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GC-550 between Agüimes and Temisas · Agüimes, Gran Canaria

Barranco de Las Vacas

Everything you need to know before you go: Getting there, parking, prices, best time.

Last checked: September 2026

Common questions, answered

Does it cost anything?No, freeNo ticket, no booking and no gate. The gorge is on public land.
How do I get there?GC-550 by car~10 min from Agüimes towards Temisas. No bus stops nearby.Where do I park?Two tiny baysRoom for 2 cars each, 160 m and 320 m away. Never in the bends.When is it best?Early, dry daysFewer cars before 10:00. Stay out when it rains.
The narrow tuff passage of the Barranco de Las Vacas, looking upstream (2017)
Photo: El Coleccionista de Instantes, License: CC BY-SA 2.0

A narrow gorge where water has carved layers of volcanic ash into curved, banded walls of red, orange and cream. It sits right beside the GC-550, a couple of minutes' walk from the road.

Straight talk

What to know before you go.

  • Smaller than the photos. Wide-angle shots make it look like a long canyon. In reality it's a short stop, not a hike, and works best combined with Guayadeque or Agüimes.
  • Parking is the real problem. Two bays for four cars serve thousands of visitors. Firefighters, the Cabildo and people in Temisas have complained about cars in the bends since 2023. If both bays are full, drive on and come back later.
  • People fall here. The press counted at least seven accidents with eight injured between 2020 and early 2024, and firefighters carried out another rescue in January 2026.
  • Nothing explains it. There is no information board and no bin. Take your rubbish back with you.

Getting there

The gorge lies on the old GC-550 between Agüimes and Temisas, around km 14, where the road crosses the Barranco de Barafonso on a small bridge. There is no signpost.

By car

From Agüimes
~10 min
From the airport
~25 min
From Las Palmas
~40 min
From Maspalomas
~45 min
  1. 01Leave the GC-1 at the Agüimes exit and drive into Agüimes.
  2. 02In Agüimes take the GC-550 towards Temisas.
  3. 03After about 3.5 km, just before the road crosses the ravine on a small bridge, there is a bay for 2 cars.
  4. 04If it is taken, cross the bridge and drive about 300 m on to the second bay.

The GC-550 has no hard shoulder and no pavement, and buses and lorries use it. Leave the car only in a bay, and keep to the edge on foot.

Route to the car park

On foot

Start
Bay before the bridge
Way in
Underpass below the GC-550
  1. 01Climb over the crash barrier by the bay and scramble down into the dry stream bed.
  2. 02Walk through the passage under the road bridge.
  3. 03Follow the stream bed upstream until the walls close in and the coloured tuff begins.

The tuff is smooth and covered in sand, so it's slippery even when dry. Wear shoes with a good grip.

Walking route to the place

Public transport

  • No bus to the gorge

    Global line 34 (San Bartolomé de Tirajana – Temisas – Agüimes) runs along the GC-550 a few times a day but has no stop here. The nearest stops, Cruce Corralillos and La Inmaculada, are 2.3 and 2.7 km away as the crow flies.

  • On foot

    The Cabildo's S-40 trail between Temisas and Agüimes passes close by; one of its signposts stands about 350 m from the gorge. That makes it a hike, not a quick hop from the bus.

Check before you go

Storm damage can close the GC-550 at short notice: in 2026 the section west of Temisas was shut from 23 March to 17 September. Check weather warnings and road news on the day.

Parking & arriving

Bay before the bridge
2 · €0
Coming from Agüimes, the closest place to leave a car, about 160 m from the gorge.
Bay after the bridge
2 · €0
About 300 m further towards Temisas, roughly 320 m from the gorge.
Towards Agüimes
€0
A third bay about 450 m before the bridge, some 600 m from the gorge. OpenStreetMap gives no number of spaces.
No official car park
Agüimes has been negotiating with the Cabildo over a car park since 2023. Nothing had been built by September 2026.

On site

A short slot canyon carved by water into layers of volcanic ash, with smooth, curved walls banded in red, orange and cream. The narrow part is only about 50 m long. You walk it along the dry stream bed and come back the same way.

Time there
~30–45 min
Walk from car park
~110 m, ~2 min from the nearest bay
Toilets
None
Food & drink
Nothing, not even drinking water. The nearest town is Agüimes
Pushchair
No, the way in is a scramble
Wheelchair
No: crash barrier, a scramble into the stream bed and loose stones

When is it worth it?

The gorge has no opening hours. What matters is how many cars are already there and whether it has rained.

Quiet times from travel reports, rain risk from the IGME geosite record.

Dry days

The usual weather in the southeast. Travel reports say there are noticeably fewer people before 10:00 and late in the afternoon.

Rain and storms

Rockfall and flash floods are possible in the ravine. Don't go in during heavy rain, with a thunderstorm nearby or while the ground is muddy.

Forecast

    Open full forecast ↗

    Facts

    Entry
    Source: IGME · 09/2026
    Free, no gate and no opening hours, public land
    Municipality
    Source: OSM · 09/2026
    Agüimes
    Rock
    Source: IGME · 09/2026
    Coloured volcanic tuffs of the Post-Roque Nublo cycle, Lower to Middle Pleistocene, exposed by water erosion
    Geosite
    Source: IGME · 09/2026
    IC3043 in the Spanish inventory of geological sites, 26 ha
    Stream
    Source: Canarias7 · 06/2018
    Barranco de Barafonso, a tributary of the Barranco de Las Vacas; the gorge lies at 513–600 m
    Road
    Source: OSM · 09/2026
    GC-550, speed limit 40 km/h
    Parking in bends
    Source: BOE (traffic law) · 09/2026
    Stopping or parking in a bend or any dangerous spot is a serious offence, fine €200
    Emergency
    Source: Gobierno de Canarias · 09/2026
    112

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