Gran Canaria's banana, rum and coffee story comes in two sizes. Banana World in Arucas is a 40-minute plantation tour with a tasting from ~€15, but you have to get yourself to the north coast. The Premium Tour is an 8-hour day from ~€69 that adds rum, wine, coffee and a mojo workshop, with pickup included. In Las Palmas or with a car, book the first; in the south without one, the second.
Gran Canaria: Banana World Guided Tour & Tasting
A guided walk through a working banana plantation in Arucas, with Atlantic views and a tasting of jams, wines and liqueurs made from Canarian bananas.
- About 40 minutes, guided in English or Spanish
- Thirteen banana varieties on the guided route
- Tasting of Canarian banana products
- Entry to Hacienda La ReKompensa included
Total price from
€15
Includes taxes and fees
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Banana World or the Premium Tour: which should you book?
These are the two best-reviewed ways to do it on GetYourGuide, and they are not a cheap and an expensive version of the same thing. One is a focused visit; the other is a day out with a banana stop in it.
| Banana World | Premium Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | ~40 min | ~8 hours |
| Price | ~€15 | ~€69 |
| Transport | Get there yourself | Pickup included |
| Rum and coffee | No | Yes |
| Runs | Daily | Thursdays |
Book Banana World if you are staying in Las Palmas, or have a hire car for a day in the north. It is short, cheap and easy to fit around the rest of Arucas.
Book the Premium Tour if you are in the southern resorts without a car and are free on a Thursday. The pickup is the point: the north coast is the far side of the island from Maspalomas, and the tour turns a long drive into a day of tastings. Both include a banana museum visit in Arucas, so there is no reason to book both.
What happens at Banana World?
Banana World is run by Mundo del Plátano at Hacienda La ReKompensa, a banana plantation in Arucas on the north coast. The guided route shows thirteen types of banana, out of more than 50 varieties grown on the estate, along with other crops such as avocado, and it explains how Canarian bananas are cultivated and harvested.
The tour finishes with a tasting of products made from Canarian bananas, including jams, banana wine and liqueur. After that you are free to walk back through the plantation for photos or sit in the gardens looking over the banana terraces to the Atlantic.
The hacienda's own booking page puts the guided tour and tasting together at about an hour, a little longer than the 40 minutes GetYourGuide lists for the tour itself.
- English tours: every hour at half past, from 10:30 to 17:30
- Spanish tours: every hour on the hour, from 10:00 to 17:00
- Address: Camino del Laurel 9, Arucas
- Not suitable for: people with mobility impairments
- Cancellation: free up to 24 hours ahead on GetYourGuide
Do you need to book Banana World in advance?
No, and it is worth knowing before you pay. Hacienda La ReKompensa says no advance booking is needed: you can arrive and join the next tour in English or Spanish. Booking through GetYourGuide fixes your price and time with free cancellation, which is useful on a tight day or with children, but it is not required to get in.
Reviews are warm about the guides and the setting. The recurring note, from a minority, is that the tour itself is short for the price, so treat it as a pleasant hour in a beautiful plantation rather than a half-day attraction.
What does the Premium Tour include?
The Gran Canaria Premium Tour, run by LOW COST Tours Gran Canaria, is an 8-hour route through the north and east of the island built around four stops:
- Arehucas rum distillery, Arucas: a guided tour of the production line and a tasting
- Banana museum, Arucas: the history of banana growing in the Canaries, with a tasting
- Agaete: about an hour of free time for lunch
- Finca Los Berrazales, Agaete Valley: wine tasting, coffee tasting and a workshop making Canarian mojo sauce
Three details in the fine print matter. The distillery tour is given only in English and German, and the operator notes that the rum factory is not visited on public holidays. Lunch in Agaete is not included in the price.
The operator also lists the tour as not adapted for people with reduced mobility, and asks guests to confirm their exact pickup point and time by WhatsApp. On the operator's own site the tour costs €69 for adults and €59 for children under 11, with babies free.
What if Thursday doesn't work?
LOW COST Tours Gran Canaria lists Thursday as the only departure day for this route, so check the calendar on GetYourGuide before you plan the rest of your week around it.
If Thursday does not work and rum is the part you care about, a standalone guided tour at the Ron Arehucas distillery is also listed, and it pairs easily with Banana World on the same morning in Arucas if you are driving.
Recent Premium Tour reviewers mention the mojo workshop and the bilingual guide as highlights, and one points out that the day involves a fair amount of walking. Wear comfortable shoes.
Which base works for a banana and rum day?
Las Palmas is the easy base for Banana World, since Arucas is next door on the same coast. Our things to do in Las Palmas guide covers the rest of the capital if you are building a northern stay. For a full day rather than one stop, our Teror, Arucas and Agaete guide adds a Sunday market and natural pools to the same corner of the island.
From the south, the Premium Tour handles the distance for you. If you have not chosen where to stay yet, our where to stay in Gran Canaria guide sets the north against the southern resorts. For another full day inland from the south, with lunch and a summit sunset instead of rum, see the Gran Canaria volcano sunset tour.
FAQ – banana, rum and coffee tours in Gran Canaria
Featured image: Wolfgang Sauber / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
