The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Return to Lanzarote

First, I apologize for leading my loyal readers to believe that my next post would be on trekking in Oman. However, on reviewing my photos from 6 weeks this past January and February wintering on Lanzarote in the Islas Canarias, it became apparent that some were not all that bad. Furthermore, unlike my two previous Lanzarote posts, in December 2018 and 2019, I was able to spot (and identify) a number of plants and wildflowers, a couple of which are endemic to the Canary Islands. Enjoy!

From my base in Puerto del Carmen (PDC) to Puerto Calero and onward to Playa Quemada there is a fantastic coastal path that I walked numerous times. Here is a view of the promenade in PDC, with cat
Puerto Calero from the coastal path. A great hike and very convenient, considering that for most of the time I did not have a car.
View along the coastal path near Playa Quemada. Can you spot the two fishers?
Low tide along the coastal path adds a spot of color
Puerto Calero harbor. Every time I walked by here, the sailing boats reminded me of my dad.
With a rental car, I did a loop hike up Hacha Grande from the inland village of Femes. Here is a view up the Hacha Grande ascent route. Despite the ominous appearance, the rains stayed mostly at sea this day.
Echium pitardii on Hacha Grande. I’m aware of no common name for this plant in the borage family, endemic to the Canary Islands.
Tree of Baroda (Kleinia neriifolia), also endemic to the Canary Islands
In contrast, this erect prickly pear (Opuntia stricta) is considered an invasive in much of the world, including here. Fortunately, they’re not about to take over Lanzarote. The irrigation hose is not watering the cactus, however!
Hacha Grande summit vista northwest. Clouds add tremendously to landscape photos!
Hacha Grande summit vista towards Playa Blanca, on the southern tip of the island.
Along the Ruta Litoral in Parque Timanfaya on the west coast, another day hike facilitated by a rental car
A Balsam spurge (Euphorbia balsamifera) along the Ruta Litoral. Not much has established itself since the multitude of eruptions in the 1730’s covered this part of the island with lava.
A natural arch along the Ruta Litoral in Parque Timanfaya
Monte de la Pena de Santa Catalina summit view north. A great exercise hike, but I took only a handful of photos that day.
One of the most popular hikes, even during the week, is Caldera Blanca. I did a loop hike that started at this trailhead. Note the Unimog 500 Overlander expedition vehicle. There is an interesting article in Motortrend on a Unimog camper conversion for any gearheads reading this post.
Caldera Blanca summit loop hike trailhead landscape with scoria. Though admittedly redundant with the prior photo, I do like the strong horizontals here. One is advised to stay on the paths in this terrain!
Wavy heliotrope (Heliotropium ramosissimum)
A more robust Echium pitardii, flowering on Caldera Blanca
Caldera Blanca summit pano
False sow-thistle (Reichardia tingitana)
Bladder dock (Rumex vesicarius)

And finally, a couple of photos from my balcony. . .

A Eurasian collared dove. She visited me on my balcony most afternoons, once even deciding to briefly enter my apartment. To me she looks virtually identical to an African collared dove (seen occasionally on Lanzarote), but can easily be distinguished by her voice.
Balcony sunset view, enhanced further with a sundowner in hand!

I promise that my Oman Trekking post is in the not-too-distant future.

The Vagabond Hiker

Traverse of the Picos de Europa

Last month I joined a KE Adventures guided group on a one-week hut-based traverse of the Picos de Europa, the highest and most dramatic mountain range of the Cantabrian mountain chain in northern Spain. For those who wish more detail about the Picos as well as its national park, I recommend this website.

This trek has been on my bucket list since before 2020, when it was cancelled due to Covid. Starting above the hamlet of Soto de Cangas, where we spent the prior night, the trek in general went from west to east. The first 3 days we traversed the Macizo Occidental (western massif) and the final three the Macizo Central. (The lower, eastern massif lacks much infrastructure and only occasionally sees overnight visitors). Our fun group of 7 clients and guide, Bruno, hiked almost 55 miles with more than 20,000 ft total elevation gain across some of the most rugged limestone peaks in the world. Enjoy the photos!

Map of the mountain ranges of Spain. The Picos de Europa are the highest portion of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain
Day 1. Landscape with huts above the Lakes of Covadonga, where we began our 6-day, generally west-to-east trek
European monkshood (Aconitum variegatum)
Large-flowered selfheal (Prunella grandiflora). While September is certainly not the best time to see wildflowers in the Picos, there were several species still in bloom.
Asturian Mountain cow. We saw numerous herds of this local bovine.
Heather, our guide, Bruno, and the Vegarredonda Refugio, our first night’s lodging on trek
Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) with griffon vultures soaring overhead. We saw so many chamois that, sadly, the novelty wore off.
A small limestone cave. Some of the deepest caves in the world are found in the Picos de Europa.
Either a vulnurable Iberian rock lizard (Iberolacerta monticola) or a common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Where their ranges overlap, the former is found at higher elevations. After looking at dozens of photos of each, showing widely-varying coloration, I’m still not sure which species this fellow is.
Eroded limestone rock formations, known as lapiaces. The Picos are almost entirely limestone.
An Asturian calf joined our group for a short while
View northwest from the Mirador de Ordiales
Some of our group at the Mirador de Ordiales
Climbing up to Pico Cotalba
Our group on the summit of Pico Cotalba. Bruno graciously shared many of the photos he took during the trek.
A chamois herd on Pico Cotalba
Day 2. Our group in front of an outbuilding of the Refugio Vegarredonda, where we slept the first night.
With Oliver and Peter, walking by a chilled sheep dog
Merendera, an autumn crocus (Colchicum montanum)
Bruno and a misty landscape
Our group descending to the Covadonga Lakes in the mist
Our group at Lago de la Ercina. Due to the geology, very few lakes exist in the Picos.
Another photo of some of the many Asturian cows (and a few bulls) we saw
An orograph at Cabeza la Forma pass, showing many of the nearby mountains, none of which was visible in the fog.
View of the Cabezo Llerosos group with cows
Day 3. The splendidly isolated Refugio Ario, where we stayed the previous night, seen in the morning light
Resting with Oliver and Peter (lower left) on the long descent to the Cares Gorge
Rebecca, seen here descending to the gorge, with a goat in the foreground
The Cares Gorge and path hewn out of the mountain. Although undoubtedly the most popular day hike in the Picos, the gorge didn’t seem overly crowded to me.
The Cares gorge with a tunnel and bridge
Bruno admiring the Cares Gorge
A portion of the Cares Gorge hydro plant
A goat in the Cares Gorge
Fringed pink (Dianthus hyssopifolius)
Now heading north after a rest stop at Cain at the head of the Cares Gorge. From here it is less than an hour to Poncebos, where we enjoyed a hotel for the night.
Goat and limestone formation

Day 4. This day we climbed from our hotel in Poncebos to the Refugio de Urriellu. More than 6000 ft vertical gain. In the rain. I took zero pictures. Bruno’s camera malfunctioned in the wet conditions. Therefore, no photos from that day are extant. I am also trying to erase it from my memory, but without much success.

Day 5. Morning landscape leaving Refugio Urriello. The weather steadily improved this day.
Some peaks of the Macizo Central
Some of our group descending near Tesorero and Peñas Urrielles
Mountain vista with El Naranjo de Bulnes (Picu Urriellu in Asturian) on the right
The Vagabond Hiker on the summit of Torre de los Horcados Rojos
A raven also summited
The unlikely Cabaña Verónica, a high mountain refuge. This building is an anti-aircraft battery, taken from the aircraft carrier USS Palau.
A view from Cabaña Verónica, above the clouds
Peter descending towards Hotel Aliva. Located at the end of a jeep track, Avila is somewhere between a refugio and a hotel.
Day 6. View from the Hotel Avila towards the Royal Chalet
Yet another goat.
The Teleférico Fuente Dé top station. According to Rick Steves, this cable car is the longest single-span aerial lift of Europe, with cable length of 1450 m (4757 ft)
Descent view from Pico Valdecoro to Espinama, where our final night’s lodging awaited us.
A magnificent Oak on the descent to Espinama

Following this wonderful trek in Spain, my intention was to complete another hut-to-hut trek in the Julian Alps of Slovenia, and then spend a week in the Portuguese Azores hiking around its main island from my AirBnb base. Alas, neither trip panned out the way I planned. As the scenery was spectacular, in a post next month I’ll share a few photos from some short walks I did in Slovenia.

Rather than bewail the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, however, I am now planning my 2.5-month winter trip to Rajasthan (India), Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, and Oman on the Arabian peninsula. The Rajasthan trip has large cultural and wildlife components as well as several day walks. Mountainous northern Oman has some amazing trekking, and my KE Adventures trip in late February encompasses many of the highlights. Lanzarote has long been one of my favorite winter destinations, and the subject of not one, but two blog posts from 2018 and 2019. I’ll probably take a break from blogging for those six weeks. . .

The Vagabond Hiker

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

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