The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

La Gomera – jewel of the Canaries

(with two bonus Tenerife hikes)

La Gomera is known as the Walkers Island due to a labyrinth of wonderful footpaths which snake through pockets of cloud forest, timeless villages and colorful flora. Its uninterrupted coastal views and dramatic volcanic landscapes make it the perfect destination for a Canary Islands walking holiday and a distinct change from my hikes on nearby Lanzarote (see by previous two blog posts from there). I spent six days walking this wonderful island with a KE Adventures group of 14 clients and a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide. We flew into Tenerife South airport and took the one hour ferry from Tenerife to the port of San Sebastian, the largest town on La Gomera. After a somewhat less than restful night at our hotel – due to Carnival – we transferred up to the Garajonay National Park for our first hike. . .

Physical Map of La Gomera. Roughly circular and about 14 miles in diameter, this rugged volcanic island has not had an eruption in millions of years. Red triangles indicate the towns and villages where we stayed. Garajonay National Park is seen in the center.
Some of our group of 14 clients and one guide heading through the cloud forest of Garajonay National Park on day 1
View from Alto de Garajonay (1484m), the high point on La Gomera. Strong winds from the southeast on our first couple of days walking brought a shroud of Saharan sand and disrupted flights in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
A zoom photo of a kestrel cowering from the wind at Alto de Garajonay. Buzzards were observed huddled in the forest rather than soaring this day.
A derelict vineyard house of typical Gomeran dry stone architecture in the village of Chipude where we stayed after our first day’s walk. The village, not this house.
A small parish church in Chipude’s square. Unlike in mainland Spain, the Canarians don’t seem to understand the concept of a plaza. If a town or village does have one, it is usually simply a large expanse of cement or paving stones.
The village of El Cercado at the start of our day 2 walk
Barranco del Agua, one of many deep ravines we crossed during the week
A forest path near Las Hayas, Garajonay National Park. Many of the paths at higher elevations were reminiscent of the island of Madeira (see my blog post from last March), with laurel and heather trees among many other species.
Our first view of Vallehermoso, where we stayed for two nights. Although the winds were reduced somewhat, visibility on day 2 was still fairly poor.
Coastal view from near the Hermitage of Santa Clara, seen on our circular walk from Vallehermoso on day 3.
Vallehermoso in the morning of day 4. Our guide’s family was from this picturesque town.
Another view of Vallehermoso, with Roque Cano on the right
A Tangier Pea (Lathyrus tingitanus)
Some of our group approaching the Mirador de Abrante on day 4. The desert-like landscape was quite a change from the cloud forest at higher elevations.
Atmospheric cliff-side view from the Mirador de Abrante as the mist rolls in. We hiked the very steep trail down to Agulo, seen below.
Coastal view from Agulo with the hamlet of Lepe and the fishing harbor of Hermigua beyond
Upper Hermigua, seen on the morning of day 5. Overall this town extends several kilometers along the valley.
A zoom photo of Pico del Teide (3718m, or 12,200 ft) taken from above Hermigua. This was our first view of the highest mountain in Spain, on the island of Tenerife.
Coastal view from above Hermigua. By day 5 the usual northeast trade winds had cleared the air.
Completing our circular walk on day 5, this is a view across Hermigua valley and beach, clearly showing the terraced agricultural fields that predominate on La Gomera
Pericallis steetzii, an aster endemic to La Gomera, seen at the start of day 6. For this final day hiking, we completed more than 12 miles on the long distance GR131 that crosses six of the Canary Islands.
Detail of Blue Tajinaste, another Canarian endemic, with a bee
Vista from the Mirador del Morro de Agando, one of the most spectacular viewpoints on the island
Detail of the laurisilva forest at Garajonay National Park. The laurel branches contain whole ecosystems.
Vista of Pico del Teide with Blue Tajinaste in the foreground
An old holloway in Garajonay National Park. The park occupies about 15 square miles in the center of La Gomera and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
Landscape looking south as we descended on the GR131 to San Sebastian. More farming terraces are evident here, as were signs of sheep and goats, although we never actually saw many. Most of the younger generation have left the hard rural life of La Gomera for the city in Tenerife or mainland Spain.
The port of San Sebastian. We had come full circle on the island!

After a week on La Gomera, rather than return to depressing weather in England, I chose to extend my holiday with four nights in Vilaflor, at 1400 meters (about 4600 ft) the highest town on the island of Tenerife and one of the highest in Spain. It is located on the southern flanks of el Teide and is a convenient base for any number of walks. Although I didn’t climb el Teide due to the red tape, I did go on a couple of wonderful nearby hikes. . .

The town plaza in Vilaflor, start of my first hike, the popular Paisaje Lunar
Vilaflor from near the start of the Paisaje Lunar hike
Abandoned-looking farm seen on the Paisaje Lunar loop hike
Paisaje Lunar trail through the Parque Natural Corona Forestal. The pine trees are Pinus canariensis and this nature reserve contains perhaps the largest surviving tract of these trees.
A rock formation in the Parque Natural Corona Forestal.
Lunar landscape at about 2000m (6560 ft) elevation, which gives the walk its name. It is a bit reminiscent of Bryce Canyon in Utah (zoom)
A fine example of Pinus canariensis, seen on the return loop
My second hike was the traverse of Alto de Guajara, the fourth highest mountain on Tenerife at 2717 meters (8914 ft). Here Pico del Teide, the Parador at the trailhead (bottom center), and the Roques de Garcia (on the left) may be seen.
From the Alto de Guaraja summit, Gran Canaria may be seen above the clouds. My first visit to the Canaries was two weeks on that island – 31 years ago!
Another view from the Alto de Guaraja summit. La Gomera is the island visible behind the rocks in the center of the photo.
A female Gallotia galloti galloti, the Southern Tenerife Lizard. I had just woken her up, which is why she stayed still for this photo.
Utah-like rock formations on the descent from the peak. I couldn’t resist some illicit scrambling.

After a 15 hour layover at Heathrow, later today I leave for my first “city break” in 2020 – Lisbon. Following three days in the Portuguese capital, I will spend nearly two weeks walking on the Cape Verde Islands, located in the Atlantic off the coast of Senegal, about 1000 miles south of the Canaries.

Wherever you may happen to be, keep walking and enjoying nature.

The Vagabond Hiker

Comments

Categories

Subscribe for Updates