An island of volcanic origins, La Gomera is one of the smallest of the Spanish Canary Islands. It is situated in the Atlantic Ocean around 350 kms off the coast of North Africa. They say it is a hiker's paradise dominated by mild temperatures all year round. There are extraordinary beaches with black volcanic sand. I have been to this little island twice. The first time I travelled here was back in 2017 and the second time in 2022. Since this island has a special place in my heart, how could I possibly not write about it. In this blog, you will get to know the famous spots of this godly island through my 10-day travel tale.
Gomeran cliffs as seen from Majona Natural Park
Let your heart be your compass
Chapter 1 - The Arrival
We took a flight from Baden-Baden to the Canarian Island of Tenerife. Since we had rented an SUV online, we quickly completed the formalities to get our car keys at the Tenerife airport. There was enough time before boarding the ferry to La Gomera, so we took a scenic highway drive around Tenerife. Later we enjoyed the famous Spanish delicacy Paella in the city of Puerto de la Cruz. After having satisfied our taste buds, we drove to the harbour of Los Cristianos where we boarded a car ferry that took us to the harbour of San Sebastian in La Gomera. On the ferry, we had rewarding views over Tenerife and its magnificent volcano Teide. Although I got sea sick, I didn‘t mind since the ride across the Atlantic Ocean was just 50 minutes long. As we were nearing the island of La Gomera, we wondered what's awaiting us after four years. Before we headed towards our rustic accommodation in Hermigua, we dined in San Sebastian. The day was tiring but after having arrived at our rural yet romantic Casa, we could only look forward to a relaxing night.
View from the living room
Beautiful things don’t ask for attention
Chapter 2 - The Discovery
We woke up early to witness the magical sunrise over the Hermiguan terraces. Our Casa sparkled in its stunning aura. Super excited about the day, we got ready. Driving an Opel Crossland on the narrow streets of La Gomera was not straightforward. However, I accepted the challenge to drive to the tiny picturesque village of Vallehermoso. We parked our car in the village-centre and walked right to the spot from where the panoramic view of this popular Gomeran village was just a feast for the eyes. We made sure to amble along the pretty village lanes to get a short glance at the lifestyle of the relaxed Gomeros. The next item on our To-Do List was to drive to Playa de Vallehermoso beach to photograph the very famous ruins of Castillo del Mar. The ruins had a long story to narrate which was clearly visible in their remnants. We bid a good-bye to Playa del Vallehermoso to relish some local food back in the village-centre. After having spent a great forenoon, we headed back to Hermigua. On the way, we stopped briefly to hike to Montana el Cepo that has an extraordinary landscape. Enjoying the sunset over the reddish terrain with a glimpse of the Teide on the neighbouring Tenerife was extravagant. The trail to the landscape was rugged. However, it was highly worth it as we had a chance to cherish one of the rarest sunsets of our lives. We slowly packed to get back to our car and drove to a local Hermiguan bar for some tea and wine to end our day. What an impressive day it was ! We arrived back at our Casa to celebrate the success of the day with some home-cooked dinner under the starry sky.
The extraordinary landscape of Montana el Cepo
Nature Is Cheaper Than Therapy
Chapter 3 - Beach hopping
We started the day with a lovely breakfast in our lush-green Hermiguan garden. Our forenoon was relaxing. Mid-day we hit the road to discover Valle Gran Rey. We walked down the promenade and explored the idyllic lanes of the town known for its hippie ambience. I mostly heard people speak in German. We took some shots of the magnificent steep cliffs bordering the harbour of Valle Gran Rey. Since it was quite hot today, we took a short break at the little beach of Charco de la Condes. We later drove to the popular beach Playa des Ingles for a refreshing bath. Meanwhile I could already smell some Paella in the air. As we had to address our hunger pangs, we packed to drive back to Charco de la Condes for a delightful dinner while capturing the sunset. After having spent some good number of hours at the restaurant, we left for Hermigua with a full belly. On the way back, we stopped briefly to photograph the Milky Way Galaxy. I tell you, the sky was never so clear. On getting a couple of good shots, we resumed our journey. The serpentine narrow roads passed through the chilly forest of the National Park Garajonay. We reached home before midnight and were thankful for another fulfilling day.
The Charco de la Condes beach
Go with the flow of nature
Chapter 4 - The Meeting
Today we had a solid breakfast and thus, were slow starting our day. We took a short stroll in Hermigua to photograph certain scenic spots. As we decided to meet some friends in the afternoon, we cooked an Indian dish at our Casa before driving off to their remote Finca. They had prepared Spanish delicacies for us as well. Meeting them after such a long time was so refreshing. We had deep conversations and savoured fantastic dishes. I watched how they cooked the traditional Paella. I learnt that there are three different varieties of Paella and what was getting cooked here was the version with sea food. We enjoyed fresh lemon grass tea and at dusk witnessed shooting stars that gave signs of a promising 2022. The day ended with goodbye hugs.
Views from our Casa's kitchen
More adventure, less worries
Chapter 5 - Hike Therapy
The sky today was overcast. We had a healthy breakfast at our garden as we observed the clouds surfing through the Hermiguan valley. We drove to the eastern side of the island for a mini hike-tour of around 5 kms. Since it was quite windy today, we had to be careful of our items making sure the winds did not blow them off the cliffs. Meanwhile, we also captured the Gomeran capital San Sebastian. Our next stop was a prominent rock formation of the island called as Roque Agando where we shot a time lapse video of the clouds moving over this grand volcano plug. Afterwards, we paid a visit to the not so popular yet idyllic Imada village to see how the locals celebrated the feast of Epiphany. Thereafter, we drove to the north-western part of the island to take a walk to the Buddha statue in the village of Arguamul. The narrow streets to the village were again a challenge. If we missed an exit, the only option was to drive in reverse. On the way, we photographed the remains of many abandoned houses. The locals told us that such derelict houses once belonged to natives who left the island to distant locations like to mainland Spain or to South America in search of jobs in order to escape poverty. We enjoyed the last sun rays over Taguluche and then drove back to Hermigua. Once home, we cooked again making sure to avoid eating out in times of Covid.
The grand Teide as seen from San Sebastian
Wonder. Wander. Repeat.
Chapter 6 - Mystical Nature
We started our hike at Finca Montoro. We walked about 10 kms upwards to arrive in the Laurel forest of the Majona Nature Park. We were never so close to the clouds as here. It never really rains here. The source of water for these forests are the trade wind clouds. While succulents characterize the dry southern part of La Gomera, the trade wind clouds ensure lush greenery in the north. These trade wind clouds rise on the slopes of Gomera's north and provide it with moisture. The nature never felt so green and lively and the clouds were following us like crazy. Afternoon we started hiking back to Finca Montoro. The hosts of Finca Montoro are our old friends and they had invited us for an evening Yogi tea. We chit-chatted and I painted some Sanskrit quotes on wooden wall decors as a token of thanks to the wonderful hosts. Though we returned to our Casa quite late, the 18 kms hike and a wonderful evening get-together was totally worth it.
The Laurel forest of Majona Natural Park
Escape the ordinary
Chapter 7 - The Road Trip
We took a road-trip to the north-western part of the island through Garajonay National Park. It drizzled in some parts of the island and was windy and overcast the whole day. The clouds made their way through the forests which made the view fantastic. We stopped at multiple spots to photograph the laurel trees covered with photogenic moss. As mentioned yesterday, these forests in La Gomera get their water supplement by absorbing the moisture from the passing clouds. Glad to have witnessed the trade winds that are responsible for a very rare phenomenon. Our destination in the northwest was the town of Alojera. We strolled to the beach called Playa des Alojera. The waves were quite turbulent and the coastline appeared heavenly as the waves hit the cliffs. We had an amazing dinner at the only restaurant available on the beach. They served a delicacy with home-grown avacados and fish cream which I am never gonna forget. We enjoyed the sunset here which to me was one of the most romantic beaches of La Gomera.
The beach in Alojera
With a view like this, I’m never leaving
Chapter 8 - A Home Away From Home
We decided to relax with a local friend at his Finca. We had long interesting conversations about life and how self-realisation makes sense in a world racing to the future. We had tea along with sweet & sour home-grown oranges. The day passed by in a jiffy. Since we were at an altitude of around 800m, it was colder than in the other regions of the island. The clouds were present throughout the day. We hardly received any sun rays today which was completely different from the sunny days we experienced at the beginning of the week. We ended the day with a heart-warming dinner in the idyllic picture book village called Agulo.
A beautiful distraction
Chapter 9 - Farewell Preparations
I ignored the morning alarm to stay longer in bed. After a warm tea and a heavy brunch, I immediately sat down to complete the online formalities required to get back to Germany the next day. I made sure to organize all required documents and finally got ready to drive to the western part of the island to photograph the lil‘ Taguluche. We found a viewpoint that was right on top of the pretty township from where we received rewarding views of how the clouds passed over our beloved photo subject. We spent a good amount of time just thankful for what nature has to offer us here in La Gomera. Since we had to fly back the next day, we kept our tour short and returned to our Casa early to pack bags and take some rest before the tiresome voyage back home.
Rewarding views over Taguluche
Life is a collection of moments like this
Chapter 10 - Bidding Good-Bye
The day had come when we must say good-bye to those fantastic island days. The Gomeran people, culture, food and nature impressed us to the core. We were glad to have spent such a wonderful time here. We woke up at 4 am and packed our suitcases to catch our ferry to the harbour of Los Cristianos in Tenerife. Our next task was to bring the car back to its agent. Since we could not locate the rental car station at the airport timely, we had to rush with our heavy pieces of luggage for the flight check-in. Luckily we had reserved a fast-track security-check for us and so, we were able to manage our way timely to the boarding gates. We sighed ! After the flight took off, we enjoyed the last moments over the godly Teide. We entered Germany 4.5 hours later excited for a great start into 2022.
I hope you enjoyed reading the short stories on La Gomera. I will soon be back with a new series. Until then wishing you safe travels.
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