By: Serenity Pearlman
Culture, , ,

Cueva de Cuatro Puertas

Vol.2

Quick Facts

Fun meter: Glad we did it
Adventure: Culture
Where: Telde, Gran Canaria
Type: Archaeological site / Caves
Time: 1 hour
Level of difficulty: Eazy peazy
Good for what ages: anyone sure footed
Cost: Free
Access: drive right up with 5 min walk
Hint: there are more caves, keep exploring.

An Overview

Dad says that getting to wander wherever I want in an archaeological site is unusual. Most have ropes and barriers. These caves are just sitting there in the desert. We drove right up to them and in less than a 5 minute walk, Sojourn and I were in full on exploration. Four doors was cool, but the giant caves on the other side were much cooler. It’s a quick visit and it was fun.

How to Get There

The site is about 5 minutes off Highway 1. Just have your map program route you there. But don’t put Restaurante Bodegón Vandama in by accident like dad and you won’t have to drive in circles for no reason. It is not close at all. I could see mom rolling her eyes at him from the back seat. We parked at the end of the paved road on the dirt. The trail starts at the mailbox. Canarians don’t tend to explore in the middle of the day because they think it’s too hot. Which makes it the perfect time to go if you ask me. Sure, it was kinda hot, but it was nice to be there almost by ourselves. Although I bet the light at sunrise or sunset would be pretty sweet.

It’s Got Four Doors!!!

The four door cave is bigger than the adults expected, but pretty much what I saw in the photos. It’s bigger than a large manta ray but smaller than a blue whale. And get this…. it has 4 doors. Who knew?!? In the back of the bigger cave is a tiny cave. It was pretty dark in there but with dad’s phone I braved it. And Sojourn put his toe in. And then freaked out and started yelling BATS!!!. Which freaked me out. And then mommy too. There were no bats and dad just laughed at all of us. The light in the cave was pretty cool for photos and the cave is perfect for panoramas. I love running behind the camera and appearing again and again.

The Great Circle of Sheep’s Milk is Not Very Interesting.

I walked up above the cave with four doors and there was a circle on the rock. Apparently people poured sheep’s milk into the cracks. The end. Someone who likes old rocks or people who lived a long time ago might find this interesting. I doubt any kids will.

The Way Way Cooler Caves on the Other Side

Once you go down the trail on the other side, follow the signs, and you’ll find a bunch of caves piled on top of each other. These are really cool and totally worth visiting. The bottom cave was like a little house, with a window, and a door, and was tall enough that even dad didn’t have to duck. I like my house better, and don’t really plan to live in a cave. There were about five caves to check out, some open cubbies and others huge. Sojourn called them the pigeon caves. The birds were everywhere. And maybe a touch stinky. You should definitely wash your hands after. Be ready to do a little climbing up and down.

Cactus Fruit is Kinda Yummy

We saw many cactuses with fruit. They are called Tuno Indio or Prickly Pears. Turns out, you can eat them. We decided to bring one home to try it. It was bright purple, with lots of seeds and tasted sweet. I couldn’t chew the seeds and just swallowed them. Be careful of the tiny hairs on the outside. They look soft but they itch and stick everywhere. I don’t think I’d buy these if they were for sale at the store, but they are quite pretty.