Roque Faneque, on the NW coast of Gran Canaria is one of the highest cliffs in the world and guardian of amazing biodiversity

This giant looks out over the Atlantic from a height over 1,000 metres. It gazes straight down over the sea following the flight of shearwaters, seagulls and petrels. Only it knows what it’s really found so fascinating to look at for millions of years. Maybe it’s just seeking its own reflection over the waters that soak its stone feet. This proud, rocky Titan is the highest cliff in Europe and one of the largest in the world. However, along with its inevitable haughtiness, El Roque Faneque also expresses the nostalgic calm that comes with the passing of time.

The north-east coast of Gran Canaria welcomes adventurers in search of new experiences and lets their imagination run wild

Coastal plants are like the men and women of Gran Canaria’s fishing villages, looking out to sea every day. What’s more, a delicate film of salt coats their leaves, or skin. They could tell thousands of stories, recounting everything they have seen brought in by the tides, but they keep their own counsel. In the same way, the island’s north-east coastline is just as spectacular for what it displays as for what it hides among its folds. Hikers spot lights beaming into the night and this sparks their imagination. What will they discover the next day?

The summit of Gran Canaria is one of those spots which makes the island a Starlight Tourism Destination. There is no light without darkness. The comet that streaks across Gran Canaria’s skies is a lump of rocks and gases covered in ash. The nearby sun melted its heart of ice, explaining the white wake streaming behind it which seems to have hypnotised El Roque Nublo and its stoney companions as they watch this interstellar Icarus, a full five kilometres wide, on its return journey to the depths of the galaxy.