El Pajar: a charming family beach

El Pajar or Santa Agueda is an insider tip beach in the southwest of Gran Canaria. It's located between a natural and spectacular stone wall and the industrial port of the cement factory. This beach is perfect for families with small children, as the entrance to the calm waters is very easy and shallow. El Pajar is also an ideal place to relax or explore the bay by canoe or SUP paddle board.

 

A family beach with a special panorama

santa agueda stone wall in el pajar

If you want to spend a relaxing and pleasant day on the beach with Canarian flair, this is the place for you. Far away from the hustle and bustle and stress, you can enjoy this sandy beach of over 200 metres. The swimming conditions at El Pajar are ideal for families with children, thanks to its calm waters. 

 

On this beach, the locals come with their umbrellas and have picnics on the beach with chairs and tables, listen to music and talk with friends and families. Weekends are always busier, and in high season it can be difficult to find a parking space. We therefore recommend the low season.

 

Features of El Pajar

  • Foot showers
  • There are no toilettes, but if you buy something at the nearby restaurants or bars you can use them there.
  • The beach and water are very clean
  • There’s moderate natural residue on the beach and plenty in the water.
  • You’ll meet locals here, but also British or Germans. Mainly families with kids, but also couples.

 

How to get to the beach of el Pajar

This small fine sandy beach, mainly frequented by locals, is located between Pasito Blanco and Arguineguín, and is easy to find, since it’s clearly signposted from the GC-1. Getting to the beach is easy, as is getting to the beach from the car park, but finding a parking space can be difficult, depending on the time of year. Santa Agueda beach has the most visitors between June and SeptemberDecember to March is the least busy. You can leave your car on the road in the nearby housing estate. From there, it's less than 400 metres along a paved footpath to the beach.

 

 

Gastronomy in Santa Agueda

There are several restaurants and bars along the small beach promenade, with chairs and tables to sit comfortably under the trees and enjoy the view of the sea. Here you can get tapas, drinks and ice cream all year round. The restaurant La Bahía del Pajar or the bar Playa El Boya are very popular.

 

What to do at the beach of Pajar

Sports enthusiasts can enjoy the canoe and SUP-paddle board hire on site to explore the bay. However, the service is not available from 15 December to 15 January. We recommend booking in advance during the summer months.

 

In addition, the underwater world of the beach of El Pajar is ideal for diving and snorkelling. However, there’s no diving school on site, so you have to bring your own equipment. Diving enthusiasts can go in search of the sunken Russian hydrofoil Meteor II, which lies at a depth of 17 metres. Roncadors, electric rays and octopuses can be seen here.

 

meteor II hydrofoil in santa agueda in el pajar diving

 

Those who want a quieter plan can watch the fishing boats at the end of the bay sail in and out, or watch the cement factory being supplied: here, large barges drift through the Atlantic in front of the spectacular rock face and unload their cargo at the factory's industrial harbour. Also, worth seeing is the small chapel Ermita Cueva de Santa Águeda.

 

Weather at El Pajar

The highest average temperature in Arguineguín is reached in August, with a pleasant 26 degrees. January and February, on the other hand, are the coolest months, with temperatures still around 20 degrees.

 

The water temperature varies between 18 degrees in April and 23 degrees in September. There’s hardly any rain in the south of Gran Canaria, but if you don't want to risk it, you should avoid January, because on average it rains 8 times.

 

Santa Agueda: a natural beach

The beach of El Pajar or Santa Agueda is one of the few unspoilt beaches in Gran Canaria. It’s popular with the locals because the quiet and sheltered beach is the ideal place for families to spend the day together on the beach. 

 

The best way to enjoy the beaches of Gran Canaria is with accommodation directly on the beach of Gran Canaria. Also interesting are holiday rentals with a private pool, where especially the children will have a lot of fun. From bungalows, fincas or country houses, holiday rentals, apartments to villas: at VillaGranCanaria we have everything your heart desires.

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