Gran Canaria boasts a kaleidoscope of options for families in need of an occasional distraction from the sun, sea and sand.

If you come to Gran Canaria expecting just beaches and sunlounges, you’re selling yourself short. This island is bursting with adventure parks, animal sanctuaries, wonderlands and oddities you won’t see anywhere else.

Here’s a grand tour of our pick

Aqualand Maspalomas (Maspalomas)
Here’s your splash haven. Thirty or so slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, kids’ splash zones, and even the ‘Skull Bay’ pirate theme zone. It’s the sort of day where you come back soaked but satisfied. Tip: arrive right at opening to beat crowds, and pack quick-dry clothes.

Sioux City (Maspalomas)
A throwback Wild West village in the south of Gran Canaria - dusty streets, horse rides, saloons, cowboy shows, gun-smoke effects and more. It’s staged, theatrical, nostalgic. You’ll see mock duels, stagecoach rides, dancers, and enough sawdust to feel you’ve time slipped. The locals bring it to life with gusto. It’s fun, especially for children and for those who grew up on Western films.

Palmitos Park (Maspalomas)
This is the island’s botanical-zoo gem, perched in a ravine inland from the beaches. You wander through submerged viewing galleries, orchid houses, butterfly domes, birds of prey displays and a dolphin show. The garden textures, the cliffs, the sprays of water under foliage - it’s like entering a lost valley. Expect to spend half a day here.

Camel Safari (Maspalomas)
Your adventure begins not with steel or splash, but with humped companions. In the dunes near Maspalomas, you’ll clamber aboard and trundle across shifting sands, feeling your own slight sway and hearing the leather tack creak. It’s slow, mild, and utterly meditative - not a rush, but a reminder of ancient travel. Ask your operator in advance for pick-up points; many hotels coordinate.

Segway Tours (Maspalomas/Playa del Inglés)
If you’d like to zip across parts of the island on two wheels (sort of), look up a local Segway operator near your resort. In the area there are guided Segway tours (sometimes combining coastal and inland paths). Picture gliding along seafront promenades, through palm groves, feeling acceleration under your core, hearing birds in trees, a modern, mellow thrill. Be sure to check weight limits, safety helmets, and whether the route includes uphill stretches.

Angry Birds Activity Park (Puerto Rico)
This is the only Angry Birds Activity Park in southern Europe and a fizzing 5,000 m² of climb-and-splash, trampolines, ropes, air-cannon zones, mini golf, water mist zones, slides, and more. Kids charge and parents join (or hide behind trees). It’s playful, vibrant, exhausting in the best possible way.

Crocodile Park (Agüimes)
This is not your typical thrill-ride park, it’s a place of rescue and sanctuary. Crocodiles, caimans, tortoises and reptiles seized, rescued, or abandoned find refuge here. The setting is humble but earnest. Walking past the enclosures, you might catch a snapping jaw, a scaled silhouette in water, or the lull of cooling mists. The sense is contemplative - animals with stories. Staff often share personal anecdotes of rescues and recoveries.

Hanger 37 (Tarajalillo)
This gem is one of those ‘underground locally loved’ spots. Hanger 37 is an entertainment & leisure centre containing air soft games, arcade games, virtual reality experiences, escape rooms and so on. It’s where teens drag parents begging for ‘just one more turn’ amidst the battlefield scenes, dim lights, glowing screens and laughter echoing in corridors.

Poema del Mar Aquarium (Las Palmas)
Built with ambition, this aquarium is one of the island’s newer showpieces. You’ll pass through shallow reefs, deep-ocean zones and freshwater tunnels. The biggest draw: a curved window of over 250 m², 36 m long and 7 m high, giving a panoramic gaze into deep sea realms. Sit pressed to the glass while a manta ray glides by overhead - you feel small, resonant and touched by another world.

Elder Museum of Science and Technology (Las Palmas)
Forget the ‘Do Not Touch’ signs of old-school museums; here, the rule is the opposite. Here, you’re encouraged to push buttons, twist knobs, and let your inner child run riot. It’s four floors of hands-on science: flight simulators, planetarium shows, robotics labs, even a replica space capsule that hums and rattles as if ready for launch. If fancy giving your brain a stretch between beach days, the Elder Museum is the perfect diversion.

Gran Canaria is not just sun and sea; it’s a stage for adventure, fun and curiosity. Whether you’re gliding through a leafy ravine, diving through aquatic glass, launching balls at cartoon pigs, or trudging across dunes on a camel, each offers a different shake of the kaleidoscope.
 
Tips & Flow

• Carry suncream, water, hats, closed shoes.
• Check opening hours and whether shows (like dolphins, birds of prey) are on specific times.
• Use combo tickets: Palmitos + Aqualand often offer “2-parks” passes.
• For the Crocodile Park, you may get guided tours in English, ask ahead.
• For Segway, ensure operator is certified and gives proper training.
• At Angry Birds, wear clothes you don’t mind being damp or grass-stained.