Little by little, sand builds up around plants, such as the balancón shrubs. This forms the embryo of the dune, which grows progressively as sand is added and the plants gain height. Furthermore, part of the sand surrounds the shrubs and is deposited behind them. The dune seems to come to life at a certain point and keeps on moving until it shrugs off the very shrub that helped it to develop. This is its emancipation. It takes the patience of nature to form the dunes which move from the Playa de Inglés towards Maspalomas, as explained on the Masdunas project website which demonstrates how this Special Nature Reserve is preserved.

2. Life in the sinuous kingdom
As evening falls, the dune landscape might be mistaken for a group of mythological animals covered by a gentle golden blanket for the night. Actually, the living things inhabiting the Maspalomas Dunes Special Nature Reserve are perfectly real and tangible. It provides a habitat for over fifty species of flora, including many which are native to Gran Canaria such as the Schizogyne glaberrima or salado, plus plants such as the Canary tamarisk, the Kuntze or the Ononis tournefortii Coss. Other names, such as the seagrape or the sea heath, remind us that we are in a place between the land and the sea.

The surface of the dunes is sometimes a tapestry where you can appreciate light brush strokes with the presence of the minuscule Pimelia granulicollis Wollaston, a type of beetle that shines like sapphire. In contrast, it is also home to the Gran Canaria giant lizard. The flight of shrikes, Berthelot's pipits and Eurasian hoopoes also crosses the sky, soaring from this sinuous land that moves without us realising it.

3. Contemplate, understand and immerse yourself in the sandy kingdom
The dunes are a huge sand clock where, paradoxically, time appears to stand still. You can delve deep within it. Just follow a few simple instructions to maintain the balance of this natural treasure trove. There is an eight-kilometre network of signposted paths that you should never stray from, for safety and conservation reasons. It is also forbidden to camp there, pull out or walk on plants, build a refuge with stones or make structures that will alter the landscape, make unnecessary noise or feed the animals. In this way, the only thing you will leave behind you will be a memory. .

4. One viewpoint. Two seas.
We can choose to feel like a seagull soaring over the waves of a sandy sea. This is the feeling you get when you look out from the Dunes viewpoint, accessed directly from the Canary Coastal Path or through the lobby of the Riu Palace Maspalomas hotel. Furthermore, this is where we find the Tourist Information Office and the Dunes Visitor Centre, also the base for environmental agents who protect the area. Just relax and let your gaze fly out over two seas: one made of sand and in the distance, the blue of the ocean.

5. Centuries of sand
There are probably thousands of stories buried under the dunes, many of which we shall possibly never hear. Others, nevertheless, have resisted the passing of time. Proof of this is the Punta Mujeres site, a coastal settlement of the ancient Aboriginal population dating from between the 7th and 9th centuries. This collection of domestic structures, which must have been part of a larger settlement, can be seen from the Paseo de Meloneras. Archaeologists recovered its ceramic interiors, stone utensils and remains of marine and land fauna which corroborate their almost symbiotic relationship with the environment, particularly the wetlands. This lagoon at the mouth of the Fataga ravine also explains why Columbus stopped off on his fourth voyage to America in 1502 to replenish water supplies from the Charca de Maspalomas. This water is drinkable but also slightly salty, guaranteeing that it would not be contaminated on board.

6. Guide out at sea and a reference point
Lighthouses have always been a point of reference for seafaring folk. Now they play the same role for people visiting Maspalomas. At least this is the case of the Maspalomas Lighthouse that first shone in 1890. This 55-metre tower is the headquarters of the Maspalomas Lighthouse Ethnographic Centre, shining a light on Gran Canaria’s craftsmen, including the impressions that they made on various voyagers over history. There is also a shop selling a wide range of gifts, plus a tourist information point.

7. The mirage and reality
Maspalomas is a carpet of moving sand, whispers, a mirror of waters, memory and above all, present and future. On one side of the dunes, there is the roaring sea. On the other side, inland, the hum comes from the growing number of entertainment venues, serving food and drink to suit all tastes. In the same way as a dune is formed, imperceptibly and yet unstoppably, many bars and restaurants have bloomed in Maspalomas, particularly around the Paseo de Meloneras, all determined to surprise the most demanding palates. Meanwhile, offers and objects in stores and businesses teem across the shop windows like flying fish. Everything is alive in Maspalomas. Everything is a mirage. Everything is real.