One cannot visit Gran Canaria and not walk through the dunes of maspalomas if one if able. It can be hard going, the sand can be hot, but sliding down the high dunes is a lot of fun, there's lots of strange vegetation, seeds with spikes that dig into skin or fur, fields of salty sand that give a good foot massage, big lizards, birds of prey, rushes higher than people, and areas with impassable brush.
(The pictures look different because many were made with a camera phone, sand isn't good for the big camera.)
We started out the at Riu Palace hotel and went south-west, our goal being the Faro de Maspalomas.