OVERVIEW

Discover the island’s natural beauty and picturesque villages on a circuitous drive toward the north shore, a dramatic landscape that reflects La Gomera’s volcanic past. Once you reach the north coast, you will visit Agulo, a historical seaside town of brightly colored homes lining narrow cobblestone streets. Highlights include the Moorish-style Church of San Marcos and a leafy square named for local doctor Leoncio Bento. Still, the most striking feature is the 1,000-foot-high volcanic cliff that looms behind the city. Nearby, you will find the Juego de Bolas Visitor Center. Its exhibits detail the area’s natural history, flora and fauna, and the wonders of Garajonay National Park, whose vegetation is said to resemble the forests that covered Europe and North Africa in the Tertiary Period, which ended more than two million years ago. From here, you will have an excellent view of Roque de Agando, a monolithic stone that soars more than 4,000 feet into the air.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore the island’s northern coast, an area of immense natural beauty.
• Admire the historical architecture in seaside Agulo and the volcanic cliff behind the village.
• Browse the exhibits at Garajonay National Park that depict its natural history.
• See a forest like the one that covered Europe and North Africa two million years ago.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Hear some of the strange legends associated with La Gomera’s natural wonders while visiting the island’s most scenic locales. One of the first sights will be Laguna Grande, a circular clearing in the middle of the woods. According to legend, witches hold their covens here and perform a depraved dance that leaves the ground bare. Although Laguna Grande means “large lagoon,” there isn’t a drop of water unlike Chorros de Epina, your next destination. This spring-fed fountain has seven pipes and legend has it that if you drink from them in order, you will be blessed with happiness and health. All of these natural wonders lie within Garajonay National Park, a fairytale-like landscape that holds a laurel forest so rare that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage site. At the park’s visitor center, you can learn about the park’s biodiversity, view endemic and medicinal plants, and shop for traditional handicrafts.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit a variety of natural wonders and hear the strange legends associated with them.
• Travel through a laurel forest so rare that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage site.
• Learn about the park’s incredible biodiversity at the visitor center.
• Behold the soaring monolithic stone Roque de Agando, the symbol of the island.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Hike through an ancient, mist-shrouded laurel forest, stopping every so often to take in the natural beauty and hear some of the fables about the wilderness. You will walk through many of the most beautiful areas of Garajonay National Park, including the oldest section of the laurel forest that covers nearly three-quarters of it. The vegetation is so unique that UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site. The forest is said to resemble the ones that covered Africa and Europe eons ago in the Tertiary Period. You can also expect to hike through a shroud of fog blowing in from the ocean. The fog makes the woods look mystical and eerie, one of the reasons it is nicknamed the Forest of Fables. As you make your way along the 4.5-mile trail, you will pause at the most spectacular lookouts, such as the one at Valley Gran Rey. The hike will end in the village Arure.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hike through an ancient, mist-shrouded laurel forest nicknamed the Forest of Fables.
• Gain insight into why UNESCO deemed the mystical landscape a World Heritage site.
• Pause to enjoy extraordinary sights along the way such as Valley Gran Rey.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing and bring a rain jacket.
• • Wear flat comfortable closed hiking shoes.
• Take with you a snack and a bottle of water.

OVERVIEW

Explore an ecological farm that practices traditional methods and admire the island’s natural beauty from scenic lookouts. The farm Los Telares lies in the fertile Hermigua Valley and although once only a craft shop, it has been expanded to include botanical gardens, a mill that grinds toasted flour known as gofio and an area that produces delicacies such as palm honey. You will sample some of these local items, as well as watch artisans weave banana leaves, vines and reeds into baskets. Later, you will take in the panoramas from a viewpoint that overlooks the seaside town of Agulo and from atop Mirador Vallhermoso. You will discover much about those natural landscapes at the Juego de Bolas visitor center. In contrast, Laguna Grande is considered a supernatural setting as dancing witches supposedly caused the odd bare circle on the ground that you will see there. Nearby, you will view the dramatic monolithic stone Roques de Agando.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Wander through an ecological farm with a botanical garden and flour mill.
• Sample local delicacies at the farm and watch artisans weave various handicrafts.
• Enjoy sweeping views of the island from two scenic overlooks.
• Stop at a clearing in the woods and hear the strange legend of how it was created.
• Behold the soaring monolithic stone Roque de Agando, the symbol of the island.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.