The GR131 (The Canary Islands)

Key Details:

• Length: 500+km (310+ miles).
• Starting Point: Lanzarote.
• Ending Point: El Hierro.
• Typical Duration: 3-4 weeks

I recently attempted the GR131, a 500+km trek across the Canary Islands, a set of autonomous Spanish islands off the west coast from Africa. The trek took me roughly 3 weeks and is known for its incredibly diverse microclimates and different ecosystems within such a small area. During my time on the island I traversed deserts, mountains and pine forests. Due to a volcanic eruption I was unable to visit the island of La Palma and ran out of time for El Hierro.

Below are updates I made whilst on the trail that detail how I approached the GR131.

Lanzarote – Island 1

• 2.5 days
• 78km (48 miles)

On December 4th I flew from London to Arracife (capital of the island Lanzarote). I stay in a bnb overnight with the view of getting a bus to Orzola the following morning, the official starting point of the GR131.

I end up spending 2.5 days hiking 78km / 48 miles across the island. The island is covered in a beautiful black volcanic ash landscape, and is known for it’s unique wineries where the plants are grown in a dug crater to protect them from the whipping winds.

Fuerteventura – Island 2

• 5 days
• 146km (90 miles)

Once I finish and arrive in the tourist town of Play Blanca on the third day, I get the early afternoon ferry over to Corralego on fuerteventura, island #2 along the GR131. I stay here for a night in a bnb before setting off the next morning to continue on. Fueteventura proves to be a punishing 146km / 90 miles through beautiful deserts, rocky mountains and isolated villages. I manage the island in 5 full days of trekking, and my body is feeling it after the back to back 30km days.

Gran Canaria – Island 3

• 4 days
• 74km (46 miles)

I stay in a bnb overnight in Morro Jable, before rising bright and early for a 7am ferry over to island #3, Gran Canaria.

Gran Canaria proves to be a completely different vibe compared to the prior two islands. Much more elevation, with more of an alpine feel with mountains and pine forests. The 74km (46 miles) and 2,850m (9,350ft) takes me 4 days to complete. 2 nights spent wild camping, 1 ngiht in a bnb. I start in the tourist town of Maspalomas (via bus from the capital city of Las Palmas – where the ferry takes you when arriving from Fueteventura). I hike up into the highland Cumbre region, in my opinion the best and most scenic part of the GR131 thus far. The change from desert to alpine is refreshing, and the drop in temperature is noted. On the final day I descend to Puerto De Las Nieves, where I get the ferry at 6pm over to island number 4; Tenerife.

Tenerife – Island 4

• 4 days

• 93km (58 miles)

Tenerife (93.5km / 58 miles) (3,830m / 12565.62ft of elevation) turns out to be 4 days (official guide recommends 5) on the trail, with a day either side due to logistics and due to the fact the trail starts partially inland compared to its counterparts. The first 2 stages on Tenerife, beginning in the small village of La Esperanza, take you through a pine-forested trail. There are a few sections that allow you to glimpse a view of Mount Teide, and an epic cloud inversion that usually sits below the tree lines. I had a heavy pack given there is little natural water on the trail (I found 2 water taps) and no food services on the first 3 stages. Combined with the decent amount of incline on the first 2 stages, I found these tiring. Stage 3 goes through the epic Teide national park, which sits in the crater of an old extinct massive volcano. The landscape is extremely unique, once again bringing martian-like planet vibes. I combined stage 4 and 5 into one stage; which descends down from Teide national park, passing the highest situated town on Spanish territory; Vilaflor, and finishing in the village of Arona. I manage to get a meal of grilled local goat’s cheese and goat stew to celebrate my final night on Tenerife.

La Gomera – Island 5

• 2 days
• 45km (28 miles)

La Gomera, island number 5 is smaller than others, at 45.5km / 28.3 miles, and is completed in 2 days. I stayed in a bnb in the town of San Sebastián on arrival via ferry from Tenerife. Day 1 sees you walking out of the town up into the central highlands of the island. The vegetation is far greener and rain forest much denser than that of others, thanks to the larger volumes of water the highlands receive from cloud cover from the trade winds.

I wild camp overnight with a stunning view back over of mount Teide from my previous island, Tenerife. The next morning I wake up before sunrise to pack up and set off with a good pace with intention of reaching Vallehermoso. This section sees you descending back down from the highland centre into the lower valleys, passing through a few quiet villages and coastal cliff views. on finishing the trail and reaching Vallehermoso I get a bus back to the trail head town of San Sebastián, with the plan of getting a ferry the following day.

La Palma & El Hierro (Islands 6 & 7)

Due to a volcanic eruption I was unable to trek La Palma and was unable to visit the small island of El Hierro (40km) given travel logistics and time constraints. Thus, I was unable to complete the GR131 in its full entirety, and finished my hike after La Gomera at 456km / 283 miles.

Overall I really enjoyed the wide variety of landscapes and ecosystems in such a small area. Passing across desert, alpine pine forests, mountains, volcanoes and coastal sections all in one trail was an amazing experience. Yet the logistical challenges I failed to take into consideration, particularly getting from one island to another via ferry, meant the time needed was unnecessarily longer. As a result; I ran out of time and could not complete the trail in its entirety (partly also due to the volcano on La Palma). The challenge of finding decent wild camping spots is also especially hard on certain sections. But overall I would highly recommend this trail for anyone looking for a winter long distance thru-hike who has 3-4 weeks on their hands to complete it.

For more content on the Canary Islands and the GR131, check out my videos below: