La Gomera (Canary Islands): best things to do [with map]

Despite being one of the smallest islands, La Gomera was one of the most surprising discoveries of our travels in the Canary Islands. Beyond its treasure, the impressive Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest and best-preserved laurisilva forest in the entire Canary archipelago, the island hides more surprises. Its beaches of limpid waters, its palm trees forming panoramic views that seem to be from other latitudes, sunsets to the rhythm of drums, words in the form of whistles (the silbo gomero is unique in the world), a finger-licking almogrote and images with the magnetic Teide as a backdrop make the days on the island unforgettable.

Its proximity to Tenerife invites you to visit both islands in the same trip (the ferry ride between the two islands takes less than 1 hour) so if you have enough days, don’t hesitate. In this guide, we tell you what to see in La Gomera with practical suggestions, itineraries from 2 to 7 days, where to sleep, and even where to eat so you can make the most of your trip to La Gomera.

If you don’t have many days and you want to do a quick visit La Gomera from Tenerife, this day trip to La Gomera from Tenerife South includes pick up and drop off, round trip ferry, transfers and visits in La Gomera, lunch and even a demonstration of the “silbo gomero“! Book your full day excursion here (or, if you prefer more adventure, the day trip to La Gomera from Tenerife South but in a 4×4).

Basic facts for traveling to La Gomera

In its 373 km2 and a very abrupt relief, La Gomera includes a great variety of climates and landscapes that leave no one indifferent. In the center of the island lies the impressive Garajonay National Park, the largest laurisilva forest in the Canary Islands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from which a succession of ravines descend to the sea, giving La Gomera its characteristic “orange squeezer” orography. Beyond its biodiversity of flora and fauna, the island presents unique cultural manifestations that endure today as its pottery and the silbo gomero, a form of whistled language which is unique in the world, Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.

Currency: Euro

Language: Spanish

Population: 22,100 (in 2019)

Daily budget: From 70€/day per person (approx.) for a one-week trip. More budget information here.

Weather: Nice all year round but advisable between May and October to enjoy its beaches with good temperature, find out more about when to go here.

Accommodation: Due to the orography of the island, distances can be long so we would recommend covering the island by “segments” to save time and divide your stay between the north and south of the island, so that some nights you would stay in Hermigua, Agulo or Alojera (north of the island) and other nights in Valle Gran Rey or San Sebastian de la Gomera (south of the island). Read more about where to sleep in this section.

Duration: Minimum one weekend but if you can stay a week, you will not regret it. We recommend different itineraries around the island here

Flights: There are no direct flights to La Gomera from outside the archipelago, you will always have to go through Tenerife or Gran Canaria to get to La Gomera. Given the proximity to Tenerife, the best option is to fly to Tenerife and from there take a ferry that takes less than an hour to La Gomera (book your ferry here). We recommend you use flight comparators like Skyscanner and Kiwi and be flexible with dates to find the best prices. More details on how to get to La Gomera here.

Transportation: The best option is to rent a car. More info here. There are bus lines that connect the different points of the island but the timetables are very limited and it is not an option that we can recommend if you want to make the most of your time in La Gomera. You can take your rented car from Tenerife to La Gomera in the ferry, but you need to confirm/ask permission to the car rental company first.

Time zone: UTC +1. The time in La Gomera and the Canary Islands is one hour less than in mainland Spain.

Best time to visit La Gomera

La Gomera enjoys a mild climate all year round, so any time of the year is pleasant to visit the island. Keep in mind that in its high and central part, where the Garajonay National Park is located, there is a particular climate characterized by frequent fog and high humidity, with mild temperatures around 13º-15º on average, no frost except at higher altitudes and rainfall around 600-900 mm per year, concentrated in autumn and winter.

To enjoy a dip in the beaches of La Gomera, the ideal time to visit is from April to October. In spring-summer the temperatures are between 16º and 29º, while in autumn-winter they are between 15º and 22º.

Month	Low	High	Water temperature (average)	Rainy days
January	16º	21º	20º	3
February	16º	21º	19º	3
March	16º	22º	19º	2
April	17º	22º	19º	1
May	18º	23º	20º	1
June	20º	25º	21º	0
July	21º	27º	22º	0
August	22º	28º	23º	0
September	22º	27º	24º	1
October	21º	26º	23º	2
November	19º	24º	22º	3
December	18º	22º	21º	4
Month	Low	High	Water temperature (average)	Rainy days

The peak tourist seasons are Easter (March-April), the winter months (Dec-Feb) and the summer months (July and August).

In our opinion, the best time to visit La Gomera are the months of March, April, May, June, September and October, avoiding July and August, when the weather is warmer (especially from May to September) but less crowded (and therefore more affordable prices for accommodation and other services).

In our case, we visited the island during the month of March and although the temperature was very good, clean and we had sunny days, it was not yet too appetizing to swim.

How to get to La Gomera

You can reach La Gomera by sea or by air. Although you can not fly directly to La Gomera from the mainland without first passing through Tenerife or Gran Canaria, there are several flights from these two Canary Islands to La Gomera (with Binter – more expensive – and CanaryFly – cheaper) and many flights from the mainland to Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Ideally, you should use flight comparators like Skyscanner and Kiwi and be flexible with dates to find the best prices.

You can also reach La Gomera by sea taking a ferry from the neighboring island of Tenerife. The journey takes between 50 minutes and an hour and the ferries leave from the port of Los Cristianos, in the south of the island of Tenerife. There are several ferries a day from two companies, Naviera Armas and Fred Olsen (you can book your return ferry tickets here). If you choose to travel by boat between Tenerife and La Gomera with your Tenerife rental car, please confirm with the rental company before renting the car that it is possible to do so. At the time of updating this guide, the only rental company that allowed you to do so and that the insurance covers both islands was Cicar.

RandomTIP: Given the proximity of La Gomera to Tenerife (the ferry ride between both islands takes less than 1 hour), if you have enough days we recommend you to visit both islands in the same trip, flying to Tenerife and from there taking the ferry from Los Cristianos to La Gomera and vice-versa. Book your ferry here.

How many days to spend in La Gomera

Despite its size, La Gomera has a lot of things to see and do. If you want to see it all you will need at least 5 days; if you have less time (a weekend, 2-3 days) you will have to discard places and choose what interests you the most. In this section we include itineraries from 2 to 7 days to get to know the island so that your trip is as incredible as ours was.

If you are considering getting to know La Gomera in a one-day trip from Tenerife, this day trip to La Gomera from the south of Tenerife includes pick-up and drop-off, round-trip ferry, transfers and visits in La Gomera, lunch and even a demonstration of the silbo gomero!

If you have more time, given the proximity between Tenerife and La Gomera (less than 1 hour by ferry), it is ideal to visit both islands in the same trip. In our Tenerife travel guide we include itineraries from 2 to 7 days to get to know the largest Canary Island.

Things to see and do in La Gomera

Here we leave you a summary of the places to visit in La Gomera, and below you have a map and specific information of each place.

Things to see and do in La Gomera

• Hiking in Garajonay National Park, the pearl of the island and a Unesco World Heritage Site
• Swimming in the incredible beaches of Hermigua, Alojera and Valle Gran Rey .
• Walking through a red desert that looks like Mars with a view of Mount Teide, in El Cepo.
• Contemplate panoramic views that seem to come from other latitudes at the Abrante Viewpoint or San Juan Viewpoint.
• Listen and learn about the Silbo Gomero, Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
• To learn about the work of the loceras (potter women) and the pottery of Gomera, one of the most important heritage legacies of the island.
• Taste a delicious almogrote in its capital, San Sebastián de La Gomera, which is the reason why the island is known as the “Isla Colombina”, since it is said that Columbus and his crew stocked up here a month before leaving to explore the “New World”.

Map of La Gomera

Here you can see a Google Maps map with all the places to visit in La Gomera included in this guide. You can take it with you on your smartphone during your trip. We have classified the places in three areas with different colors: center (green), north (red) and south (yellow):

You can also download a tourist and road map of La Gomera (click to download it in larger size and resolution). Source: Cicar

Orography of La Gomera: the “orange squeezer”.

In order to organize a trip to La Gomera, we consider it essential to understand its orography, since in spite of its size, distances can be long due to it.

The easiest way to understand the orography of La Gomera, with the help of the map above, is to imagine the island as an “orange squeezer”: it is a rounded island, where the center (the Garajonay National Park) is higher and the border of the island is a succession of ravines from the center to the sea.

That is to say, we do not have a road that borders the island, as happens in others such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife or La Palma; instead, we have a kind of “central” circular road, which borders or passes through the Garajonay in the center of the island, and from it different roads start to go down through those ravines to the sea.

Because of this, the distances are quite long, both for the amount of curves and the ups and downs. For example, to go from Alojera to Valle Gran Rey, 2 places that are about 8-9km appart in a straight line, you have to:

• Drive up the radial road from Playa de Alojera to the main circular road.
• Driving a little on the central circular road
• Drive down the radial road to Valle Gran Rey.

To do this by car, it takes almost an hour, for about 30 kilometers:

When organizing your trip, keep this in mind, both to choose where to stay and to cover the island by “segments” to save time, seeing parts of the center and the ravines nearby.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the island, we have divided the places in three areas: Center (mostly Garajonay National Park), North and South of the island.

Center of La Gomera: Garajonay National Park

Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest and best preserved laurel forest in the archipelago. Almost 4,000 hectares of authentic ancestral forest, since the laurel forests conserve part of the flora that populated the Mediterranean area millions of years ago and that disappeared from the European continent as a consequence of climatic changes. On the islands it was preserved thanks to their oceanic isolation.

The park is located in the central peaks of the island, between 800 meters and 1487 meters of altitude in the “Alto de Garajonay”. More than 85% of the park’s surface is covered with green laurel forest that contrast with the remaining aridity of the island. This is due to the microclimate of this area with its particular constant fog (the phenomenon of the Sea of Clouds), high humidity, average temperature between 13º and 15º, and rainfall, especially in autumn and winter.

The preservation of the laurel forest is mainly due to the phenomenon of the Sea of Clouds, since it would hardly survive with the scarce winter rains. The famous northeast trade winds, pushed by the Azores anticyclone, are loaded with moisture as they pass over the Atlantic Ocean and when they find this “obstacle of altitude” in La Gomera, they make the humid air rise and embrace its slopes and summits, covering them with a biodiverse green of various species, moss and a tangle that barely manage to pass through the sun’s rays. In fact, the maximum altitude of the island is at approximately the same altitude as the upper limit of the mists.

The Sea of Clouds is also to be thanked for its slow but immense water supply (deposited on the branches and leaves of the trees and filtered into the interior of the island), which explains the existence of jets and springs on the island. Basically, it is estimated that the volume of water contributed by these trade winds in the sea of clouds is equivalent to 5 times more than conventional rainwater. Incredible, isn’t it?

The jewel of the island, the Garajonay, is home to more than 20 tree species and a fauna that exceeds 1000 cataloged species, of which 150 are endemic to the National Park, a concentration of exclusive species per unit area, unique in Europe.

Access to the National Park is free, and it can be reached by road or by trails from other parts of the island. Before entering the National Park, we recommend that you go to the Visitor Center where, in addition to visiting an interesting exhibition about the silbo gomero and other idiosyncrasies of the island through explanatory panels in its Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory,) you can learn about the network of trails in the Garajonay National Park that you can do on your own and see which is best suited to your needs. In this link you will find the entire network of circular and linear trails with their respective levels of difficulty, slope, km and duration and even QRs to listen to the audio guides of each trail.

In addition to the network of trails that you can do on your own, the Park also organizes guided excursions with nature interpreter guides that you can request at the Visitor Center or by calling 922 80 09 93 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

RandomTIP: Don’t forget to wear comfortable/sports shoes for the route and bring warm clothes (sweatshirt) and a raincoat in your backpack. Remember that it is not allowed to camp, make fires, make noise, touch or feed the wildlife of the Park, pull up plants or picnic outside recreational areas. Leave the National Park better than you found it: if you see any trash, pick it up. As a consequence of human action, the laurel forest has suffered a major retreat, leaving only 20% of the original surface… Let’s try to cause as little negative impact as possible.

The Great Circular Route 18: the longest and most complete way to visit the Garajonay National Park.

At Randomtrip we chose to do the Gran Ruta Circular 18, a hiking route of 16km (the longest in the National Park) that crosses the different ecosystems that exist in the Garajonay with which you get a very complete idea of how heterogeneous the National Park is.

Randomtripper Scale of Difficulty: High. The route is 16 km long with a difference in altitude of 683 meters and the truth is that we ended up with a lot of tiredness and sore legs (we also added 4 km to the route by mistake so we did about 20 km in total). The landscapes are incredible. It took us 6 hours with stops to eat, to take pictures and to enjoy the viewpoints. We recommend parking your car in Pajarito.

Recommended shortest routes to get to know the Garajonay National Park

After doing the Grand Circular Route, we recommend that you change it for one or two smaller routes as we find that the Grand Circular Route passes through places that involve great physical effort for less compensation (for example, a long climb without much interest in which you go on a secondary road with passing cars on the side).

All routes are interesting in their own way so ideally you should choose the one that best suits your needs. In this link you have them all (with level of difficulty, Kms, elevation gain and duration) but if you want our suggestion of shorter routes that will give you a general idea of the biodiverse Garajonay National Park, they would be :

• Route nº9, one of the most popular trails, from El Contadero to El Cedro, a linear (not circular) trail, shorter than route 18 (less than 5 hours) and very complete. It also passes by the El Cedro stream and a lush laurel forest, Bosque El Cedro, which we talk about below.

If you feel like another day in the park or if you are looking for a shorter route, we suggest three other routes of about 1 hour or less:

• Route 12 between Raso de Bruma – Risquillos de Corgo, a circular route of less than one hour that ends at the Risquillos de Corgo viewpoint.
• Route nº 15: a circular route through the Meseta de Hermigua, it takes about half an hour and you can contemplate the Laurel forest.
• Route 1: a very easy linear trail through the Bailadero, takes about half an hour.

More detailed info of these routes in the section The Best Hiking Routes of La Gomera.

The following points that we mention in the park are all in this route of the Great Route 18 that we did between Alto de Garajonay and the Mirador de Tajaqué and through which you will pass depending on the route you choose.

Alto de Garajonay (and the legend of Gara and Jonay)

The Alto de Garajonay is the highest point of the island, at 1487 meters of altitude, and from where you will have one of the best panoramic views of the trip: not only will you have views of the whole island (and in particular of the Fortaleza de Chipude (Chipude Fortress)) and Mount Teide of the neighboring island of Tenerife, but also of the islands of El Hierro, Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria on the clearest days.

In addition, the Alto de Garajonay has a great importance in the history and collective imagination of La Gomera and to understand it you have to know the Legend of Gara and Jonay.

Why is it called Garajonay National Park? Well, there are two explanations and the most famous one is loaded with romantic love and a tragic ending in the style of “Romeo and Juliet” but from the Canary Islands.

Legend has it that many years ago there was a princess from La Gomera named Gara and a prince from Tenerife named Jonay who, despite the initial rejection of Gara (and her family) because Jonay was not of the same social class, fall in love when Jonay visits La Gomera. The thing is that Gara, just a few weeks before meeting Jonay, received an alert from an oracle she visited warning her to stay away from the fire. And what happened right after meeting Jonay? The Teide volcano erupted. Although for Gara love spoke louder and she ignored the prophecy of the oracle, their families (both Gara’s and Jonay’s) took the eruption of Teide seriously and were convinced that Gara and Jonay could not be together, strongly opposing this love.

Given their impossible love and the persecution of both families (and the connivance of the Gomeran people) to prevent it, Gara and Jonay fled to the highest peak of the island (the Alto de Garajonay) and, cornered, tore off a branch of heather, sharpened it at both ends and, embracing, pierced their hearts so that their love would be eternal .

The explanation we like the most at Randomtrip and the one that sounds most credible to us is that Garajonay means Roque Alto in the Amazigh language spoken by the ancestors and ancestresses of the Gomeran people and its importance throughout history comes from the fact that different rituals were practiced here. Because of its strategic enclave, it has been surrounded by a magical halo since ancient times, and proof of this are the remains of aras (stone structures) of animal sacrifice. Which version do you prefer?

El Cedro

The Cedar Forest is one of the pearls of the Garajonay National Park. It is a humid laurel forest whose landscape, soundtrack and the mist that is unveiled as we pass, envelops us in a mysterious and magical atmosphere. We have the feeling that there are several fairies and goblins lurking, watching our movements, hidden behind the giant ferns. Vibrantly colored mosses and lichens grow on the branches of the trees and multicolored leaves rustle under our feet with every step. The soundtrack is provided by the various species of birds, some endemic, and the Cedro stream, the largest in the National Park and through which water flows throughout the year, something rare in the Canary Islands. Undoubtedly one of the places of the Garajonay National Park that you must include in the route you choose.

Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes

This small white hermitage surrounded by a small square with tables and a small stream of drinking water is ideal for a break in the route. It is located in the beautiful forest of El Cedro where calm and the soundtrack of the birds reign (if birds approach you remember not to feed them even with a crumb because they lose the ability to feed themselves …).

As a curiosity, I would like to tell you that the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes was founded in 1935 thanks to an English lady named Florence Stephan Parry who, after living in La Gomera for several years as a governess for the children of a family that owned a cannery, decided, upon retirement, to build a hermitage in the middle of the mountain dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. And so it was.

La Carbonera viewpoint

The viewpoint of La Carbonera (or Las Carboneras) is one of the viewpoints of the Red de Miradores del Parque Nacional de Garajonay that we talk about in this guide. This viewpoint is located in the canton of Mulagua, aboriginal territory of Gomeran ancestors, and its protagonists are, in the foreground, the Mulagua dam; on the right the steep Majona Natural Park and the mountain range of El Palenque; and the winding road crossing the panoramic view.

Mirador del Rejo

On one of the access roads to the jewel of the island, the Garajonay National Park, from the Mirador del Rejo you will have a panoramic view of the Hermigual valley, the “agricultural pantry” of La Gomera, with its banana plantations and various vegetables, dotted with rural lodgings.

El Bailadero viewpoint

From the Mirador el Bailadero we can contemplate the north face of the landscape and a spectacular view of the north face of the Natural Monument of Los Roques. In the foreground Ojilla and behind it, the Roque de Las Lajas. To the right the view of Roque de Carmona, and in the background, the farthest away, the imposing Roque de Agando.

Through here passes the linear path nº 1 of which we tell you about in the section The Best Hiking Routes of La Gomera.

Reventón Oscuro

Reventón Oscuro is one of the most beautiful sections of the route 18 that we did through the Garajonay National Park, which passes through an ancestral laurel forest, where in the sections with the highest incidence of fog the trees are dressed in mosses of an almost phosphorescent green. More info here

Viewpoint of El Morro de Agando

Although in Randomtrip we are not too fond of travel comparisons, the truth is that when we looked at the imposing Roque de Agando for the first time we could not help but travel back to the imposing panorama with the Huayna Picchu mountain (Wayna Picchu in Quechua), of the Peruvian Machu Picchu. Keeping the distances (physical, temporal and panoramic) and, without the impressive vestiges of the Inca settlement in the landscape (although La Gomera has several archaeological traces of its own ancestors in natural monuments), approaching this viewpoint to contemplate the imposing phonolithic piton of 1,250 meters of altitude, considered the most emblematic natural monument of the island, is an spectacle.

From this viewpoint we are surrounded by three Protected Natural Areas: Garajonay National Park, the Monument of the Roques and the Integral Natural Reserve of Benchijigua, although, most probably and as in Randomtrip, your gaze will be directed towards the protagonist Roque de Agando, which takes all the attention.

Tajaqué viewpoint

And if the previous viewpoint is impressive, this one is not far behind. From the viewpoint of Tajaqué we will have a breathtaking view of Roque de Agando with, nothing more and nothing less, the neighboring Teide waving behind. On this island there is no lack of photogenic images. From here you can also contemplate the Benchijigua Integral Natural Reserve and the villages of Benchijigua, Lomo del Gato and, in the distance, Pastrana. The arid landscape of this ravine contrasts with the greenery of the slopes of the Cedro Valley.

Los Roques viewpoint

This is one of the best viewpoints to admire the natural complex of Los Roques, an authentic living relic of a territory that is about 12 million years old.

Meriga Dam

Beyond the dam itself, you can enjoy the beautiful walk to get to it. A path of no more than 25/30 minutes that is quite easy to walk and is very well signposted. More info about the route here.

Laguna Grande Recreation Area

Laguna Grande is the largest recreational area of the Garajonay National Park where you can find an information point with official guides, playground, toilets, parking and picnic area with tables, benches and stoves.

Cabezo del Mocanillo lookout point

From this viewpoint you can observe the evolution of the burned forests in the Garajonay National Park. The photograph that can be seen on the explanatory panel next to the viewpoint shows the forest that we see in front of us, burned by the great fire that occurred in 2012, one year after the event. This forest will take approximately 100 years to reach its pre-fire maturity: part of the regeneration will be taken care of by nature, the other part by human reforestation.

Viewpoint Risquillos de Corgo

This viewpoint is ideal to contemplate the northern slope of the island as well as being the starting point of one of the most beautiful and simple trails through the Garajonay National Park, the circular trail Raso de la Bruma. It is the trail nº 12, of 1.2 km, with little slope that is done in less than an hour.

Barranco de Arure

If you like waterfalls, we were told that there is a trail that leads to the Arure Waterfall along a path in the Barranco de Arure. Apparently it is an easy route of less than 4 km that you can do in less than 2 hours and that leaves from the Caserío de Gure, 5 minutes drive from Valle del Gran Rey. In Randomtrip we didn’t get to go but you can find more info about the trail to get to the waterfall here.

North of La Gomera

Alojera

Alojera is, for Randomtrip, one of the most special places in La Gomera. It was here that we chose our accommodation, staying at Casa Conchi, which we loved and where we discovered our favorite place to say goodbye to the sun in the sea and have a delicious dinner at night, in the Prisma restaurant. The village is located at the foot of the Lomo del Carretón Natural Monument and is ideal for relaxing, taking a dip, sunbathing and hiking.

For a beautiful panoramic view of Alojera and the west coast of the island do not miss its viewpoint, you can find it here.

There are so many palm trees in Alojera that it is often said that this town is synonymous of palm honey and, in fact, it is probable that in your passage through here you will find someone local (some guarapero/a) climbing a palm tree to extract its guarapo (sap) since from its slow cooking you will obtain that star product of the island, the honey.

In fact, it is precisely here in Alojera where most of the companies dedicated to the production and commercialization of palm honey are concentrated. If you want to learn more about the history and elaboration of palm honey, don’t miss the Centro de Intepretación Casa de la Miel de Palma which is located here.

There are also several trails that pass through Alojera, to explore the rich heritage and ethnographic wealth of the area (you can see all the trails in this link) but what really attracts more people here is the sea.

Perhaps because of its year-round warm climate, the black sand Alojera Beach (and some black stones as well) is a coastal enclave much sought after by Vallehermoso residents and tourists looking to take a dip, next to the Playa de Las Salinas on the pier or in its natural pool, the Charco de Alojera.

In addition to our beloved Casa Conchi, there are a variety of accommodations to stay in Alojera. Here we tell you the ones that we pointed out when we were there to come back because while it is true that Casa Conchi enchanted us, these other apartments give you the feeling of being in the sea. They are called Apartamentos Playa de la Alojera (from 78€/night), they have a bedroom and living room with sofa bed and stunning sea views. If they do not have availability, next door is this other apartment, Yelymar (from 76€/night), for up to 4 people, with an impressive terrace facing the sea.

Chorros de Epina

We arrive to a land of witches and legends and according to popular tradition, the waters of Epina are miraculous and have healing properties. So much so that in the past, the families of Gomera with more economic resources used to send their maids to take water from this spring that cured all kinds of ailments, but above all, the ailments of the heart… It was believed in the past (and some people still believe it nowadays) that according to the purity of the water falling from the Chorros de Epina one could predict the future of a person’s love: clean water meant that love would be found soon; and murky water meant bad luck in love or even worse.

Apparently this legend is also linked to the legend of Gara and Jonay itself, being that in the case of Gara, the waters appeared turbid, anticipating her approaching death, and the young girl ignored what Chorros de Epina told her.

If you want to try your luck, the Gomeran legend says that the best thing you can do to get lucky in love is to drink from its Chorros de Epina. Of course, there are rules according to binary gender (legends tend to be somewhat anachronistic and little updated in terms of gender perspective), always drink the water from the jets from left to right, to find love: women should drink from the even spouts, men from the odd ones and they say that “If you drink from the seven spouts you get married in a year”

Vallehermoso

In addition to offering a panoramic view of Vallehermoso and its ravines that lead to the sea, the Almendrillo viewpoint allows you to contemplate the junipers that dot the slopes. If you have been to the neighboring Canary Island of El Hierro, you know what we are talking about because the island of El Hierro, one of our favorites in the Canary archipelago, preserves some emblematic specimens of this tree that abounded in the past in the Canary Islands. Nowadays it is difficult to see these trees that “live on their knees” except on the island of El Hierro and it is here, on these slopes, where the most important juniper forest of the archipelago resists.

Roque Cano does not go unnoticed. This great volcanic rock of 300 meters high that overhangs the Vallehermoso ravine is a great phonolitic piton product of erosion. Its walls are home to endemic and peculiar flora and birds such as owls, canaries or blacksmiths.

Vallehermoso Beach

The beach of Vallehermoso is a two in one because when you approach you can enjoy not only the sea but also the Municipal Pool of Vallehermoso right there, overlooking the Atlantic, plus hammocks to relax in the sun. In fact, the beach is pebbly and usually has quite a lot of waves so most people opt for the pool, although in recent years they have not always been open.

On this beach, on the left, are the ruins of Castillo del Mar, an old medieval fortress and later important banana wharf that fell into disrepair when its commercial activity ended. In the 50’s it was rehabilitated to be enjoyed by the public and so it was: various types of events such as concerts and theater were enjoyed here but today, or at least when we visited the island, all that remains are ruins that remind us of other times.

El Cepo Mountain or the Red Mountain of La Gomera

As if Mars overlooked the Teide. Knowing that the Martian planet is red, this was the simile that came to mind as we approached an increasingly red landscape with stunning views of Mount Teide after a short trail through the Gomeran mountain of El Cepo.

This peculiar inhospitable and desert-like landscape that contrasts with the surrounding green of La Gomera is located at an altitude of 664 meters and is a spectacular viewpoint to the neighboring Teide (actually to neighboring Tenerife). Does it seem or not that Inês has entered directly into an impressionist painting?

Apparently, this landscape was formed by the piling up of basaltic lava flows in the Pliocene Era! although more recent sediments corresponding to post-Pliocene deposits have also been found.

To get to this curious place, in this link you will find the indications of the path, as it is not very intuitive, so ideally you should park the car here and follow the instructions for about 10 minutes until you reach this impressive landscape:

El Cepo. Photographs by Randomtrip. All rights reserved.

RandomTip: Depending on the time you go to the mountain, it is imperative that you bring a cap/hat, water and sunscreen as you will not find shade on this trail. Respect the place and remember that a large influx of people to a certain site can have a negative impact so be responsible when visiting El Cepo. Avoid leaving the trail, do not climb on the formations/trees that you find, of course do not leave your personal mark and try to keep your footprint as small as possible and, out of respect for the rest of the people who visit the place, do not make noise or “monopolize” the place with your photos.

The Juego de Bolas Visitor Center and the Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory)

This is a visit that we recommend to make before embarking on the adventure of hiking through the Garajonay National Park as here you will be provided with all the information you need about the network of trails in the Garajonay National Park and see which one suits your needs. In any case, in this link you will find the entire network of circular and linear trails with their respective levels of difficulty, slope, km and duration. In addition to the network of trails that you can do on your own, the Park also organizes guided excursions with nature interpreter guides that you should request here at the Visitor Center (or by calling 922 80 09 93 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm).

In addition to the practical information about the National Park, we recommend a visit for another reason: the House of Memory, so called because it is a visit that will take you to the past of the island, its idiosyncrasies, its culture and its identity.

Here you will learn about Gomeran pottery, a unique and traditional ceramic that is made using the warping technique, without a potter’s wheel and with almost no decorative elements, resembling pre-Hispanic pottery (we tell you more about this curious Gomeran pottery technique in the section on the Interpretation Center of Las Loceras in El Cercado).

There is also information about Gomeran folklore such as the sung romance accompanied by drumming and the sound of the chácaras, which is danced in two rows of men and women who dance to the rhythm of the “baile del tambor” (drum dance); and, of course, about the silbo gomero, a whistled language of long-range transmission, unique in the world and preserved thanks to the orography of the island, Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco (we tell you more in the section on El Silbo Gomero and the monument in his honor). We also learned about the salto con astia, an answer to the need to cross, climb, descend cliffs and walk safely on an island with such a particular orography that basically consists of jumping and crossing the ravines with the help of a sturdy wooden stick of about 2 meters with a metal tip. In the past, a large part of the population used them to move around, but nowadays, the only way you can see a stick is in this museum or with one of the few goatherds and shepherds on the island that you may come across.

The House of Memory will also bring you closer to the agriculture of the island and its crops (bananas, tomatoes, …); to the vertical vineyard of La Gomera, a viticulture in the mountains, made by hand, which requires a lot of effort and forms a unique landscape. Also about its palm honey, the liquid gold of La Gomera. Did you know that in La Gomera there are 150,000 palm trees, as many as in the rest of the Canary archipelago and palm honey is very important for the local economy of the island? The transformation of guarapo (palm sap) into palm honey is done through slow cooking done by small family businesses, as well as its cheese. There are more than 20 family cheese factories on the island that produce raw goat’s milk cheeses, some of them smoked in the traditional way of preserving them.

Have we convinced you to take a trip down memory lane on the island?

Abrante Viewpoint

This viewpoint is one of the most interesting, beautiful and sought after on the island and when you arrive you will understand why. Built in 2014 on the edge of the cliff, the 7-meter glass cantilever of the Mirador de Abrante is suspended in the air at 625 meters above the Abrante cliff and enjoying its breathtaking views of the Atlantic and greeting the Teide is not suitable for Randomtrippers with vertigo.

To access the inside of the viewpoint it is necessary to enter the restaurant located there and its visiting hours are from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00 hours. It is closed on Mondays.

This viewpoint also hides a legend of romantic (dis)love (of course!): the legend of Abrante and Zula. This legend tells of a love affair between Abrante, a young maiden from La Gomera (which gives its name to the rock and, of course, to the viewpoint) and Zula, a young worker from the village, who was not approved by her mother. The story of this forbidden love ends, just like the legend of Gara and Jonay, with a tragic ending in the style of Romeo and Juliet from the Canary Islands. In this case, they also meet in one of the high points of the island, in the rock, where both Abrante and Zula fall off…

Agulo

Considered one of the most beautiful villages of the island and with the incredible panoramic view of the sea with the Teide in the background, Agulo was once known as “Bombón de La Gomera”. In Agulo, the evolution from a subsistence agriculture to another based on the export of bananas meant a great change at an economic level and an improvement in infrastructure (drinking water network, street lighting, cinema, telephone, post office, canning factories, several cereal mills and bakeries) that other villages did not have. In addition, through its davit (destroyed, by the way, in a storm in 1954 when it was still in use) embarked passengers, livestock, coal or firewood to the Spanish Sahara.

Agulo hides one of the best preserved historic centers of all the Canary Islands so the ideal is to stroll through its narrow streets and contemplate some of the most remarkable buildings of the island. If you want, you can do the Urban Route of Agulo through the nucleus of Las Casas, between the intersection of C/Pintor Aguiar and the coastal road that descends to El Pescante. This route passes by several buildings built from the late eighth century, nineteenth century and early twentieth century such as the Casa de los Trujillo or the Casa del Pintor José Aguiar, one of the references in contemporary Canarian and national painting, now restored as a library, museum and art production center. On your walk, you will also pass by the Church of San Marcos, although at Randomtrip we only saw it from the outside because it was closed.

As a curiosity, tell you that at the point where this route begins, at the crossroads, was held until 1979 the festival of “Los Piques”. This party consisted of a rivalry between the neighborhoods of Agulo, which “pique” (tease) each other by means of songs, romances or sarcastic sayings. An arch or gate used to be placed at this crossing as a border between the urban centers of Agulo.

To contemplate the views of Agulo with the Teide in the background, go to the Mirador de Agulo and the Mirador Los Pasos de Agulo.

Hermigua

Hermigua and its valley is a paradise of banana plantations and green terraces whose panoramic view transports us to other latitudes.

In addition, it enjoys a special climate influenced by the trade winds that makes its more than 8 kilometers of coastline very sought after by both locals and tourists. Any time of the year is good to go to Hermigua: in winter temperatures do not drop below 18º and in summer rarely exceed 27º, which has made Hermigua’s fame in the last century as having “the best climate in the world“.

In addition to its imposing natural beauty and its climate, Hermigua hides a great part of the history of La Gomera since it constituted, together with Agulo, the aboriginal territory of Mulagua.

The toponym of Hermigua, of pre-Hispanic origin, means precisely “place of harvesting” and the municipality of Hermigua is known as “the agricultural pantry” of the island.

Remember that the island’s economy has historically been based on agriculture and Hermigua has an important production of bananas and vegetables, as well as an important set of rural accommodations such as Basâlto Casas Rurales (and its jacuzzi overlooking the mountains), Los Telares (and its incredible pool) or a room at Casa Creativa.

Hermigua has a lot to explore so here are the main points you should not miss of what to see in Hermigua:

• Playa Hermigua and Playa Santa Catalina: two black sand beaches with quite strong waves so, in most of the year, they are not ideal for swimming. They are beaches where water sports such as surfing or bodyboarding are practiced almost all year round, except in summer when the tides are relaxed and where it is ideal for a swim with views of Mount Teide.

On the beach of Santa Catalina begins the so-called “Route of the 5 senses“, a sensory route in which the explanatory panels will draw your attention to points related to sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. In the case of Santa Catalina beach, the municipality of Hermigua proposes to enjoy the sense of smell on the beach, so close your eyes, take a deep breath and feel the characteristic smell of this beach in the north of the island.

• El Pescante de Hermigua: If you look at the concrete columns on the coast, they are El Pescante, an engineering work built at the end of the 19th century to export tomatoes and bananas, reminiscent of the island’s past agricultural and economic splendor. Due to the geographical situation of La Gomera and its rough sea, the task of loading goods for export was not easy, so the construction of these five structures (two in Hermigua but also one in Agulo and two in Vallehermoso), of enormous technical difficulty, facilitated the task. Thanks to the construction of the davits, the three valleys, Vallehermoso, Agulo and Hermigua, multiplied their exports and brought La Gomera out of its commercial isolation. Such is the importance of El Pescante on the island that it is often said that there are two eras in the municipality: before the Pescante and after the Pescante.

• Hermigua Natural Pool: next to the Pescante itself there is a natural pool where you can swim if the weather and sea conditions allow it.
• Viewpoint of La Punta: this viewpoint is ideal to contemplate the panoramic view of the beach of Santa Catalina, the vestiges of El Pescante and the sea of green banana trees that cover the valley of Hermigua. Very close to this viewpoint is one of the accommodations that we suggest to stay in a next trip to the island: El Jardín de la Punta, accommodations with a view very similar to that of the viewpoint.

• Mirador de La Orilla: ideal for contemplating the beaches of Santa Catalina, Hermigua and La Caleta. From this viewpoint two of the trails through the municipality start (a circular route to Puerto de San Lorenzo and this one) and there is an area from where paragliders are launched.

• Playa de la Caleta: very nice beach of sand and black stones. It usually has strong waves and watch out for sea currents, better to swim in summer. It has a beach bar and barbecue area. To get there you have to park the car here, contemplate the views and go down to the beach.
• Mirador de San Juan: This viewpoint became one of our favorites because of the panoramic view of the Hermigua Valley, both the summit and the sea. From here we can see how several hamlets dot the valley; the jewel of the island, the Garajonay National Park; the Upper and Lower Hermigua Valley with its bay, the Pescante and, of course, the imposing Teide in neighboring Tenerife. If you climb the stairs next to the viewpoint you will find the Ermita San Juan.

• Parroquia Sto. Domingo de Guzmán: we did not see the inside but the outside of this former convent is very beautiful.
• Mirador de Mulagua or the famous viewpoint with the “Hermigua” letters. The steel letters with the name of the municipality are in yellow, blue and green colors to pay homage to the flag of the municipality of Hermigua: the yellow symbolizes the pontifical tiara of the coat of arms and its patron Saint Peter; the blue, the three streams that fertilize the valley of Hermigua; and the green its agricultural fields and the production of sugar, cane honey and aguardientes.

Hermigua is one of the areas where we would recommend you to stay and make a base to explore the island. If you are not so much into rural accommodations like Basâlto Casas Rurales, Los Telares or Casa Creativa and prefer sea views we recommend Jardín de la Punta: holiday homes with sea views. Can you imagine waking up like this?

More options in Hermigua here

In the municipalities of Agulo and Hermigua there are more than a dozen hiking trails where you can contemplate the landscape and pass through various points of interest:

South of La Gomera

San Sebastián de La Gomera

According to history, the bay of San Sebastián de la Gomera played a fundamental role, since it was here where Christopher Columbus and his crew spent almost a month before the expedition that would take them to the “New World” to the American continent in 1492, and for this reason La Gomera is known as the “Colombina Island”. In addition to that expedition, it seems that their ships docked again in this bay in 1493 and 1498.

Between the XV and XVIII centuries, San Sebastián de la Gomera was in the crosshairs of the route of the riches of America that passed through here. The island has been subjected to several attacks by pirates and corsairs that resulted in the destruction of buildings, fires, looting and capture of slaves.

This is what you should not miss during your visit to the capital:

• The San Cristóbal Lighthouse, so called because it is located on San Cristóbal Point.
• Torre del Conde, from where you have an incredible view of Tenerife and the Teide on a clear day.
• Monument Olympic Torch erected to commemorate the 1968 Olympic Games held in Mexico. Why is there a monument here to the torch? Because they were the first competitions in which an inhabitant of La Gomera participated.
• San Sebastian Beach, an urban beach of black sand, right next to the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera and very close to its historic center. It has showers and wooden walkways
• Hermitage of Our Lady of Guadalupe where the image of Our Lady the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of the island of La Gomera, is venerated.
• Mirador de la Asomadita (de la Hila), a viewpoint from which to stop on the road to contemplate the beautiful bay of San Sebastián de La Gomera.

• Parador de La Gomera: besides being able to stay in one of the best accommodations on the island (it has a swimming pool and breathtaking views), you can also just stop by for a coffee and enjoy the beautiful patio of Parador de La Gomera.
• Playa de la Guancha: beach of stones and crystalline waters that is hard to find. It is located at the bottom of a ravine, so getting there involves a route along the coast from San Sebastián de La Gomera (more info about the route here). Of course, bring some booties if the rocks bother you and you don’t want anything to spoil your well-deserved swim. At Randomtrip we didn’t have time to visit this beach so if you get to go, please tell us about it in the comments of the post! Thanks!

Parador de La Gomera, one of the best places to stay in the capital city

Manaderos viewpoint

This viewpoint is a real natural balcony over the ravine of La Laja where the green is the protagonist and along which are lined four reservoirs fed by the waters that descend from the humid peaks (it is this accumulated water that feed the irrigated areas of the capital). From here you can also contemplate the landscapes of La Gomera and the Roques on the horizon.

Lomada del Camello Viewpoint

One of the best points to contemplate the panoramic view with the capital of the island as the protagonist, San Sebastian de la Gomera and, hopefully on a clear day, the Teide greeting as a backdrop.

Sombrero Viewpoint

This viewpoint is ideal to contemplate one of the hallmarks of the Gomeran landscape: its terraced slopes, as if they were steps to climb the mountain. They are really a solution, difficult (since it involves hard work) and expensive, to create arable land in steep areas that basically consists of building stone walls that reduce the slope of the hillside and, thus, retains the fertile land making it arable. To the left of the viewpoint you can see the cultivated terraces of Valle Gran Rey and, to the right, abandoned terraces near the capital, San Sebastián de La Gomera. The name comes from the views towards the Roque del Sombrero, so called because of its resemblance to a hat.

Degollada de Peraza viewpoint

At 14 km from the capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera and on the road that connects the city with Vallehermoso, is located this viewpoint at 900 meters above sea level from where you can contemplate Vegaipala, Jerduñe and El Cabrito on the southern slope and the Barranco de La Laja and Chejelípes to the north. The name of the viewpoint comes from Hernán Peraza ‘El Joven’, the Count and Lord of the island who ruled with cruelty the population of Gomera and who, according to legend, was murdered in a nearby cave because of his love for an aboriginal woman in 1488.

La Laja viewpoint

This viewpoint, which is also located in Degollada de Peraza, allows you to contemplate a good stretch of the ravine of La Laja, the Roque de Iscagüe or Chejelipes dam, fed by the waters that descend from the summit. It is up the road that leads to the jewel of the island, the Garajonay National Park, it is possible to confirm the heterogeneity of La Gomera. Suddenly the low bushes are replaced by a lush green ferns, vines and an incredible biodiversity of trees.

La Laja viewpoint. Photos by Randomtrip. All rights reserved.

This is due to the phenomenon of the Sea of Clouds that we talked about in more detail in the section of the guide on the Garajonay National Park and the same phenomenon that gives an impressive picture surrounding the Teide as we told you in our guide to Tenerife.

Santiago de La Gomera and southeast beaches

Before descending to Santiago de la Gomera, don’t forget to stop at this impressive viewpoint to contemplate the views. Then, once down, you can enjoy:

• Playa de Santiago: snorkel kit/glasses are a must to explore the seabed as this peaceful beach of small coves (not sand) and calm waters is surrounded by caves where a lot of marine life lives. Its small promenade has some restaurants with terraces, a fishing port and a marina. In addition, its calm waters are perfect for SUP (Paddle Surf) and here you can rent paddle equipment in Playa de Santiago.

• Tapachuga Beach: One more off-road beach, also with creeks and crystalline waters, where campers and caravans tend to gather in summer.
• Playa del Medio: another more isolated and uncrowded beach (usually has waves during the year, but calm sea in the summer months) which is accessed by a narrow path. It is common to find people doing naturism here.
• Chinguarime Beach and Arch: a beach with moderate waves, 800 meters long and 30 meters wide, just like its neighbors to the southeast, perfect for those seeking tranquility and naturism, where its volcanic arch stands out. Access is not easy and most people access it from the capital by boat, although it can also be done on foot.

Beaches and Arch of Chinguarime. Photos by LaGomera.Travel

In these southeastern beaches (less crowded than others on the island) it would be advisable to wear booties like these to enter the water taking into account that they are not fine sandy beaches but creeks and also carry your snorkel kit as there are usually points where you can observe small marine species for their caves and submerged rocks.

Imada and Alajeró: the Drago, Tagaragunche and ancestral times

• Tagaragunche viewpoint and the Ermita de San Isidro: this viewpoint is located in the Montaña del Calvario (or Tagaragunche as it was called in the past by the Gomeran ancestors) and from here you can contemplate a good part of the south of the island. It houses on its summit the Ermita de San Isidro (one of the main ancestral sanctuaries where currently stands the image of its patron saint, San Isidro Labrador), a place of pilgrimage for the residents of Alajeró during the month of May.
• Archaeological sites: Nearby are some archaeological sites that are authentic traces of the ancestral culture of the island. Like the Chipude Fortress, the Alto de Garajonay or Teguerguenche, here are three important sacred places for the aboriginal population with burial caves and cave paintings. It also housed aras of animal sacrifice (stone structures), like the one we saw in the Alto de Garajonay, where goats and sheep were burned to offer them to the divinities, in exchange for favors, a practice that survived with some variations until recently.
• Drago de Alagán: Very close to this sacred ancestral territory is the Drago de Alagán, the oldest and largest specimen on the island. It is located on the slopes of the Tajonaje ravine, very close to Imada, one of the rural centers where the traditional architecture of the island is best appreciated and here you can find detailed information on how to get to the dragon tree on foot.

The Silbo Gomero, its monument and the Igualero viewpoint.

The silbo gomero is a form of whistled language unique in the world, transmitted from generation to generation. It is a long-range transmission mechanism of a language through whistles that arose from the need to communicate between ravines in an island full of them, as we can see by its orography with the shape of an “orange squeezer”. This island idiosyncrasy is so special that the “silbo gomero” has been declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Photos of the Casa de la Memoria, photographed by Randomtrip.

Its origin is African, and it is possible that the pre-Hispanic ancestors used it to communicate in their language, later adapting it to Spanish and preserving it today precisely because of the orography of La Gomera and the need to communicate with long-range whistles between ravines.

There is nothing better than listening to the silbo gomero to know what we are talking about, so in this video you can listen to some of it:

Also, if you want to hear a very specific example, here is a very nice Gomeran gentleman translating “I lost a goat, have you seen it over there?” in Silbo Gomero.

And in this other video, an in-depth explanation of the history of the silbo gomero.

Its use has declined in recent years and that is why we saw, along our trip around the island, some posters promoting enrollment in an introductory course of silbo gomero aimed at teachers of the island, we understand that in an attempt to reach the younger Gomeran population and ensure the survival of this unique whistled language in the world.

The best way to pay tribute to it, besides trying to listen to it live (in this one-day tour of La Gomera from Tenerife, for example, you can do it) is to visit the Monumento al Silbo Gomero:

In addition, from the Mirador el Igualero, which is located next to it, you can enjoy, on the one hand, impressive views of the Chipude Fortress, which we will talk about in a moment, of the Erques Erosive Caldera (views that extend from the summit to the sea and cover a wide area included in the Orone Protected Landscape) and, on clear days, even views of the island of El Hierro and, on the other side, the island of La Palma.

Fortaleza de Chipude (Chipude Fortress)

The imposing Chipude Fortress is a Natural Monument of La Gomera which is, due to its location and characteristics, a place of reference since ancient times, then known as Argodey.

This volcanic massif, whose highest point is 1242 meters above sea level, is a symbol of the resistance of the Gomeran aborigines and one of the most cited archaeological sites as a place of Gomeran aboriginal worship. We can distinguish it from several places on the island, since it is a high point, and it is a Protected Natural Heritage (Natural Monument of the Fortress).

The importance of La Fortaleza de Chipude is reflected in the archaeological sites on its summit, four groups of sacrificial animal aras (stone structures) and huts related to ancient religious practices where offerings were made to the divindade.

Although at Randomtrip we have barely seen it from the heights at different points of the island, you can walk to the Chipude Fortress along a path that you will find more information here.

The Gomera Pottery and the Las Loceras Interpretation Center: a women’s work

The Centro de Interpretación Las Loceras de El Cercado aims to show us a historical tour of the pottery of La Gomera, the traditional pottery that is preserved today on the island. This unique craft was (and is) essentially made by women, both in La Gomera and in the other islands, using the warping technique passed on as an inheritance, without the use of the potter’s wheel and with almost no decorative elements, which is very similar to pre-Hispanic pottery. This center is also a tribute to the loceras of the island of La Gomera.

More than 2000 years ago, Amazigh people arrived from North Africa to the Canary Islands and as a predominantly pastoral culture, they needed objects for their daily life such as food containers or milk pots and, due to their mobility throughout the territory, the pottery they created was of medium size and simple shapes. With the colonization in the 15th century, a new pottery adapted to the social and economic changes that generated a new trade, pottery, an occupation that persists to this day and that has always tended to be concentrated in population centers (the so-called Centros Loceros or Alfareros) such as this one, in El Cercado.

The basic elements to create one of these ceramic pieces are clay (masapé), sand and water, but almagre (or “magra”) is also used , an earth rich in iron oxide that is added to the vessels in their final phase for waterproofing and to facilitate smoothing. The “almagre” is responsible for the purple-reddish color of the Gomeran ceramic pieces. In the center we also learned all the phases of the process of elaboration of the earthenware from the stewing, making the cover to the decoration of the pieces and even about the process of its sale, the barter.

Nowadays, the pottery of Gomera is concentrated in the Cercado neighborhood, where we are and where this tradition is still preserved. Here it is possible to visit some of the workshops, see the elaboration of a pot live and even contribute to the local economy by taking one of these small works of art home.

At Randomtrip we were fortunate to meet Carmen, at Cerámica María del Mar, one of the local potters who preserve one of the most important heritage legacies of the island.

Cerámica María del Mar, El Cercado. Photographs by Randomtrip. All rights reserved

Punta del Belete Viewpoint

From this viewpoint you will have a nice view of Valle Gran Rey, nestled between a canyon dressed in photogenic terraces. Also from here you will get a unique view of Cercado, the pottery village we just recommended in the previous point.

From this viewpoint it is also interesting to reflect, with the help of the explanatory panel that accompanies it, that despite its orography of steep slopes and cliffs, La Gomera is crisscrossed by livestock routes. Gomeran ancestors marked every pasture, source and shelter while leading their herds in a time when livestock was their main livelihood and the core of their economy. Although today the importance of livestock has lost weight, Gomeran goat’s milk cheeses have been gaining in quality and have won several awards in various gastronomic competitions. Traditionally, they are made from goat’s milk that has been fed in varied pastures, natural rennet, adding to the process of elaboration the smoking from rockrose or heather wood.

Mirador del Santo, Taguluche and its springs

The protagonist of this viewpoint is Taguluche, a village that stands out for being a green oasis between arid slopes of La Gomera. Obviously the orography and geology of the island have always been determining factors in the human settlements of La Gomera and although the slope is a determining factor, the most decisive factor has always been the presence of water, on an island where rainfall is scarce and irregular.

Taguluche is a town that arose precisely because of this, its springs, a blessing that its inhabitants have known how to take advantage of since this type of places were ideal for the development of agriculture and livestock on which the island depended mostly. The phenomenon of the Sea of Clouds, besides being responsible for the conservation of the Garojonay National Park and its exuberant laurel forest, is also responsible for the slow but immense supply of water (deposited in the branches and leaves of the trees that filter into the interior of the island) that explains the existence of streams and springs in La Gomera.

As a curiosity, the springs of Taguluche are distributed proportionally to the size of the land according to the system of dulas, existing and prevailing since time immemorial.

Mirador El Palmarejo, a work by Cesar Manrique

Work and design of the Lanzarote artist Cesar Manrique (if you have been in Lanzarote this name is familiar), this viewpoint is a balcony overlooking the Valle Gran Rey.

It has a bar and restaurant area that was closed when we went and was still closed at the time of updating this guide. The name of this viewpoint invokes the endemic Canary Island palm trees that share space with dragon trees and junipers and were very useful for the survival of the Gomeran population throughout the ages.

Its fruits fed animals, its trunks were used to make bee hives, and its leaves created the palm hats that protected the heads of the peasants and were the material used to create baskets and mats. Today, with the loss of importance of agriculture and livestock in the island’s economy, palm trees continue to be a valuable heritage, in addition to the fact that their sap (guarapo) is the raw material for the island’s liquid gold, palm honey.

Viewpoint of the Curva del Queso and the Gomero Rebellion

This viewpoint is not only a viewpoint to contemplate the views, it is also a viewpoint to one of the most tragic and important episodes of the history of Gomera. It was very close to this viewpoint that the “Rebellion of the Gomeros” took place, during which, in 1488, following the execution in Aguahedun of Hernán Peraza El Joven, Count of La Gomera, an indigenous rebellion took place. The Castilian repression to such rebellion determined the death of all the men older than 15 years and the sale of their women and children as slaves, and is considered by historians as the effective and definitive conquest of La Gomera. The transcendence of this episode is such that it has managed to survive in the collective memory of the Gomeran population from generation to generation through oral tradition.

Viewpoint of the Curva del Queso. Photos by Randomtrip. All rights reserved.

Valle Gran Rey

Valle Gran Rey, one of the (if not the main) tourist centers of the island, a ravine of palm trees that leads to the sea where there are several beaches and a core of accommodation, stores and restaurants with pleasant temperatures throughout the year that makes it very sought after by tourists. Valle Gran Rey tastes like a vacation.

• Playa de Valle Gran Rey: in this peaceful beach most people gather to take a dip, have lunch or dinner in one of the terraces or, as in Randomtrip, come with a beer to listen to the drums at sunset: something like the Ibizan tradition of Benirrás transferred to the west coast of Las Gomera. On this beach you can find two statues that refer us to the historical episode of the Rebellion of the Gomeros: a statue that remembers the native Hautacuperche and, on the right, a statue of Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ulloa, wife of Hernán Peraza El Joven (The Count of the island who ruled with cruelty) and Lady of La Gomera.

• Playa La Calera: this is the largest beach in Valle Gran Rey, 1 km long and the most sought after by families with children for its calm waters and volcanic sand.
• Playa del Inglés: a wilder and more remote beach (we went by car but you can also walk there from the town of Valle Gran Rey) where we went to see the sunset on another day. This beach has more waves and currents and more wind although it has stone shelters where you can protect yourself.
• Playa de Vueltas: a beach of fine black sand and calm waters in a semi-urban area. The waters are sheltered by a dike although, being close to several boats, we imagine that it is not one of the cleanest, although it is a beach much sought after by families. The beach has several restaurants with terraces and is a good place to enjoy a quiet swim until sunset.

As a tourist center, Valle Gran Rey offers several accommodation options for all budgets from Apartamentos Villa Aurora and Apartamentos Mario (both from 70€/night) to a room in the Hotel Gran Rey (from 125€/night) with swimming pool in the middle of the seafront avenue, in front of the beach and close to several restaurants.

Find more accommodations in Valle Gran Rey here

Best hiking trails in La Gomera

The Garojonay National Park is undoubtedly where you will find the most special trails of the island. In this link you will find the entire network of trails of the National Park, circular and linear, with their respective difficulty, duration, elevation gain and km. In Randomtrip we highlight the route we have done although, as mentioned in the section of the route in this guide, we suggest you choose one or two shorter routes to absorb all the biodiversity of the Park.

At Randomtrip we have selected five routes, from the longest to the shortest, for you to choose according to your needs and desires:

• Gran Ruta Circular 18 of the Garajonay National Park: a circular hiking route of 16km (the longest in the National Park), which we did in Randomtrip in 6 hours with stops for lunch, to take pictures and to enjoy the viewpoints. Pro: It crosses the different ecosystems that exist in the Garajonay (Laurisilva, Fayal-brezal and incredible panoramic views) with which you get a very complete idea of how heterogeneous is the Garajonay and includes some breathtaking panoramic views. Difficulty: High. It is advisable to park in Pajarito. Cons: The route passes through places that involve great physical effort for less compensation (for example, a long climb without too much interest in which you go through a secondary road passing cars on the side). The route is 16 km with an elevation gain of 683 meters and the truth is that we ended up with a lot of tiredness and sore legs (we also added 4 km to the route with a mistake so we did about 20 km in total).

• Route 9 from El Contadero to El Cedro, a linear trail of 10km (less than 5 hours), shorter than route 18 and perfect to get an idea of the heterogeneity of the Park (it passes through the Laurisilva and summit heath ecosystems) and also passes through the incredible El Cedro Forest, one of the highlights of Garajonay. Difficulty: Medium: Elevation gain: 530m. Here you have more specific info about the route on Wikiloc.

• Route 12 from Raso de Bruma to Risquillos de Corgo, a circular trail of 2.2 km ( 50 minutes) that passes through the Laurisilva and summit heath ecosystems and culminates at the Risquillos de Corgo viewpoint. Difficulty: Medium. Elevation gain: 100m. More info about the route here
• Route nº 1 through the Bailadero, a 1km linear trail (about half an hour) that passes through the Yew Heath and Rupicula ecosystems and passes through incredible panoramic views. Difficulty: Easy. Elevation gain: 80m

• Route nº 15 by Meseta de Hermigua: a circular trail of 0.7 km (about half an hour) where you can contemplate the Laurisilva. Difficulty: Easy. Difficulty: 50m

Beyond the Garajonay National Park, there are several routes around the island, for example in the municipalities of Hermigua and Agulo with more than a dozen routes through which you will pass through various places of interest.

Where to stay in La Gomera: best areas according to your itinerary

Due to the “orange squeezer” orography of the island, distances can be long, so we would recommend you to cover the island by “segments” to save time, seeing parts of the center and the ravines nearby each day. So we would recommend you to divide your stay between the north and the south of the island, being that some nights you would stay in Hermigua, Agulo or Alojera (north of the island) and other nights in Valle Gran Rey or San Sebastián de la Gomera (south of the island).

Where to stay in the North of La Gomera

Where to stay in Hermigua

Hermigua is known for its panoramic views, its beaches and its important group of rural lodgings. Here we have selected a few of them.

• Los Telares (from 50€/night): great apartments and studios with outdoor pool
• Casa Creativa from 50€/night): studios and apartments with terrace in a quiet setting
• Basâlto Casas Rurales ( from €130/night): 2-bedroom houses with mountain views and… whirlpool bath!
• Jardín de la Punta: vacation homes with sea views. Can you imagine waking up like this?

Find more accommodations in Hermigua here

Where to stay in Agulo

If you prefer to stay overnight in one of the best preserved historical centers of the Canary Islands and one of the most beautiful villages of the island:

• Casa Rural Los Helechos (from 54€/night): complete studios and a stunning solarium with sea views
• Calma Suite (from 70€/night): apartment for 2 with terrace and sea view
• Las Casas del Chorro (from 78€/night): two-bedroom houses for up to 4 people for those seeking tranquility. It is located in an idyllic setting surrounded by green-gomero
• Villa with Ocean View (from 125€/night): a 3-bedroom villa 200 meters from Agulo Beach

More accommodationagulo in the most beautiful village of the island here

Where to stay in Alojera:

• Casa Conchi (from 70€/night): our apartment in Alojera between palm trees, ravines and sea views. We loved the accommodation, it has two apartments (one with two and one with 3 bedrooms) depending on how many of you are there and the best: the attention of Conchi and Lolo. Upon arrival we had a lot of details (breakfast and homemade Mistela Gomera included) and the truth is that we can only recommend.

• Apartments Playa de la Alojera (from 78€/night), if you prefer to stay literally on top of the sea, in Playa de Alojera, these spectacular apartments have a bedroom and living room with sofa bed and stunning sea views.
• Apartment Yelymar (from 76€/night), up to 4 people, also with an impressive terrace facing the sea.

More accommodations in Alojera click here

Where to stay in the South of La Gomera

Where to stay in Valle Gran Rey

• Villa Aurora Apartments and Mario Apartments (both from 70€/night)
• Casa Domingo (from 75€/night): studios and apartments with sea view, 200 meters from La Puntilla Beach in Valle Gran Rey
• Caserío de la Playa (from 90€/night): apartments (including a penthouse with mountain views) with garden and a special feature, for adults only.
• Hotel Gran Rey (from 125€/night): rooms in a hotel with swimming pool right on the seafront, in front of the beach and close to several restaurants.

Find more accommodations in Valle Gran Rey here

Where to stay in San Sebastian de La Gomera

• Hostal Colón (from 40€/night): double rooms with private or shared bathrooms
• Chijere San Sebastián (from 66€/night): apartments with swimming pool and only 15 minutes walk from the beach
• Parador de La Gomera (from 103€/night, depending on the season): one of the best accommodations on the island, with a swimming pool and impressive views of the neighboring island of Tenerife and Mount Teide.

Find more accommodations in the capital here

Best restaurants in La Gomera

Before recommending specific restaurants that we tried, we want to tell you about a traditional gastronomic specialty of La Gomera that we became fond of and ate every day and which (happily) is already possible to try in other Canary Islands: the almogrote. The almogrote gomero is a mojo with the texture of pate made from specialties of the island such as cured cheese with oil, pepper and garlic. The result is a kind of artisan cheese paste, with a spicy touch, ideal for spreading on bread or on wrinkled potatoes. The almogrote is an ancestral recipe with a unique and unrepeatable flavor depending on the hands that make it, no two are alike: in every house you will find a different recipe and a different flavor. Apparently, its origin comes from the“almodrote“, a medieval sauce of the Sephardic community (Jewish community living in Spain), which disappeared after their expulsion in the fifteenth century, remaining exclusively in La Gomera.

Also, at the end of lunch or dinner, you will probably be given to taste the mistela gomera, a typical liqueur of the island based on white wine, spices, orange peel and sugar that is obtained after resting this mixture for a while in maceration. To increase the alcohol content, grapevine brandy is also included. It has a sweet taste and, in our case, all the mistelas we tasted were homemade and delicious.

Here are some of the restaurants we tried and liked a lot on our trip to La Gomera:

• Colorado (Valle Gran Rey): one of the restaurants we liked the most in Valle Gran Rey, creative proposals in a very nice terrace. Of course, it was always full so try to go for dinner early, or late, because when we went there they did not accept reservations (maybe the policy has changed).
• La Bocana del Puerto (Valle Gran Rey): good fish and seafood tapas.
• La Salsa (Valle Gran Rey): original dishes with fresh and local ingredients. Only open for dinner and reservations are required.
• Paraíso del Mar (Valle Gran Rey): we did not try the food as we were only on the terrace to enjoy the sunset one day, and a drink after dinner another day.
• Prisma (Alojera): one of our favorites on the island, a small restaurant to eat fresh grilled fish in front of the sea. We were sleeping in Alojera so this was our favorite place to enjoy a beer watching the sun going into the sea followed by a delicious dinner.

• Caprichos de la Gomera (San Sebastián de la Gomera): the proposals of the menu (delicious) are much more contemporary than its soundtrack: if you stay on the terrace, you will enjoy your homemade almogrote or your moray chips with gofio aioli with the greatest romantic hits of the 80s.
• El Faro (Hermigua): grilled fish restaurant and typical Canarian dishes with terrace very close to the beach of Hermigua. If you have it, be sure to try the famous and traditional watercress stew.
• El Carraca (Vallehermoso): very good value for money. Rich and abundant portions. Here we tried some original almond croquettes.

La Gomera itineraries

As we told you at the beginning of this guide and as you may have seen if you have read this far, despite its size, La Gomera has many places to visit and plans to do, plus its orography makes it take more time than it seems to travel the whole island. Because of this, we believe that the minimum to get to know the island well is 5 days. As it is not always possible to have so much time to visit the island, here are some suggestions for itineraries for a weekend (2-3 days), a long weekend (4-5 days) or a week (6-7 days), to help you organize your trip to La Gomera.

Things to do in La Gomera in 2 or 3 days (a weekend)

A weekend is not, in our opinion, enough to get to know the island well, especially if you want to do some hiking (something we strongly recommend). In any case, you will be able to get a general idea of the island and get to know some of its most important points.

• Day 1: Arrival by boat to San Sebastian de La Gomera and visit the capital of the island. Lunch there and then a first reconnaissance of the island stopping at the viewpoints on the way to Alojera, where we will sleep.
• Day 2: Hiking route through the Garajonay in the morning, visit the different viewpoints in the central area of the island in the afternoon.
• Day 3: Visit Hermigua, Agulo, Vallehermoso, and Valle Gran Rey, stopping at the different viewpoints and return by boat to Tenerife.

Things to do in La Gomera in 4 or 5 days

If you have 4 or 5 days, in our opinion and taking good advantage of the days you will be able to see almost everything and get a good idea of the island. Here is our proposed itinerary:

• Day 1: Arrival by boat to San Sebastian de La Gomera and visit the capital of the island. Lunch there and then a first reconnaissance of the island stopping at the viewpoints on the way to Alojera, where we will sleep.
• Day 2: Visit Hermigua, Agulo, Vallehermoso, and Valle Gran Rey, stopping at the different viewpoints.
• Day 3: Hiking route through the Garajonay in the morning, visit the different viewpoints in the central area of the island in the afternoon.
• Day 4: Visit El Cercado (interpretation center of the loceras), Igualero, Alajeró and Playa de Santiago.
• Day 5: Visit the remaining points and return by boat to Tenerife.

Things to do in La Gomera in a week (6 or 7 days)

A week is in our opinion the ideal time to enjoy La Gomera, to know well and calmly all the points of the island, but leaving time for enjoyment and relaxation. Here is our proposed itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival by boat to San Sebastian de La Gomera and visit the capital of the island. Lunch there and then a first reconnaissance of the island stopping at the viewpoints on the way to Alojera, where we will sleep.
• Day 2: Visit Hermigua, Agulo, and Vallehermoso, making stops at the different viewpoints and if the weather permits, a dip in the sea.
• Day 3: Hiking route through the Garajonay in the morning, visit the different viewpoints in the central area of the island in the afternoon.
• Day 4: Visit Alojera, El Cercado (interpretation center of the loceras) and Valle de Gran Rey, where you can take a dip if the weather is good and watch the sunset.
• Day 5: Visit Igualero, Alajeró and Playa de Santiago (where you can take a dip if the weather is nice).
• Day 6: Do some extra hiking in addition to the one already done in Garajonay, or take the opportunity to relax and rest in one of the favorite areas of the island.
• Day 7: Visit the remaining points and return by boat to Tenerife.

Get inspired with our Instagram stories from our trip to La Gomera.

If you want to get inspired by our live adventures, we have saved on our Instagram ( do you follow us yet?), in highlights, a selection of what we did during the days we spent in La Gomera.

If you click on this link you will be able to see the videos we recorded in several of the points we recommend in this guide. Are you curious?

Transportation: renting a car in La Gomera

As in all the Canary Islands (with the exception of La Graciosa), in La Gomera we consider essential to rent a car to enjoy the island to the maximum, take advantage of the time, and visit some emblematic places (which cannot be reached by public transport). We recommend you to compare prices and conditions in comparison sites like DiscoverCars.

Car rental companies in La Gomera

The companies we recommend for car rental in La Gomera are the following (all of them have full insurance without excess, second driver included and “return the same” fuel policy):

• Pluscar
• Cicar and Cabrera Medina (they are the same company): Be careful! At the time of writing this guide, this is the only company that allows you to take the car on the boat in case you want to get to La Gomera by ferry from Tenerife with the rental car.
• Payless (the low cost brand of the company above)

In our various trips through the Canary Islands, we have rented with all of these companies (Pluscar, Cicar, Cabrera Medina, Payless), in all cases without any problems.

If you choose to travel by ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera with the same rental car, please confirm before renting the car that it is possible to do so. At the time of updating this guide, the only rental company that allowed this was Cicar.

In any case check before renting the car and, as we say, it is advisable to compare prices so it is ideal to use comparison sites such as DiscoverCars to see what is cheaper depending on the dates.

Important: most car rental companies do not cover damage caused by driving on unpaved roads.

Important 2: since the pandemic, the rental companies had to sell part of their fleet to hold on and now they have difficulties to acquire more vehicles, so with less supply and the same or more demand, prices have risen and it is possible that in high tourist seasons they may be sold out or have extremely high prices. Therefore, it is very important to try to book as far in advance as possible.

Car rental prices in La Gomera

Prices for renting a car in La Gomera vary depending on the number of days you want to rent, the season, the type of car and how far in advance the reservation is made. To give you a reference, at Randomtrip we already rented cars in the Canary Islands with Pluscar for 13€/day (in 2018); in 2022 the cheapest price we found at Cicar was 20€/day and recently we got for 12€/day for a one month rental. It was precisely with Cicar that we rented the car in Tenerife and used it to explore both Tenerife and La Gomera (the car travelled with us on the Fred.Olsen ferry).

That price includes unlimited kilometers, full insurance, two drivers and a “return the same” fuel policy.

How much does it cost to travel to La Gomera?

Giving a generic budget is always a complicated task because it depends greatly on factors such as your travel style, what you prefer to prioritize, and what season you travel in, but here’s an approximation to give you an idea:

• Flights to Tenerife/Gran Canaria + Flight/Ferry to La Gomera: with low cost companies like Ryanair and Easyjet you can find flights from 50€ round trip per person, from Madrid to Tenerife (or Gran Canaria) and then you have to add the flight or ferry ride to La Gomera from another 100€ round trip per person.
• Car rental: between 15 and 50€ per day for the cheapest car, which is usually a Twingo/Panda/Fiat500 (depending on the company and the number of days), all inclusive. The approximate price for a week with Pluscar with a couple of months in advance is 15€ per day (i.e. 105€ in total). Gasoline is cheaper in the Canary Islands, it will depend on the kms you do, as a guideline a tank of an economic car costs about 40-50€.
• Accommodation: from 50€/night for a room with private bathroom or apartment with kitchen.
• Restaurant meals: between €10 and €20 per person
• Tours: 20 to 60€ per person per tour.

In total, as a guideline, a one-week trip to La Gomera with a rented car can cost between 650€ and 800€ per person (with the cheapest options of car, accommodation and restaurants).

Recommendations for traveling to La Gomera

• Respect the rules of the Garajonay National Park. Remember that it is not allowed to camp, make fires, make noise, touch or feed wildlife, pull up plants or picnic outside recreational areas. Leave the National Park better than you found it: if you see any garbage, pick it up.
• Consume Local: if you consume local products from La Gomera you will be helping not only the island’s economy but also its sustainability and safer landscapes. For example, the survival of the Garajonay National Park in the face of fires depends, in part, on its environment maintaining cultivated landscapes that serve as firebreaks. So if you think about it, every time you buy an artisan cheese or consume any other agricultural and wine product from the island, you will be making it possible for its population to dedicate themselves to it and, in turn, contributing to the prevention of a fire.
• Don’t be an accomplice to animal abuse! Do not contribute to any activity and to any center that keeps animals in captivity and with forced activities, for pure human entertainment.
• Respect the fauna and flora. If you see a terrestrial or marine animal, do not touch it, do not harm it, do not scare it, and do not feed it . Do not interfere in their natural processes contributing to the alteration of their behavior.
• Respect other people and the island: don’t play your music loudly on the beach or any other public spaces (if you want to listen to music, wear headphones), don’t leave trash, don’t throw cigarette butts, etc. Leave nature better than you found it.
• Be responsible when visiting a place: a large influx of people to a certain site can have a negative impact so respect the rules, do not climb the volcanic formation/tree/monument you are visiting, do not paint on its walls, avoid touching and, out of respect for the rest of the people visiting the place, do not make noise or “monopolize” the place with your photos.
• Always travel with travel insurance: medical expenses, theft or problems with your plane on a trip can cost you a lot of money, so the ideal is to take out travel insurance. At Randomtrip we always use IATI and we recommend it. If you purchase your insurance through this link you have a 5% discount.

Useful Apps for traveling to La Gomera

We recommend some apps that will be useful for your trip to the island:

• Windy (Android / iOS / Web): essential app in our travels, it allows you to see forecasts of rain, clouds, wind, etc. to help you plan your days based on the weather (as there are places that lose a lot depending on the weather). Obviously the forecasts are not 100% reliable. It also shows the available webcams
• Google Maps (Android / iOS): is the one we use to save / classify all the places we want to go / have gone and as GPS in rental cars. You can see other people’s opinions of the places, photos, restaurant menus, phone number of the places to contact them, etc.
• Maps.me (Android / iOS): application similar to Google Maps but works offline (although Google Maps can also work offline, this one works better) and in many cases has information that Google Maps does not have, especially trails.

Checklist: what to take in your backpack/suitcase for La Gomera

Here is a list of must-haves you can’t forget to take with you on your trip to the island:

• Reef friendly sunscreen, i.e. free of coral damaging chemicals, oxybenzone free, and not tested on animals, such as this one or this one.
• Cap, the sun is very strong
• Sunglasses
• Booties like these: some beaches are made of stone and will be very easy to access, and the water is so clear that you will enjoy diving among the fish.
• Snorkel kit/glasses to explore the seabed.
• A water bottle like one of these to always carry water with you and also avoid using single-use plastic. Remember, in the Canary Islands you can drink tap water but it is desalinated so it has a very particular taste. If you are going to buy bottled water, it is better to buy 8L bottles at the supermarket to minimize the use of plastic.
• A neck brace like one of these to protect you from wind and sand.
• Long sleeve lycra T-shirt with UV protection that we wear to protect us from cold water or the sun when snorkeling (or even for diving, underneath the neoprene), such as one of these.
• Waterproof bag, to keep your electronic devices safe on the dive/snorkel boat or on the beaches. This one for example costs 12€.
• Microfiber towel, which occupies little and you will use for the beach. If you don’t have one, you can buy the typical ones from Decathlon or these ones on Amazon
• Camera to record adventures. Around here we always carry a Sony A5100 and a GoPro for underwater images.
• Power bank: with so many photos you will spend a lot of battery, so it always comes in handy to carry a good power bank. Here we travel with these two power banks(Xiaomi and Anker), which allow us to charge our smartphones, camera and GoPro.
• First-aid kit: in ourfirst-aid kit there is always a medicine against seasickness (such as biodramine for seasickness on boats), antibiotics, antidiarrheals (and some probiotics to recover more quickly), antihistamines, painkillers and antipyretics. If you need to go to the doctor, at Randomtrip we always carry travel insurance just in case(if you contract it in this link you get a 5% discount).

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Did you imagine that La Gomera had so much to discover? What are you waiting for to organize your trip, Randomtripper?