Roque Nublo: The Core of a Vanished Volcano
Canary Islands, Spain
Badge Unlock
Roque Nublo
Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.
300
XP
+100 Spain
= 400 total
1 day
Roque Nublo: The Core of a Vanished Volcano
300 + 100 XP
Roque Nublo stands in the middle of Gran Canaria at 1,813 metres, rising about 80 metres from its own base. It is what is left of a pyroclastic flow of welded blocks and ash from the explosive eruption of a stratovolcano that may have reached 3,000 metres — the Roque Nublo cycle, in the lower Miocene, which lasted a geologically brief 4.5 to 3.4 million years ago. Everything softer has eroded away around it. The pre-Hispanic islanders used it as a place of worship, and since 2019 it has been inside the Risco Caído and Sacred Mountains cultural landscape.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Walk up to the base of the monolith — about 80 metres of welded ash standing 1,813 metres above the sea
2
of 5
Work out what it is: the hard core left when a 3,000-metre stratovolcano eroded away around it
3
of 5
Find out that the pre-Hispanic islanders worshipped here, and what that means for how you behave at it
4
of 5
Look across at Teide on Tenerife, which on a clear day is the other thing everybody comes up for
5
of 5
Find out what the Risco Caído and Sacred Mountains cultural landscape is and why it was listed in 2019
Walk up to the base of the monolith — about 80 metres of welded ash standing 1,813 metres above the sea
Work out what it is: the hard core left when a 3,000-metre stratovolcano eroded away around it
Find out that the pre-Hispanic islanders worshipped here, and what that means for how you behave at it
Look across at Teide on Tenerife, which on a clear day is the other thing everybody comes up for
Find out what the Risco Caído and Sacred Mountains cultural landscape is and why it was listed in 2019
Before you go
The walk is short but at altitude and fully exposed, and the summit is frequently in cloud. It gets cold and windy up here even when the coast is hot.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Canary Islands
Loading region info…
Explore more about Canary Islands:
Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
More challenges nearby
within 100km
Vegueta: The First Castilian Town in the Atlantic
Spain · Canary Islands
history
easy
1d
24 km away
Maspalomas: A Dune Field Nobody Expected to Survive
Spain · Canary Islands
nature
easy
1d
25 km away
Anaga: The Most Endemic-Rich Place in Europe
Spain · Canary Islands
nature
hard
1d
88 km away