm Delta snapped it into the sea. What stands now is the lower part, still close against the cliff. Agaete left it that way: in March 2006 an expert commission advised against reconstruction and called for conserving what was left.

The ground here is the oldest on Gran Canaria, begun around 14 million years ago, and the stack itself took shape from the local basalt over 200,000 to 300,000 years. The rock has inspired many artists. In the evening, with the sun dropping into the sea and the cliffs behind it taking the last light, it is at its sharpest.

• The slender tip that gave the rock its name fell into the sea in November 2005; what you see today is the lower part beside the cliff.
• It is a sea stack, standing in the water. You see it from the beach and the port at Puerto de las Nieves.
• There is no drinking-water point nearby, so bring your own.
• The fish restaurants at the port draw long queues at lunchtime, so plan around them if you want to eat with the view.

Dedo de Dios is seen from Puerto de las Nieves, the harbour settlement of Agaete. Drivers have two car parks close by, about 75 m and 200 m from the rock in a straight line. By bus, the Puerto de las Nieves stop is about 430 m away, and a nearer stop sits about 80 m away.

From the beach and the port the rock is in full view, so there is no walk to speak of once you reach the waterfront. Free public toilets are about 230 m away.

Best: late afternoon into sunset. The coast here faces west, so the cliffs behind the rock take the evening light, and the stack stays clearly visible as the sun goes down.

Avoid: lunchtime, if you also plan to eat at the port. The queues for the waterfront fish restaurants are at their longest then.