Roque Nublo from La Culata

Superb hike to one of Gran Canaria's most beautiful sites. The road to La Culata is beautiful but narrow and winding, so honk your horn on the bends.

Details

3069722
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.51 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 527 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 525 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,750 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,224 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Start from the village square in La Culata, parking below the square.

Waymarkers: ''Well-marked walk with signposts along the way (S70 signposting)".

(S/E) Head South up the road to the top of the village.

(1) After approx. 250 m (signposted), leave the road on a path which descends to the right. Cross a stream (usually dry) and climb back up.

(2) At the crossroads, take the track that climbs uphill (South).

(3) At the forest entrance, take the right-hand path at the crossroads. Continue uphill, with several bends in the forest. Come to a pass at the foot of Roque Nublo (to the south).

(4) Head South-West, then South, around Roque Nublo.

(5) At a fork, turn left towards Roque Nublo, still in the undergrowth. Leave the wood and reach an open shoulder at the foot of Roque Nublo.

(6) Turn left and climb the obvious path to the summit in full view. In reality, the real summit is not accessible to hikers, as it is an 80 m high monolith (difficult climbing).

(7) Retrace your steps.

(6) Go left towards the La Goleta parking lot. Descend through undergrowth. This is the usual way up (many hikers).

(8) Take the path on the left just before the parking lot, towards La Culata / Tejeda. Descend into the undergrowth.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right. Take the opposite route back to the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,225 m - La Culata
  2. 1 : km 0.27 - alt. 1,248 m - Start of a downhill path
  3. 2 : km 0.44 - alt. 1,258 m - Cross
  4. 3 : km 0.75 - alt. 1,339 m - Carrefour de la boucle
  5. 4 : km 2.6 - alt. 1,621 m - Unnamed pass
  6. 5 : km 3.2 - alt. 1,626 m - Fork
  7. 6 : km 3.8 - alt. 1,710 m - Shoulder at the foot of - Roque Nubio
  8. 7 : km 4.19 - alt. 1,747 m - Roque Nubio
  9. 8 : km 5.6 - alt. 1,582 m - La Goleta - Car park
  10. S/E : km 7.51 - alt. 1,225 m - La Culata

Notes

Start: Start from the village square in La Culata, parking below the square.

Refreshments : ⚠️ La Culata is a pretty village, but there's no water on the way.

Note: You'll come across a lot of tourists between La Roque Nubio and the car park, but the site is really superb. It's best to leave early and enjoy the goat stew (carne de cabra) at the village restaurant on the way back.

Maps: Use the Gran Canaria Tour & Trail 50000e paper map.

Worth a visit

The hike can start from Tajeda, ask at the Tourist Office.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
JF DEBLONDE
JF DEBLONDE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Reliable and always relevant description.

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User 15535614

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, starting from La Culata and following the suggested route, you will not need to present a pass to walk the trail from La Goleta to Roque Nublo. We had a beautiful day with superb views across the whole island.

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Laurent Lapedra
Laurent Lapedra

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A bit of a long and arduous descent but a very pleasant hike.
I recommend the stew 😀

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ageep
ageep

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant route, with some great views of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Roque Nublo was covered in clouds, which the sun had trouble penetrating. The goat stew is as good as ever at the little restaurant in Culata, with a friendly welcome...

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ECHAUFFOUR
ECHAUFFOUR

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike from La Culata in early December 2023.
At that time of year, traffic was limited until the junction with the car park 500 metres before Roque Nublo. We climbed up and down in an anti-clockwise direction. It takes longer to go up but is less difficult.

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Winnie31
Winnie31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk from La Culata. The route is very well signposted. We had panoramic views of Gran Canaria and all the way to Tenerife and the Teide. On the way back we took the same route to avoid the crowds arriving at car park point 8.

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Anouk Jacquet
Anouk Jacquet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike that climbs gradually and offers magnificent views of the mountains, the ocean and the island of Tenerife in the distance. The advantage is that you can enjoy the scenery without the crowds that take the classic path from the La Goleta car park.
In fact, we preferred to take the same route on the way down.

A must-do!

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Cricri en marche
Cricri en marche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike. I preferred the ascent to the descent: it's full of flowers and not as crowded as the (long) descent to the car park.

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Alep44
Alep44

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike leading up to Roque Nublo, but virtually out of the way of the stream of visitors who have come to the site by car... Breathtaking panorama with Tenerife and Teide on the horizon.
La Culeta is a pleasant village to eat in on the way back.

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laurent du 94
laurent du 94

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful circuit. The Roque Nublo is magnificent. Only the Roque Nublo part of the route is frequented, otherwise there are few people. As I was coming from the south of the island, instead of parking at La Culata, I parked at point 8: be careful, you have to get there early as it's very busy and there aren't many spaces...

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millim
millim

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful walk. The little village of LA CULATA is worth a visit. There are indeed a lot of people at the ROQUE NUBLO, which is a magnificent site.

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jeremiez
jeremiez

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this hike. A real treat. Well-marked and well-maintained path through pine forests, with beautiful views of the surrounding rock formations all the way to the superb roque nublo. In the low season, you'll only come across people in this spot, I imagine there are more people in normal times (it's a must-see site on the island).

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