In the south between Meloneras and Arguineguín you’ll find quite some small hidden beaches. One of them is Playa Montaña Arena. It’s a nudist beach so you’ll run into a lot of fully naked people (mainly men), but it’s not mandatory and you’ll find a lot of textiles (people wearing a bathing suit) or topless women. It’s all fine, just do whatever you are comfortable with.
Beaches like Las Canteras and Playa Amadores are off limits for dogs; this beach is dog friendly. Smoking isn’t allowed on any beach in Gran Canaria, but most people will smoke on this beach.
Visiting Playa Montaña Arena by car
If you go to the beach by car, enter these coordinates 27.752479, -15.642774 to find the parking. Entering the parking is an adventure, since it’s not a proper road and there are a ton of (deep) holes and bumps. Drive carefully and if you have a low car, it’s probably better to park next to the road.
Visiting Playa Montaña Arena by bus
At around a 5 minutes walk from the parking is a bus stop, Cuesta La Arena. There are several buses you can take to get there. From Las Palmas it takes about 1,5 hours to get here.
The walk to the beach
Once you parked your car, walk into the direction of the ocean. You will enter a rocky beach and find a path on your left. It’s about a 10 minutes walk to Playa Montaña Arena. Even though it’s not a hard walk, it’s recommended to wear shoes and not flipflops. At a couple of points you might need your hands to go up or down a bit. No steep climbs or decends are involved and you don’t need to be fit.
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Come prepared! There is no shade on the beach and no toilets. There is no cellphone reception and also no shops or other amenities. So make sure to bring umbrella’s, plenty of water, food and sunscreen.
Camping at the beach
Already when arriving at the parking you’ll notice tents everywhere. The beach, and this area in general, is popular for to set up camp and spend the night. This also means that in the evening the beach usually turns into a party place with (loud) music and people dancing. If you decide to sleep on the beach, make sure to pack warm clothes. Once the sun sets, it gets cold fast and you can’t make a fire to warm up (there’s no wood).
