Camel ride
Our voucher said we had booked a camel safari at 1200 so we turned up nice and early at 1115 only to be told that the next available ride was 130 or 215. Our Tui voucher which said 1200 meant absolutely nothing to the rude woman with red hair giving ticket numbers. We had an 8 yr old with us who has a disability so can’t walk long distances so we couldn’t walk back to the hotel and couldn’t walk to the shops. We had to sit and wait for 2 hours on the last day of our holiday. A total waste.
Tucked away in the southern tip of Gran Canaria is an oasis of unmatched beauty that'll make you think you're in the Sahara desert. The sand dunes of Maspalomas are hemmed in by the resorts of Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas and Meloneras, which makes their survival all the more remarkable – and there's no more authentic way to explore them than on the back of a camel.
The dunes are a habitat of undulating sands sculpted by the Atlantic trade winds over thousands of years. You'll follow a carefully designed trail that respects the eco-system. To roam through them on a camel is a thrilling experience.
As well as sand dunes, the nature reserve – which covers an area twice the size of Monaco – also has typical desert features such as a tree-fringed oasis and endemic lizard species. During the 30-minute trek, you'll feel like you're in a scene from Lawrence of Arabia… until you smell the fresh Atlantic air and see the sea.
