Gran Canaria, originally named Tamaran (meaning "land of the brave") is one of the most popular islands of the Canary Archipelago and is also known as "The Little Continent". The original inhabitants of Gran Canaria were the "Guanches", they came from the nearby African coast and were Berber in origen and reached the islands at different times. The variation in climate and temperature is very high, from green areas and forests in the North-West till the arid, dry and even desert like with the famous sand dunes of Maspalomas. The difference is easy to explain: Because of the high mountains in the centre, which separates the island in North and South, falls in the North much more rain then in the South. Some of that mountanins are: Pico de las Nieves, Roque Nublo and Roque Bentaiga. This weather in combination with the beaches and the accommodations makes Gran Canaria to a very popular destination for those who likes spending a holiday or even a complete winter in the sun. For the younger people Playa del Ingles is a well known place with her big offer of bars, discotheques, restaurants and activities. The older people and families are choosing mostly the more quiet places like Maspalomas, Sonnenland, Puerto Rico or the picturesque village Puerto de Mogan. Unfortunately the reputation of Gran Canaria went down the last few years. Probably the reason for this is that many tourists go to one destination, for example Playa del Ingle, without looking further. We would really advise everybody to discover the beautiful inlands of Gran Canaria by car or by an organized excursion, or to visit some other places like Telde, Las Palmas or Agaete and you will see that Gran Canaria offers more then a buzzing night life.