Caldera de Gayria
The Caldera de Gayria, also written Gairía, is a volcanic cone in the interior of Fuerteventura, between the municipalities of Antigua and Tuineje and just east of the village of Tiscamanita. It rises some 170 metres above the plain and reaches 461 metres above sea level, keeping a well preserved crater that can be picked out from across the central part of the island. The climb is short but awkward, over loose lapilli and with no shade at all.
The cone was built by explosive eruptions that piled up lapilli, scoria and volcanic bombs, and it still keeps a sharply drawn crater. Together with the Malpaís Chico lava field it forms one of the most recent eruptive complexes on Fuerteventura. The protected area covers 240.9 hectares and was declared a natural site of national interest under law 12/1987, then reclassified as a natural monument under the Canary Islands protected areas law 12/1994. The vegetation is dominated by sweet and bitter tabaiba spurge scrub, typical of the arid parts of the island.
The guirre, the Canarian Egyptian vulture, uses the caldera as nesting territory, so move quietly and stay out of the crater interior. Inside there are also archaeological sites with pottery left by the early inhabitants of the island, which must not be touched or disturbed. The approach starts from around Tiscamanita and there is no surfaced path, so the ascent goes over loose volcanic gravel that slides underfoot and stretches out the expected timings. Wind blows steadily and there is no shade at all, which makes the middle hours of a summer day the worst choice.
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