The End of the World: The Canary Islands You Rarely Hear About
To the seasoned traveler, the world truly is an oyster.
Those longing for uncharted territories of wild natural beauty and a complete rest from crowds and traffic may be astonished to discover that Spain’s Canary Islands still have a handful of secret hideouts.
The tiny islands of El Hierro, Graciosa Island and La Gomera still retain their intrigue, eerie natural beauty and as Christopher Columbus described it, a sense of being at the End of the World.
El Hierro
Where black volcanic landscape meets the thrashing waves of the Atlantic and wind twisted trees brave the elements, El Hierro Island is both desolate and stunningly beautiful. Patches of green farmland, vineyards and pine forest cover the unspoiled interior, while the island itself is declared a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve.
El Hierro is a hiker’s paradise. Walk through banana plantations in Frontera Valley, the silent pine forests of El Pinar or swim amongst volcanic arches and blowholes in the natural rock pools on the cliffs of Charco Manso.
And when your supplies run out, visit the island’s tiny landlocked capital, Valverde, to stock up on fresh bread at the bakery and admire the views of the Atlantic Ocean and Tenerife’s mist-covered Teide in the distance.
Getting there
By air, flights go to El Hierro from Cran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma
By water, El Hierro’s Puerto de la Estaca is served by a 2-hour ferry ride from Los Cristianos, Tenerife, price 47€
Car hire is available at El Hierro Airport
La Gomera
Black pebble beaches, rugged coastline and lush ravine valleys characterize La Gomera. The popular activities on the island include hiking, cycling and barranquismo, or ravine climbing. Discover plantations of bananas, citrus and almond trees, wade through groves of bamboo or collect chumbos, the prickly fruit from the pear cacti that grow all around the island.
The thick pre Ice Age jungle of Garajonay in the heart of La Gomera is a dedicated natural park zone that offers a superb network of trails ranging from easy strolls to challenging hikes or cross country bike rides.
Other activities include dolphin spotting and surfing at Valle Gran Rey on the west coast. The island’s capital, San Sebastian, offers a few choice hotels if you begin to miss your creature comforts.
Getting there
By air, La Gomera has a few inter-island flights to Tenerife and Gran Canaria; the airport is 3km from the small urban centre of Playa Santiago
By water, La Gomera’s San Sebastian is accessible by a 30 minute high-speed catamaran trip from Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro capital; price 53€
Car hire is available at El Hierro Airport
La Graciosa
A tiny island marine reserve with a population of 700 just off the northern tip of Lanzarote, La Graciosa is one of the few places in Europe where roads are not tarmacked.
A myriad of marine species like whales, dolphins and blue fin tuna are found in the clear waters of La Graciosa’s nature park, Archipiélago Chinijo, making it a diver’s dream come true. Regular dive boats leave from the northern port of Orzola on Lanzarote.
A well-known Spanish joke claims that a day in La Gomera lasts twice as long as anywhere else - because time seems to go so slowly on the island.
Getting there
By air, fly to Lanzarote first, then take a ferry from Órzola to La Graciosa, price 20€
Car hire is available at Lanzarote Guasimeta Arrecife Airport
AIRLINES AND FERRIES:
Flights between El Hierro or La Gomera and Gran Canaria and Tenerife: Binternet Airlines, Tel. (+34) 902 39 13 92 and Islas Airways, Tel. (+34) 902 47 74 78
Fred Olsen Ferries, Tel. (+34) 902 100 107, run from Tenerife’s Los Cristianos to El Hierro and La Gomera
Lineas Romero Ferries Tel. (+34) 928 596 107 run between Orzola, Lanzarote and La Graciosa