The island of La Gomera is (after El Hierro) the second smallest of the seven main islands of the Canary Islands with a diameter of 25 km.
There are 6 municipalities on the island, divided into numerous
smaller and larger places
San Sebastián - capital of the
island and ferry port
Agulo - winding town on the north coast
Alajero -
Playa de Santiago - seaside resort in the south
Hermigua - Green Valley in the North
Vallehermoso - district town
in the north
Chipude - Small place on the plateau
El Cercado -
pottery village in the interior of the island
Valle Gran Rey -
tourist center in the south-west
Like the other Canary
Islands, La Gomera is of volcanic origin, with volcanic activity on
the Canary Islands developing from east to west. That is, La Gomera
is historically younger than the eastern islands of Lanzarote,
Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, but older than the western
islands of La Palma and El Hierro. The country was probably settled
between the 5th and 3rd centuries. v. by Berbers from North Africa.
This is indicated by the original language of the Guanches (natives
of the Canary Islands).
It is unclear whether Phoenicians,
Greeks and Romans knew the archipelago, but various ancient writings
repeatedly refer to an archipelago of the same name, often in
connection with the legendary land of Atlantis. The islands are also
referred to in numerous Arabic, Byzantine and European writings from
the Middle Ages.
However, conquests only began at the
beginning of the 15th century. Jean de Béthencourt, who had already
taken Lanzarote and Fuerteventura on behalf of the Spanish crown,
failed in 1404 when attempting to conquer La Gomera due to the
massive resistance of the natives. At the second attempt at
conquest, two of the then four Gomerian tribes submitted to him, but
the other two tribes put up fierce resistance until the end of the
century.
From 1447 the Peraza family was enfeoffed by the
Spanish king with the "County of Gomera", from 1477 Hernán Peraza d.
J. The population rebelled against his reign of terror in 1488 and
murdered Hernán, after which his wife Beatriz de Bobadilla succeeded
him. Christopher Columbus, who repeatedly landed on Gomera before
his voyages to America, is said to have been in love with the
beautiful Beatrice and for this reason repeatedly delayed his
departure.
Spanish. However, German is also spoken in almost all shops and
restaurants. Many Germans live in Valle Gran Rey and San Sebastián in
particular, and many shops are run by Germans. Sometimes English is also
helpful.
La Gomera is also known for the whistled language El
Silbo, which is spoken by some of the locals and is now a compulsory
subject in all schools. It was probably created for communication from
mountain to mountain and has also been recognized by UNESCO as a World
Heritage Site.
International airlines do not fly directly to La Gomera. The best way
to get to the island is via Tenerife by ferry or speedboat. From Los
Cristianos, two companies travel several times a day to San Sebastian on
Gomera. The fastest is the Fred Olsen Express, which also operates the
largest ships and is therefore certainly the best choice for potential
seasickness candidates. An alternative to this is the Naviera Armas
ferry, which opened in June 2006. Unfortunately, a ferry connection to
Playa Santiago and Valle Gran Rey is no longer offered.
The small
airport near Playa de Santiago is only served by Binter Canarias in
regional air traffic from Gran Canaria and Tenerife North and not from
Tenerife South.
Unfortunately, there are only a few bus connections inland. An overview of lines and tariffs can be found at GuaguaGomera. The most convenient and mobile means of transport is certainly a rental car, which can be rented inexpensively from various providers on La Gomera. But hikes by bus or car stop are quite tedious and, in the long run, quite expensive with taxis.
The public holiday calendar is redefined every year by the individual
autonomous regions of Spain. For example, if a public holiday falls on a
Sunday, in some cases the following Monday or the preceding Friday is
also designated as a public holiday.
Here are the public holidays
that apply throughout the island:
Mon, Jan 1, 2024 Año Nuevo
Sat,
Jan. 6, 2024 Los Reyes Epiphany: On this day, children in Spain receive
their Christmas presents, which the Three Kings bring with them.
Tue,
Mar 19 2024 San Jose
Maundy Thursday Jueves Santo
Good Friday
Viernes Santo
Easter Sunday Pascua
Mon, May 1, 2023 Day of Trabajo
Tue, May 30, 2023 Día de las Islas Canarias Canary Islands Day
Whit
Sunday Pentecostés
Corpus Christi
Ascension of Christ Ascension
del Señor
Tue, Jul 25, 2023 Santiago Apostle Apostle James
Tue,
Aug 15, 2023 Asunción Maria Himmelfahrt
Thu, Oct. 12, 2023 Día de la
Hispanidad Day of the Discovery of America
Wed Nov 1, 2023 Todos los
Santos All Saints' Day
Wed, Dec 6, 2023 Día de la Constitución
Constitution Day
Fri, Dec 8, 2023 Immaculada Concepción Maria
Immaculate Conception
Mon 25 Dec 2023 Navidad Christmas
Los Organos - This is an exposed lava vent. The typical hexagonal
structure was created by cracks as the lava cooled.
Garajonay
National Park - Evergreen cloud forest with a unique atmosphere, has
been protected as a national park since 1981 and as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site since 1986.
El Chorro Waterfall - not a particularly
long waterfall but the hike is great and 200 meters still looks
spectacular.
Alto de Garajonay mountain - the view is not to be
missed. On a good day you can see as far as Tenerife.
Hike
La Gomera is a paradise for hikers!
A good starting
point is the climatically very balanced Valle Gran Rey (the most
touristically developed place on La Gomera). From there you can make
some nice hikes, and you can get to the mountains relatively quickly by
bus, rental car or taxi. However, it is also advisable to choose the
north as a starting point for hikes for a few days (e.g. Hermigua,
Agulo, Vallehermoso).
The equipment absolutely includes hiking
shoes, warm clothes and rain protection. When the weather is bad, it can
get really cold in the mountains! It is also advisable to take a mobile
phone with you.
Some interesting hikes:
San Sebastian - Lomo
Fragoso - San Sebastian
Degollada de Peraza (High Road) - La Laja -
Cruce de la Zarcita
Agulo-La Palmita-Agulo
La Calera-Arure
Chipude - Fortaleza - Alto de Garajonay - Chipude
High Road - El
Cedro - High Road
In 2004/2005 numerous hiking trails on Gomera were
re-marked. Two main routes (around the island and right across the
island) are marked red and white, other routes yellow and white.
Detailed information boards have been set up at all important starting
points for hikes.
Whale Watching
La Gomera has one of the
largest whale populations in the world. There is the possibility to
practice "gentle whale watching" all year round, which means that the
organizers undertake to comply with certain guidelines (minimum
distance, no running engine in the immediate vicinity of the whales and
dolphins, no touching, no swimming, etc.). and also donate a portion of
their profits to whale conservation organizations. There are also
efforts to set up a whale sanctuary in the coastal waters of La Gomera.
In general, it is advisable to find out from the operator beforehand
whether they meet the requirements for gentle whale watching and, if so,
to forego the trip.
Whale sightings are almost guaranteed, mostly
pilot or pilot whales, but often dolphins as well. With luck, even a
sperm whale can be spotted.
A watercress soup is an island specialty. Gofio serves as an insert.
This differs from our flour in that the grain is first roasted and then
ground. This way you can use it without having to reheat it. Soup with
gofio was once a staple of the locals and today it's a matter of taste.
Palm honey is made from the sap of date palms and special know-how
is required to extract just enough sap from a date palm for the palm to
survive. Palm honey is widely used as an ingredient. An example are
pancakes with palm honey.
On an island one may expect fish. The
menu often features "pescado del dia" (fish of the day). What is meant
is what the fishermen happened to catch on the same day. A special
feature and not exactly commonplace is "cantadero". This fish has a huge
head and looks triangular. It has a lot of bones and tastes very
aromatic. "Atún al la plancha" is also typical of the island, fresh tuna
fillets that have been prepared in a special marinade, which takes a lot
of time. The fish includes "papas arrugadas", which are often translated
as "shriveled potatoes". More specifically, they are small jacket
potatoes boiled in sea water that are eaten with their skins on. This
includes "Mojo". That's two different sauces. One green with coriander
and the other red with chili. You can season the fish or potatoes to
taste.
Among the drinks, only wine comes from the island and
that's not even enough. The vineyards are to be expanded in order to
quench the thirst of tourists. "Zumo" is a juice made from fruit that
has been pureed in a blender. First of all, there are fruits of the
island in it: bananas, papaya, mango, passion fruit, kiwi.
Especially in Valle Gran Rey there are many restaurants, e.g. B. La
Salsa or Habibi (both in Vueltas), El Coco Loco (Borbalan) or El Baifo
(La Playa) and some bars and pubs; Canarian cuisine is z. B. in Charco
del Conde (La Puntilla) or in El Palmar (Borbalan). Smaller restaurants
such as Abisinia (Vueltas) offer original, typical Canarian cuisine.
Tuyo in Vueltas offers very creative cuisine, but is also a bit more
expensive than the other restaurants.
In Hermigua, the Basque
restaurant Iraxtere stands out (not cheap!). A popular meeting place in
Hermigua is the Casa Creativa (the purple house) with a beautiful
terrace and a nice bar. Unfortunately, the Casa Creativa restaurant is
usually closed lately.
In San Sebastian, Casa del Mar offers
fresh fish and paella.
The number of places to stay is relatively limited. Valle Gran Rey is
recommended for hikers. There are also some accommodation options in the
north of the island (e.g. in Hermigua). There are relatively few good
hotels, good experiences have been made with the **** Hotel Parador
(relatively expensive) in San Sebastian and the Ibo Alfaro in Hermigua.
Booking in advance is recommended, especially on weekends free hotel
beds can be very scarce and you have to take what's available. Even a **
hotel can be downright lousy (e.g. the windowless Pension Colon in San
Sebastián).
Apartments and studios/rooms are best rented on site.
You should definitely take a close look at them beforehand if you want
to avoid surprises in terms of cleanliness, bugs, noise, etc. In the
high season (around Christmas and Easter), however, it is advisable to
book in advance if you don't want to spend the nights in the car or in
some hideous flophouse. Brokerage offices are also risky. You can make
the nicest promises, and in the end you get an expensive but miserable
apartment. The best thing to do is take your time and knock on the doors
of houses that seem interesting.
Gomera Lounge, La Playa 9, Valle
Gran Rey, La Gomera. Tel: +34 (0)922 805195. This accommodation was
described in the insert of a popular women's magazine as pleasant and
under German management. Price: Apartment/2 people from €45.