Do you intend to travel to the Canary Islands to La Gomera? Then this is the right place for you. The round trip presented here support you in planning your own trip.
Recommended duration of the trip: 7 days
Number of places of accommodation: 3
Start and end point of the round trip: San Sebastian (here the ferry from Tenerife moors)
Valle Gran Rey is considered to be the most beautiful and popular region of La Gomera. The Valle consists of the three main towns Calera (on the slope), Vueltas (at the harbour) and La Playa (the beach). We recommend booking your accommodation in the Valle Gran Rey quite early. During our trip over New Year's Eve three months before the start of the trip there was practically nothing left to book and we had to change the trip a bit in order to be able to spend a night in the Valle at all.
After the ferry trip (from Los Christianos, Tenerife to San Sebastian, La Gomera) to slowly get used to the rental car and the winding road, we use every "view point" to take the first photos. The colors of the nature inspire us immediately and the view of the "Teide" on Tenerife also. And a few relaxations help us to get fit for the first day on La Gomera.
Before we go into the Valle Gran Rey, we stop at the Mirador and look into the fascinating valley. The road around the small church could serve as a model for a new race track. We immediately notice that the agricultural fields are laid out in terraces. This is not only attractive for the eye, but also makes sense because of the steep slopes.
Our hotel is beautifully located in the district 'La Calera'. There are some nice restaurants in the immediate neighboorhood. And in the hotel complex grows an avocado tree, which bears ripe fruit in December. However, one cannot drive directly to the hotel, but has to pull one's suitcase approximately 150 metres away and also climb some steps. The room is very nicely furnished and the breakfast with the homemade jams is delicious.
While exploring the surroundings of our hotel in Valle Gran Rey we notice the originally painted walls of the house.
In the evening the youth scoots and skates on the nice square where you can park your car for free next door.
The port of Vueltas is not only home to delicious fish restaurants and shimmering red rock formations, it is also the starting point for whale and dolphin watching boats. Since it is unfortunately already in the afternoon and most of the boats start in the morning, we don't do the trip.
Between Vueltas and La Playa there is the 4m high statue of the 'Hautacuperche', the indigenous freedom fighter against the Spanish conquerors.
The next morning we do the hike from Arure to the Valle Gran Rey. This is one of the classic hikes on La Gomera. The pure walking time is 4 hours and it goes predominantly downhill.
To get to the starting point of the hike to Arure we take a taxi (about 15 EUR). We would always recommend the hike from Arure as a descent hike. And if you really want to start the hike in Valle Gran Rey, you should start very early in the morning to avoid running in the midday heat. Most of the hikers who come towards us from below do not look as if they have a lot of fun.
Tip: Take a lot to drink and sun protection with you, the hike is practically completely in the sun.
Another strong sip from the water bottle before the last descent down into the valley to our car. After the hike we go directly to the rental car and unfortunately leave the Valle already, since everything is booked up around New Year's Eve and we only got this one night.
We have chosen Agulo as the second stop of our journey, as it is often called the most beautiful village of La Gomera and by the locals also the 'green balcony'. Nowhere on the island are there more banana groves than here and we feel right at home in the middle of the plantations. Moreover, the view point with the most spectacular view of La Gomera is located directly above Agulo, namely the 'Mirador de Abrante'.
This is the view of the treetop of an araucaria.
On the way to the Mirador we use the magic light of the morning and drive out at the first viewpoint to take this photo of Agulo. The Mirador is located directly above Agulo, but on the winding road it takes almost 20 minutes to get to the top. To our astonishment, the Mirador de Abrante does not open until 10 am and in the summer months only at 11 am. The 30 minutes before the opening we are all alone up here and dare to take a look left and right of the Mirador downwards.
In the foreground on the right you can see the Mirador and in the background above the clouds the top of the mountain 'Teide' on Tenerife.
From the Mirador you can take a short walk (2km, 25 minutes) to the visitor centre of the national park (Juego de Bolas). In contrast to many other hikes, this one runs without gradient.
Tip: Be sure to watch the very well made film about the National Park (also available in German). The model of the island illustrates very well that on La Gomera nothing is flat at all.
The people of La Gomera have long used a whistle language because of the predominant geography. And this language is still taught at school today. The sign on the second picture encourages the consumption of La Gomera's products. Food for a good cause: Perfect marketing as I think :-).
...namely bananas. The largest cultivation area on the island is in the neighbouring village of Hermigua.
...not only we, but also Agulo are half asleep. Since the breakfast is served at 08.30 o'clock, we decide to do a round in the village and use the blue hour for taking pictures. In the restaurant 'La vieja escuela' we had an excellent dinner the evening before.
because to admire the sunrise over Agulo and the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of banana fields is simply unforgettable (I took this picture at the end of December at 08:06 o'clock. So it wasn't that early :-)
The third and last stop on the island is the capital 'San Sebastian', which proves to be a good choice. Here is a bit more going on and the choice of good restaurants is very big. Nowhere else on the journey is the food as delicious as in San Sebastian.
On the way to the capital we automatically drive through the national park again and stop in 'El Cedro' where we do another small hike. As start and finish we choose the restaurant 'La Vista'. We enjoy the circular hike at the edge of the cloud forest very much, as there is only one ascent.
The small chapel is unfortunately closed, but the bright exterior on the clearing in the otherwise dark cloud forest in Garajonay inspire us. At the end of the hike we have lunch at the restaurant 'La Vista' with fresh tuna. Also recommendable is the watercress soup, a gomeric speciality.
Arriving in the capital, after checking in at the hotel, we set off for the biggest sightseeing of the city, the 'Torre del Conde'. The tower is surrounded by a nice little park with some exotic plants. The 15th century Torre is the oldest fortified structure on the island and one of the most popular photo motifs.
and also the rusty old well constructions are worth photographing.
The rooms shine in the most colourful ways and small geckos on the floor point the way. The explanations are in Spanish and English. A handout with explanations in German is available at the ticket office of the museum. For us the most beautiful museum of La Gomera!
The beach in San Sebastian borders directly on the pedestrian zone and bathing is possible. But at the beginning of January the sea was pretty fresh. Next to the beach there is the ferry port and the nice (disused) lighthouse is a little off the beaten track above the city.
That Columbus stopped in San Sebastian on his first trips to America can even be seen on the inscription on the manhole covers. From here Columbus sailed.
The next day we make another trip to the national park and stop at the Mirador de los Roques. On the picture you can see the 'Roque Agando'. The sculpture at the 'Mirador de Igualero' in the second picture depicts the hand posture during the practice of the pipe language 'El Silbo'.
The restaurant 'La Laguna Grande' serves delicious food. One is, eats and feels right in the middle of the national park. The short hike (about 30 minutes) to the 'Alto de Garojonay', the highest point of the island, opens further spectacular views.
... in the end from another perspective :-)
We flew with Ryanair from Frankfurt Main to Tenerife South. Since we landed at 15 o'clock and the ferry schedule for the crossing to La Gomera was not fixed 3 months before our trip, we decided to spend a night in Tenerife. We then took a taxi to our "Hotel Andrea's" in Los Cristianos and towed our trolleys the next morning at 09:00 am to the ferry port. This is about 800 meters, 10 minutes walk from the hotel.
We took the rental car in La Gomera directly at the ferry port. On the way back we did the same and spent one night in Los Christianos in Tenerife. One 'loses' indeed two nights on La Gomera and has two additional taxi rides from and to the airport but one saves the car during the crossing to La Gomera.
We booked the ferry trip via 'Fred Olsen', the trip lasted about 1h and fortunately went absolutely 'swing free'.
I guess you've already been busy with La Gomera and are already planning your holiday. Therefore here only very briefly: La Gomera is in particular for friends of the nature and hinking a recommendation. The unique mystical laurel forest that occupies the interior of the island is spectacular. For bathers there are also beautiful beaches, especially in the south of the island, but compared to the other Canary Islands less so.
We booked the accommodation in Valle Gran Rey late (about 3 months before the trip) and on New Year's Eve practically everything was booked out. Therefore we could spend only 1 night in this valley. But we recommend to spend at least 2 or even 3 nights there, because it is on average the warmest there and the valley rightly bears the name 'Valley of the Great King', because it is simply beautiful there.
You can read it in every travel guide of the Canary Islands: The islands are a year-round destination. And we can only confirm that. We have spent New Year's Eve in the last years always on the Canary Islands and were always excited, so also of La Gomera. At the coast it had often summery 25 degrees in the shade. But in the national park it was much colder as expected, often only 12 degrees.
For a trip to La Gomera, one has to pack warmer hiking clothes as well.
... we wish you many great impressions and experiences during your round trip through La Gomera! Kirsten & Thorsten
... and if you have any suggestions, improvements or criticism about this website or the tour, we would be happy to hear from you.
