A camel ride in the Maspalomas dunes

The ride starts at the camel station, which the operator calls Camel Reception, on Calle Oceanía by La Charca, the lagoon at the western edge of the Maspalomas dunes, about 17 minutes' walk from the Faro de Maspalomas lighthouse. The operator asks you to check in 10 to 15 minutes before your ride. The dromedaries wait kneeling, each carrying a two-seat saddle with a rider on either side; they rise, and the caravan sets off on foot behind its guides, who the GetYourGuide listing says are Saharawi. The operator puts the ride at 30 to 35 minutes, out across the sand and back, with a caravan leaving about every 30 minutes from 09:15 until the last admission at 14:15. Afternoons, the operator says, are kept for the animals' care and rest.

The setting is what you are paying for. The dunes are a Special Natural Reserve of about 400 hectares, protected by the Canary Islands government and managed by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, with the lagoon, a palm grove and the beach inside it. Walkers must stay on the marked paths and out of the restricted areas, and in July 2026 the Cabildo was adding drones, cameras and sensors to keep people off the closed dunes. The operator says the caravan follows visitor paths in the reserve, so from the saddle you get the dunes' sand and scrub at a camel's pace and height, without leaving the permitted route.

On GetYourGuide the ride costs from 18 euros, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The operator's own site charges the same 18 euros for adults, 13 euros for children aged 3 to 12, and nothing for infants up to 3 who ride with a parent, with a deposit online and the rest paid at reception. The usual maximum is 100 kg per rider, and anyone who would rather not ride can wait at the reception area and meet the caravan when it comes back. Afterwards, the lagoon, the lighthouse and the Meloneras promenade are all a short walk away, which is how the operator suggests filling the rest of the morning.

Of the camel rides sold on GetYourGuide for Gran Canaria, this is the only one in the dunes themselves and by far the most reviewed: 4.4 from about 5,300 reviews at 18 euros on 6 November 2026. The nearest alternative, a 30-minute ride at Camel Safari Park, is in a palm oasis in a ravine inland, not on the sand: rated 4.1 from about 350 reviews, from 20 euros. A half-day camel safari at the same park, with optional food and transport, was rated 4.2 from about 1,300 at 48 euros. A few e-bike and e-scooter tours from Playa del Inglés add a dune camel ride for 89 euros, each with only a few dozen reviews.

Buying direct from the operator costs the same 18 euros for an adult, and 13 euros for a child aged 3 to 12; families with children should compare that with the child price in the GetYourGuide calendar, though booking here keeps GetYourGuide's free cancellation. For a longer family day with animals, our page The animal park covers Palmitos Park; for the desert look of the south from a vehicle, The mountains, by jeep; and for the same dry southern skies after dark, The night sky.