On islands built by fire, some of the most surprising homes aren't built at all — they're carved into the rock itself. The Canary Islands have one of Europe's living traditions of cave dwelling, stretching in an unbroken line from the aboriginal Guanches to families, artists and hoteliers who still live and work underground today. In the highlands of Gran Canaria and the barrancos of the north, whole villages burrow into the soft volcanic tuff — cool in summer, warm in winter, and quietly ingenious. There are cave homes, cave churches, cave restaurants and even cave hotels, and exploring them is one of the most atmospheric things you can do on the islands.
Here's the story of the Canaries' troglodyte dwellings — why people carved into the rock, where the aboriginal cave culture survives, and the best places to see (and even sleep in) a cave today.
Why live in a cave?
It's not primitive — it's clever. The islands' volcanic rock, especially the compacted ash known as tuff, is soft enough to dig by hand yet stable enough to hold a roof. A cave carved into a hillside stays at a remarkably even temperature all year: cool through the summer heat and mild on winter nights, with no heating or air-conditioning needed. It's cheap, durable, earthquake-resistant and beautifully suited to a dry climate. Little wonder the practice has endured for thousands of years.
The Guanche origins
Long before the Spanish conquest, the aboriginal Guanches made caves the centre of their world. They lived in natural and hand-cut caves in the ravines, stored grain in them, held ceremonies in them and buried their mummified dead deep inside the most remote of all. Whole cave settlements survive across the islands — nowhere more impressively than the great granary complex at Cenobio de Valerón on Gran Canaria, where hundreds of small silos are honeycombed into a cliff beneath a natural rock arch, a masterpiece of communal aboriginal engineering.
To understand the aboriginal cave world before you explore, pair a visit to Cenobio de Valerón with one of the islands' archaeology museums. Seeing the tools, pottery and grain stores in context makes the cave settlements come alive.
Barranco de Guayadeque — the living cave valley
The most famous place to see cave life today is the Barranco de Guayadeque, a dramatic ravine cutting into the highlands of eastern Gran Canaria. Once a major Guanche settlement, it's still inhabited — a scattering of whitewashed cave homes cling to its steep sides, their windows and doors set into the rock face. The valley has a cave church hollowed from the mountain and, most memorably for visitors, a cluster of celebrated cave restaurants where you can eat hearty Canarian country cooking in dining rooms dug deep into the hillside. It's an unforgettable, only-in-the-Canaries experience — see our full guide to the Barranco de Guayadeque.
Artenara — the highest (and most hidden) village
High in the Gran Canaria mountains sits Artenara, the island's loftiest village and one of its most enchanting. Many of its houses are still partly or wholly carved into the rock, and it's home to a remarkable cave chapel, the Ermita de la Virgen de la Cuevita, hewn entirely from the mountainside, with its altar, pulpit and confessional all carved from living rock. The village clings to the edge of the great caldera at the island's heart, with staggering views towards Roque Nublo and, on clear days, Mount Teide across the sea. Our guide to Artenara has the full picture.
Mountain villages like Artenara sit at altitude on winding roads, and clouds often gather over the highlands by afternoon. Bring a layer, drive carefully, and aim to arrive earlier in the day for the clearest views.
Cave churches and sacred spaces
The tradition of carving into rock didn't stop with homes. Across the islands you'll find cave churches and hermitages, from Artenara's Ermita de la Cuevita to chapels tucked into the barrancos elsewhere. These cool, hushed, candle-lit spaces have a quiet power all their own, blending folk faith with the islands' deep rock-dwelling heritage.
Where to see — and stay in — cave dwellings
| Place | Island | What you'll find |
|---|---|---|
| Barranco de Guayadeque | Gran Canaria | Inhabited cave village, cave church, cave restaurants |
| Artenara | Gran Canaria | Cave houses and the rock-hewn Ermita de la Cuevita |
| Cenobio de Valerón | Gran Canaria | Ancient Guanche cave granary in a cliff |
| Northern barrancos & villages | Various | Traditional cave homes, some let as cave-hotel stays |
For the full experience, you can even sleep in a cave: converted cave houses are let as characterful holiday rentals and boutique cave hotels, especially around the Gran Canaria highlands. Whitewashed and cosy, with modern comforts tucked into rock-walled rooms, they're a wonderfully atmospheric alternative to a standard resort hotel.
Life in a modern cave home
Step inside a lived-in cave house today and you may be surprised by how ordinary — and comfortable — it feels. Behind a whitewashed façade set into the hillside, rooms open one into the next, deeper into the rock, with smooth plastered walls, tiled floors, kitchens, bathrooms and every modern convenience. The rock does the hard work the climate would otherwise demand: no air-conditioning in the summer heat, no heating on cool winter nights, just a steady, cave-cool calm. Many owners take real pride in these homes, passing them down the family and extending them room by room. Far from being a relic, cave living is prized for being cheap to run, quiet and remarkably green — a centuries-old answer to challenges the rest of the world is only now rediscovering.
A tradition that endures
What makes the Canary cave houses so special is that they're not a museum piece — they're a living way of life, carried down from the islands' first inhabitants to the present day and adapting all the while. To trace that thread further, read about the Guanches who began it, wander the inhabited ravine of the Barranco de Guayadeque, and climb to mountain-top Artenara. Step inside a cave home on a hot island afternoon and feel that cool, still air, and you'll understand at once why islanders have been carving into the rock for thousands of years.