Regardless of the reason, the area around Maspalomas is a very popular spot for naturist, especially ones from Germany, from what I hear. The entire beach between Maspalomas lighthouse and Playa Del Ingles is a haven for nude sunbathing. So also is Dunas Maspalomas or the dunes of Maspalomas. If you visit Gran Canaria and decide to take a camel ride through the dunes of Maspalomas, you should be prepared to view naked people baking in the sun.

Free body culture is nudity and nudity is a fact of life. Even the most modest of people will take their clothes off in the privacy of their bathroom for bathing. Everyone was born naked, yet depending upon your upbringing, as you get older, nudity can be seen as evil, disgraceful, or the everyday norm. There are parts of the world where nudity is not frowned upon and where the people have a more casual attitude towards being naked.

The Freikörperkultur (FKK) or Free body culture

The FKK movement in Germany stands for Freikorperkultur and translates to English as free body culture. In America, it is known as naturist or nudism, but whatever you want to call it, it boils down to the same thing. People like to get naked and lounge in the sun. People that are true naturist or FKK’lers are actually about more than just getting naked. It is a lifestyle to them, and it has more to do with getting back to nature than it does about getting naked.

People with this lifestyle are more likely to be vegetarians and prefer organic everything, but nevertheless, there is a strong contingent of FKK’lers in the Maspalomas area. A naturist believes that a person should be free to go without their clothing without fear of sex being thrown into the mix.

In Europe, the practice of going topless is acceptable on lots of public beaches but also legal, to be topless on most Mediterranean beaches and nude on quite a few of them. In America, in most places this will get you arrested. There are some accepted places in America where nudity is the norm, though in most places it is still illegal even if it is accepted. There are a few places where it is actually legal. France has a very laid-back attitude towards nudity, and Germany has the Freikörperkultur (FKK) movement, which has been around since the 1800s.

In the Canary Islands of Spain, on the island of Gran Canaria, in the area of Maspalomas, is one of the areas of the world where nudity is legal and accepted. The beach in the area of Maspalomas runs from the town of Maspalomas to the town of Playa del Ingles, which is about 8 km long. Backing part of this long expanse of beach is an area known as the Dunes of Maspalomas.

Nudist Beach in Maspalomas

The further you get from the Playa del Ingles area, the nuder the beach is. The area nearest Playa del Ingles is where the families tend to congregate and everyone keeps covered, but head down the beach towards Maspalomas and you will soon start noticing that there are more and more topless women lounging on the beach and playing in the water. Keep walking and you will soon begin to see nude people lounging in the sun and enjoying the ocean. If you were to keep going, you would then run into the area where gays tend to congregate. I think it is wonderful the way the breach tends to segregate itself into areas. This is a long-standing tradition in this area of Gran Canaria. Also, if you were to wander among the Dunes of Maspalomas, you would find nude sunbathers dotting the landscape like beautiful flowers blooming in the desert.

One of the reasons is that this particular area of Gran Canaria is very popular with German tourists. There are hotels and restaurants that cater to the needs of a German tourist, providing staff that speak German and serving foods that they are familiar with. With the industry providing what they need to have a comfortable holiday, it is no wonder that this area is popular. And with Europe’s relaxed attitude to nudity, it is no wonder that the FKK movement thrives here.

If getting naked on the beach and basking au naturel in the sun is your idea of a great vacation, you could do worse than planning a trip to the Playa del Ingles or Maspalomas area of Gran Canaria. And if you are German to boot, it is nice to know there are people there that speak your language, in more ways than one.

Alive and kicking nudity in Maspalomas

The first order of business is a couple of definitions. Maspalomas is an area in the south of Gran Canaria, which is one of the Canary Islands of Spain.

The practice of nudity or naturism is not new to many beaches of Spain where it has been permitted since the law was changed in 1989. For most participants, the activity is not fueled by sexual intent but rather an understanding that clothing is simply not necessary in this environment.

The sensation of sun, sand, water, and cooling breeze unencumbered by clothing allure with an exotic, perhaps primitive experience. For those from colder climes visiting a warm sunny nudist beach can be an unforgettable and most enjoyable vacation that begs to repeat at the earliest opportunity. Leaving the strict conventions and stresses of everyday life and finding oneself in a completely uninhibited form on a beautiful sandy beach is both incredibly relaxing yet also stimulating upon the senses.

Playa de Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles is a very large beach of 8 kilometres which is popular in Canary Islands. The clothed sections are found next to the adjoining resorts leaving a very large central nudist area and also a popular gay section. Saharan sand forms a large field of towering sand dunes 4 kilometers in the area which form a spectacular backdrop for this curved beach.

Bottom line

I hope you have enjoyed my introduction to Free Body Culture and that maybe I motivate you to visit one of these incredible beaches. So now you know the where and the what, and you now have one person’s opinion on the way. I do not exactly consider myself a naturist, however, I do strongly believe in a person’s right to get naked on a warm beach. If this is not your style, and you do happen to run across an FKK practitioner in Maspalomas, I hope that you will do the polite thing and nonchalantly walk on by.

About Katarina Vancroft

Katarina Vancroft is a travel and destination blogger and content contributing editor. Her work has been featured in various online publications. As a contributor she writes about anything and everything under the Canarian sun at https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk. She wants to inspire others how we could see the world as a haven by travelling.