Montaña Bermeja · Telde, Gran Canaria

Cueva de Cuatro Puertas

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

Last checked: September 2026

Does it cost anything?No, €0Open site with no gate, no tickets and no opening hours.

How do I get there?~15 min from the airportVia the GC-100 south of Telde. Bus 35 stops ~800 m below.Where do I park?End of the laneDirt car park for ~20 cars, ~400 m below the caves.When is it best?Around 21 JuneThen the evening sun shines into the hall. Any dry day works.

The four doorways of the main cave, cut into the red tuff of the Montaña Bermeja (2021) — Photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net), License: CC BY-SA 4.0

The island's early inhabitants carved a hall about 17 m long into the reddish tuff of the Montaña Bermeja, with four doorways facing north. Around it lie a ritual site on the summit and a whole village of cave dwellings.

Straight talk

What to know before you go.

Nobody looks after it. In 2025 an archaeologist working on the site listed no access control, no supervision and no maintenance. The information boards still repeat interpretations from the 19th century.
Don't wait for the visitor centre. In 2022 the Cabildo put up €500,000 for a car park, reception building and toilets. Telde never built them and paid the money back in 2025.
By bus, plan the way back first. Line 35 leaves only every two to four hours. Time your visit around the bus back rather than the other way round.

Getting there

The caves sit on the Montaña Bermeja above the hamlet of Cuatro Puertas, on the GC-100 between Telde and Ingenio. From the GC-1 motorway it is only a few minutes; the last stretch runs up through the narrow lanes of the hamlet.

By car

From the airport

~15 min

From Telde

~10 min

From Las Palmas

~30 min

From Maspalomas

~45 min

01From Las Palmas take the GC-1 south, exit onto the GC-10 towards La Garita and Telde, and follow the GC-100 through Telde towards Ingenio.
02From the south take the GC-1 north, exit onto the GC-140 (Ojos de Garza) and follow it to the GC-100.
03In Cuatro Puertas turn off the GC-100 into Calle Guanche.
04Carry on up the Lugar Cuatro Puertas lane to the open dirt area at its end.

The lanes in the hamlet are single-track and partly one-way. The car park is unpaved and bumpy.

Route to the car park

On foot

From the car park

~400 m

Climb

~20 m

Walking time

~10 min

01Follow the dirt track from the car park to the entrance of the site.
02Stone steps lead up to the terrace in front of the four doorways.
03Paths continue to the almogarén on the summit, the Cueva de los Papeles and, on the south side, Los Pilares.

Away from the steps there is no marked path. Stay behind the safety railings, especially at Los Pilares.

Walking route to the place

Public transport

Global line 35
Runs from Telde bus station via Cuatro Puertas and Ingenio to Agüimes. Get off at the Cuatro Puertas stop on the GC-100, then walk ~800 m (~15 min) up through the hamlet.
From Las Palmas
Take line 12 or the direct line 80 to Telde bus station and change there to the 35.
No bus on Sundays
Line 35 runs Monday to Saturday only. On Sundays and holidays there is no bus to the site.

Check before you go

The Cabildo closes the GC-100 between Cuatro Puertas and Aguatona from time to time to clear loose rock, most recently on 17 August 2026. The hamlet is still reachable from Telde and via the GC-140.

Parking & arriving

Dirt car park at the end of the lane

~20

The open area where the Lugar Cuatro Puertas lane ends, which the Telde tourist office names as the car park. Compacted earth, uneven surface.

On site

The main cave is a hall about 17 m long and 7 m wide, with three large pillars between the four doorways and 20 holes cut into the terrace in front. Up on the summit is the almogarén, a ritual site with carved channels and basins; nearby, the Cueva de los Papeles has engraved triangles. On the south side lies Los Pilares, a group of linked cave dwellings and stores. From the top you look over the Telde valley to the Atlantic.

Time there: ~45–60 min
Walk from car park: ~400 m and ~20 m of climbing from the car park, the last part on stone steps
Toilets: None
Food & drink: Nothing at the site
Shade: Only inside the caves
Wheelchair: No, according to OpenStreetMap; steps and uneven rock

When is it worth it?

The site has no opening hours. What makes the difference is the light in the hall and how hot the bare mountain gets.

Rules as of September 2026.

Around 21 June

On the days around the summer solstice the evening sun falls through the doorways into the hall. The rest of the year the north-facing hall gets no direct sun.

Hot days

Outside the caves there is no shade on the mountain. On hot days morning or late afternoon is more comfortable.

Forecast

Open full forecast ↗

Facts

Entry: Source: Turismo Telde · 09/2026; Free, open at all times, no visitor centre
Protection: Source: BOC 1993 · 09/2026; Monument since 1972 (Decree 1435/1972), today a Bien de Interés Cultural
Archaeological zone: Source: BOC 1993 · 09/2026; ~16.2 ha, boundary set in 1993
Parts of the site: Source: Cabildo · 09/2026; Cuatro Puertas, almogarén, Cueva de los Papeles, Los Pilares, Cueva de la Audiencia, millstone quarry
Main hall: Source: eldiario.es · 09/2021; ~17 × 7 m, more than 2 m high
Montaña Bermeja: Source: OSM · 09/2026; 319 m
Bus 35 from Telde: Source: Global · 01/2024; Mon–Sat 07:00, 09:00, 13:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:00
Bus 35 from Agüimes: Source: Global · 01/2024; Mon–Sat 06:15, 08:15, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 19:00
Telde tourist office: Source: Turismo GC · 01/2022; +34 828 01 33 12, Mon–Fri 08:00–14:00