With its head in the clouds La Gomera is a dreamy little island – the second smallest in The Canaries.  Unspoilt, peaceful and without the brash and bling of Playa de las Americas across the water – it’s Tenerife’s alter ego.   Just an hour by ferry from the port of Los Christianos this volcanic isle is a haven of forest, rock formations, deep terraced gorges and stunning views.  On a clear day the best view you’ll get of Mount Teide is from La Gomera.  It was only just visible in the background the day we visited the island but it didn’t matter because everywhere we stopped had an amazing view…

Terraces on the slopes of one of La Gomera’s ravines – spring flowers light up the foreground.  It’s easy to see why the island draws hikers from all over Europe.

La Fortelaza – a table mountain seen across a Barranco (deep gorge).  Past inhabitants of the island erected stone circles and sacrificial altars on the plateau.  Is that a smoke signal in the background…

Alto de Garajonay

This is the view from Alto de Garajonay the summit of La Gomera is 1487m above sea level.  Tenerife’s Mount Teide, shrouded in mist, can just be seen in the background.  Three other Canary Islands can also be seen from here; La Palma, Gran Canaria and El Hierro. The area around Garajonay is a national park and home to one of the worlds’ oldest forests and unique eco-system; the Laurisilva Forest.  Swirling mists creep through the gnarled lichen covered branches and tree-roots cushioned with soft spongy moss give an air of enchantment to the forest which feels somewhat eerie.

photo credit; http://whc.unesco.org

One last view as we made our way back to the ferry; the houses matched the colours of the ice-creams we were contemplating as we stopped by the port in La Gomera’s capital San Sebastian.

Take the ferry from Los Christianos to La Gomera

Take the ferry from Tenerife at the port of Los Christianos to La Gomera for around 30 euros return. How to get there.

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