Los Cercados: Hiking around the lake

Los Cercados offers a specific starting point for a hiking-focused trip: a circular hike around the lake is listed there. Other route details refer to Chira and Cercados de Araña. If you are looking for hotels for your stay, it may help to first decide which of these hikes or landscape features are particularly important to your trip.

The lakeside loop near Los Cercados

The circular hike around the lake is rated as technically moderate. A route listing from 2022 gives a total time of 2 hours and 10 minutes. The elevation ranges from 927 to 1,035 meters. These figures refer to the described lakeside loop and give you specific points of reference for planning your time and elevation. Check local trail conditions before setting off; the stated duration is a planning estimate for this hike, not a walking time for other routes.

Trails near Chira and in Pilancones Natural Park

The Ruta Pista de Chira offers a different route: it passes the hamlet of Cercados de Araña and enters Pilancones Natural Park. Its course therefore differs from the lakeside loop near Los Cercados. The park includes well-preserved pine habitats with good bird populations, as well as endangered animal and plant species. Check current access and trail signage before setting off on the Ruta Pista de Chira.

A circular route is also listed: the Circular de Chira (Cercados de Araña) is designated as a loop. Another trail, the Barranco de los Manantiales circular hike, passes through a ravine with cave houses on both sides. These different descriptions offer insight into a range of landscapes: a designated loop, a trail through a protected area, and a ravine with cave houses.

Chira: dam and routes

The Presa de Chira was completed in 1964. Its name also appears in the title of the mountain biking loop “Presa de Chira – Los Cercados – Presa de Chira.” According to its description, most of this route follows a forest track; the tour description also highlights the views. Check local route conditions before setting off.

A route description for a hike from 2018 places the start of the Presa de Chira – Cruz de Agustina – Lomo Palmito tour next to the Albergue de Chira. This is a separate route option from the lakeside loop and the mountain biking trail. The named destinations help distinguish the different tours without implying that they follow the same course.

Cercados de Araña and named cultural landscapes

In Cercados de Araña, the settlement lies in a valley beside a pine forest. A small mountain divides it into Cercados de Arriba and Cercados de Abajo; the Ermita de San Juan is located at the highest point. The name Cercados de Araña comes from early landowners with the surname Araña. The Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria also passes through Chira and Los Cercados de Araña.

Another named landscape is the Cadenas Agrícolas en el Llano del Corral. Its cultivated terraces were built from local dry-stone walls and adapted to the slope. Here, the materials and the shape of the terrain are closely linked: the terraces follow the slope rather than forming a surface independent of it.

Pino y Ermita de Santiago de Tunte can be reached via a track from the road that descends toward Cercados de Araña and Chira. Only a square area, stone layers at the bottom, and cement on the surface have been preserved there. A trip to Los Cercados therefore offers several distinct themes: the lakeside loop, trails associated with Chira, and named landscape and cultural features. Plan your hikes according to the route descriptions and check the relevant conditions before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Playa Del Ingles, Fátaga, Montaña La Data, El Tablero, Maspalomas, San Agustin, Playa Del Águila, Pasito Blanco

For the broader travel overview: San Bartolomé De Tirajana.