Playa Guigui (also called Playa de Güigüí) is a remote beach on the west coast of the Spanish island Gran Canaria. You can only reach it by boat or by a 2-3 hour hike – a return trip takes a total of 4-6 hours of hiking.
Having lived on Gran Canaria for 6 months, it had always been my dream to hike to Playa Guigui. However, none of my friends wanted to join me as the hike to get there is supposed to be extremely hard and I also didn’t want to go alone.
One year later I returned to Gran Canaria and a local friend offered to hike there with me. To avoid having to hike all way back on the same day we decided to spend a night on the beach and camp there.
As the beaches in the touristy area of the island can be quite crowded I was more than excited to visit this untouched virgin beach.
Plus, I always love an adventure and this was definitely an unforgettable one!
Table of Contents
How to get there
For getting to Playa Guigui you need either a boat or a car and a fit body which is able to cross a mountain.
By car + hike
If you want to hike to Playa Guigui, you first need to get to the trailhead by car.
Take the island’s main highway GC-1 until it ends near Puerto de Mogán. From there take GC-200 via Mogán and stay on this road for 22 km. Then turn left on GC-204 and follow this road, passing through the villages Casas Blancas and Tasartico.
In Tasartico the road changes to a dirt road, so don’t be thrown off by that. Just follow the dirt road for about 5 minutes until you see a big green sign on the right pointing to “Güigüi Snack bar”. On the opposite side of the sign there’s a small parking lot and this is where the trail starts.
Getting to the beach requires you to cross a mountain. First, you have to climb up to the peak of the mountain. From there you walk downhill on the other side until you reach the beach.
Here’s the exact location of the trailhead:
W5CR+XJ La Aldea de San Nicolás, Spain
Just copy+paste this code in Google Maps and the app will show you the way to the starting point of the trail.
Taxi boat to Playa Guigui
If hiking is not your thing you can also take part in an excursion to Playa Guigui by boat.
Personally, I don’t like these group excursions for tourists because I feel like it destroys the essence of visiting a remote virgin beach. However, for those who don’t enjoy the active part of getting there, this might be a good alternative to see Playa Guigui.
Things to know before you go
There’s no phone signal
You won’t have a signal – neither on the beach Guigui itself nor on the trail to get there. Use the time to enjoy the experience, live in the moment and take a break from social media.
The hike requires a certain level of fitness
Crossing the mountain to get to Playa Guigui could be challenging if you’re not used to doing sports. However, if you’re a fit person it shouldn’t be a problem.
For me personally it was slightly challenging (mainly because of the heat and the heavy backpack) but not bad at all.
Bring enough food and drinks
You can’t buy anything there – neither on the beach, nor during the hike. Make sure to bring enough food and drinks for your time at Playa Guigui.
I recommend buying it in the town where you have your accommodation. On the way to the trailhead you drive through mainly rural areas and it could be difficult to find a supermarket there.
There’s no shade on the beach
As Playa Guigui is a remote virgin beach you won’t find anything but sand and the surrounding cliffs there. So be prepared to be exposed to the sun at all times if you don’t bring your own umbrella.
Playa Guigui is a nudist beach
But don’t worry – you don’t HAVE TO be naked. Most probably you’ll see more people wearing a swimsuit than those who are naked.
Camping on Playa Guigui
Camping on Playa Guigui is officially prohibited. My local friend had told me that the reason for that was because in the past campers had left lots of garbage behind. In order to reduce the harm to the environment they prohibited camping.
However, as long as you behave responsibly regarding the environment and take all your garbage with you it’s fine. There’s no police to check on you, they just want to reduce the garbage problem.
Here are some important considerations if you want to camp there:
- Make sure to fix your tent well with heavy rocks as the wind blows extremely strong at night.
- Don’t put your tent too close to the water. You don’t want to wake up to a soaked tent after the tide has risen.
- Bring some warm clothes and a sleeping bag as it can get quite fresh at night.
Don’t leave any garbage behind
Playa Guigui is completely remote so you won’t find garbage cans anywhere. As mentioned above, everything you bring there, you also have to bring back.
Don’t harm this paradise by leaving bottles or wrappings on the beach or on the trail!
Time management
If you return on the same day make sure to start the hike early in the morning. The roundtrip takes 4-6 h in total and you also want to spend some time on the beach.
Stop at Los Azulejos
On the way to the trailhead of the hike you pass by “Los Azulejos” in Veneguera. You can park your car on the side of the road and quickly hop out to see this: Blue rocks! It will only take you 5-10 minutes as they’re right next to the road.
This is impressive and I was so glad that my friend showed it to me.
Best time to go
The climate on Gran Canaria is mild and spring-like all year around. This means that you can visit Playa Guigui any time of the year.
However, the weather on the east coast can also be rough with strong winds that cause huge waves. This is most likely to happen between November and February.
The perfect time for visiting Playa Guigui is from May to September. But there can also be ideal conditions on a sunny winter day in December. Just make sure to check the weather forecast before you go.
If you seek to be almost by yourself on the beach, go on a weekday. Usually, more people visit Playa Guigui on Saturday and Sunday.
What to pack
Looking at my outfit on the photos you can see that I wasn’t prepared for hiking. When I packed for my Gran Canaria trip I had only packed beach clothes. The decision to hike to Playa Guigui was super spontaneous.
I definitely recommend bringing some proper trekking clothes (especially shoes!) for the hike.
- Hiking shoes
- Water: 3 litres per person
- Food
- Sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun
- Sunglasses
- Camera
- Towel
- Swimsuit
- Book or games: Anything that doesn’t require a phone signal
- Tissues or toilet paper
If you stay overnight:
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Plastic bag to collect your garbage
- Warm clothes for the night
- Flashlight
- Powerbank to charge your phone
- Speakers
Hike to Playa Guigui
It was 1 pm when we arrived to the trailhead and started the hike. This is the worst time to go as the sun is the strongest. If you can, go early in the morning.
But we were lucky: It was a bit cloudy that day so the heat was bearable. It took us about an hour to reach the peak of the mountain. We didn’t make any breaks but also didn’t walk super fast. Depending on your level of fitness you might need a bit less or more than an hour.
It actually surprised me how easily we reached the peak. Many people had told me that it would be extremely exhausting to get there. If you’re a fit person, this hike won’t be challenging for you.
The trail is well maintained and easy to find, so there’s no risk of getting lost.
At the peak of the mountain I was extremely impressed by the view and also happy that the hardest part of the climb was over. We made a short break on the top to enjoy the view and to take some photos before we started the descend on the other side.
Especially during the descend the view is stunning. Impressive mountain ranges surround the trail and you constantly see the ocean in front of you.
The further you get, the greener the scenery becomes. While it’s more desert-like near the peak, you can see palm trees and other plants the closer you get to the ocean.
The descend took us a little more than an hour as the distance down to the beach is a bit longer.
Arriving to Playa Guigui
When we finally reached the point where we could spot the beach for the first time I couldn’t hold my excitement back anymore. Like a kid on Christmas I ran down the last part of the trail, incredibly happy to have arrived.
The beauty and the tranquility of this beach amazed me. First things fist, I jumped into the water straight away to cool down. You can imagine how refreshing it felt after such a long walk in the heat.
There were only a few other people on the beach who visited Playa Guigui just for the day. After a while all of them had left and we were the only ones who stayed. It’s an amazing feeling to have this whole beach to yourself – nothing but pure nature in an isolated place, far away from civilisation.
Guigui Grande and Guigui Chico
Playa Guigui consists of two beaches. Guigui Grande is the first one you see when you arrive.
The second one is called Guigui Chico and you can only reach it when the tide is low. At the end of Guigui Grande you need to walk around the rocks to get there.
But be careful if you’re on Guigui Chico to head back before the tide rises, otherwise you’re stuck there!
The most mind-blowing part of this trip was when we suddenly encountered a cat on the beach. And not only one, there were three cats down there and they all seemed to be healthy and well-fed. I couldn’t believe it – how would they get there? What would they eat?
I had never seen a cat on a beach before. They were really cute and the one in the photo above always tried to be near us.
Camping on Playa Guigui
We set up our tent just before sunset. It’s important not to put it too close to the water as the tide might rise overnight. And you don’t want to wake up to a soaked tent at night.
The atmosphere on the beach was so peaceful, especially when the sun started to set. But the highlight of this trip was yet to come and it was so unexpected.
At night when we were already inside the tent I was wondering if we could see the stars. I gazed outside and I was left speechless. The whole sky was full of stars and you could see them so clearly because there’s no light around.
It was overwhelming. Being on a beach in the middle of nowhere, hearing nothing but the waves while looking up to a sky full of stars.
I can’t put into words how breathtaking this moment was. And we even spotted some shooting stars.
Falling asleep to the sound of the waves was incredibly relaxing. However, I didn’t sleep much as the wind blew extremely strong at night. It felt as if the tent would be blown away any second – but luckily, this never happened.
Next morning we woke up at around 7 am when the sun started to warm up our tent. The wind has calmed down by then. Gazing out of the tent we had pink clouds and the calm, turquoise ocean in front of us – I didn’t even want to leave this place.
But we needed to head back early to avoid hiking in the heat. At 8:30 am we had packed up everything and made our way back to the car.
Playa Guigui – Is it worth it?
Yes, definitely!
I’ve been living on Gran Canaria for 6 months and Playa Guigui was my absolute highlight of the island. I recommend this hike to everyone who enjoys exploring places that are off the beaten track.
If you can, camp there! This was the best part about it as you can stay on the beach while all the others have to head back before it gets dark. Especially the sunset and the stars were worth staying and you can really enjoy your time on the beach without having to think about the long hike back.
But even if you don’t camp there it’s a great experience and still totally worth it to do the hike. The views of mountain ranges, cliffs, vegetation and the ocean ahead of you make the hike a great adventure. Then, finally arriving to the beach after this exhausting hike is the best reward you could get.
In many blogs I’ve read about how hard this hike is supposed to be and that you have to be well prepared. Please don’t be daunted by that – I expected it to be way harder and if you’re used to hiking it’s actually quite easy.
If you have any questions about the hike to Playa Guigui or other questions related to Gran Canaria feel free to contact me on Instagram! I was living on the island and have visited most places there.
Do you enjoy exploring places off the beaten track too?
If so, check out my post about the top hidden gems on Gran Canaria.
Coffee is the fuel that keeps me running. I put a lot of time and effort into creating blog posts to make travel planning easier for you. If you benefited from my blog, I would appreciate a cup of coffee! 🙂
May 26, 2019 at 12:22 pm
Hello.
We have not been there although we have visited Gran Canarias. I am glad that You told us about this. Thank You.
Happy and safe travels!
May 26, 2019 at 6:42 pm
I consider it as the most beautiful place of the island! If you ever return to the island and you like hiking I recommend you to hike to Playa Güigüi! 🙂
June 2, 2019 at 1:28 am
I’d love to camp in the beach. Your description made it sound so beautiful and romantic. Such lovely photos too.
June 4, 2019 at 10:31 pm
It was such a unique and exciting experience. Thanks a lot!
May 12, 2020 at 2:09 pm
Such an interesting post! I will be sure to add it to my itinerary when I visit Gran Canaria 🙂 Thanks Maria xx
May 13, 2020 at 7:37 am
I’m glad you like it! Hope you geht the chance to go there someday!! 🙂
May 12, 2020 at 9:36 pm
This beach looks amazing Maria! I’d love to try camping there 😍
May 13, 2020 at 7:37 am
It was truly amazing, I’m sure you’d love it!
December 12, 2020 at 6:10 pm
Ths beach looks amazing! Thanks for a lot for all the tips, it must be so nice to have this place to yourself!
December 12, 2020 at 7:21 pm
Playa Guigui looks incredible! This was a fun read! Also, I LOVE your photos!
December 13, 2020 at 10:14 am
Thank you so much Courtney! It really is incredible!