With about 278 km² and an area of about 30 by 16 kilometers, El Hierro is the smallest and westernmost of the Canary Islands, with almost 10,700 people living on it.
The Cumbre, the wooded summit region of the volcanic mountains, stretches across the island. A wide plateau can be found to the north-east, the El Golfo valley to the north-west and the sloping plain of El Julán to the south-west. There are big contrasts: on the one hand, El Hierro is very high in relation to the area (up to 1500 m above sea level) and therefore has steep cliffs on 90 percent of the coastline, on the other hand it has a gently rolling, fertile highland, which in the Canary Islands archipelago is unique. It is used intensively for agriculture.
1 Valverde . The year-round green (as its name suggests) capital of
the island is called Valverde. Almost all cultural events such as
concerts, lectures and performances take place here. There is also the
tourist information center (opposite the Cabildo (island government))
and the hospital and all the main administrative buildings (cadastral
office, agricultural office, environmental office, identity card office,
etc.). What is extraordinary is that it is the only capital of the
Canary Islands that is not on the sea. Worth seeing are the church and
the new wind turbine with pumped storage power plant, which supplies the
entire island with electrical energy.
2 Frontera (Valverde) . Second
largest city on the island is Frontera. This relatively new and
sprawling town is located in the El Golfo Valley. As in Valverde, there
are a few bars and restaurants. The bell tower, which stands prominently
on a hill, is particularly worth seeing. You can see many banana
plantations towards the sea, which are covered with a light-colored net
foil to protect them from the wind. Also many pineapple plantations. In
Frontera you often meet Germans who have settled here.
3 Restinga (La
Restinga (El Hierro)) . The large port city is in the south of the
island. It looks like a chessboard. You can see that Restinga was to
become a seaside resort. In Restinga you have the opportunity to eat
fish in several restaurants. Restinga offers various diving stations. As
in Frontera, one occasionally encounters Germans in Restinga.
4 El
Pinar (Pinar de El Hierro, El) . El Pinar is located between Valverde
and Restinga. It actually consists of the two towns of Las Casas and
Taibique. El Pinar is a good starting point for hikes. There is
sufficient infrastructure in the village. Very close by is the Hoya del
Morcillo, the only official campsite on the island.
1 La Llania. Driving up the mountains from Frontera on the old road,
you finally come to a flat spot (llano = flat, level) with a small
parking lot and a water source. From there, a hiking trail begins on
both sides of the road. One leads through the ever-damp cloud forest or
rain forest covered with ferns and lichens. The other slightly drier one
goes up slightly, past an old volcanic crater and passes the first
Canary Island pine trees (Pino canario), which from here spread towards
El Pinar.
2 Entrance to El Sabinar. El Sabinar is the name of a
sparse forest made up of wind-bent Sabina trees (juniper trees). It is
located in the very west of the island. The Santuario de la Virgen de
los Reyes Church is also very close by.
1 Faro de Orchilla (Faro de
Punta Orchilla) . In the very southwest of the island is the island's
lighthouse, which used to mark the point of the prime meridian.infoedit
2 Archaeological site of El Julan (El Julán) wikipediacommons. Los
Letreros. Here are the witnesses of the Bimbaches, the first inhabitants
of the island. Located in the southwest of the island in a treeless area
that can only be reached on foot. The El Julan Visitor Center is
accessed by turning off the HI-400 towards the coast. The center reports
on the nearby site of stone carvings of the aborigines as well as
remains of their old dwelling and a meeting place. To take a guided tour
there, you should reserve at least a day in advance. The site of the
Bimbaches can only be visited with a guide.
3 Casas Guinea and
Lagartario. In the El Golfo Valley there are two museums next to each
other: Museum Village and Giant Lizard Breeding Station. The Casas
Guinea are a collection of old houses. Here you can see how the
inhabitants lived until about 50 years ago. The large, almost extinct
lizards are bred in the Lagartario. They look like little dragons.
El Hierro is of volcanic origin and has a population of around
11,000, of which around 3,000 live in the island's capital, Valverde.
The highest elevation at 1,501 m is called Pico de Malpaso. The popular
hiking island of the Canary Islands was declared a biosphere reserve by
UNESCO in 2000 and a geopark in 2014. A volcano last erupted on the
island in 1793. Between 2011 and 2012, a volcano roiled in the sea off
the island's south coast at La Restinga.
Before the introduction
of modern longitude and latitude, El Hierro formed the "zero point" of
European geodesy. East longitude was given as "east of Ferro".
The island only got an electrical power grid in the 1970s. In the 1980s
there were almost no cars there, only a few trucks. The tunnel that
connects Frontera (and the El Golfo Valley) to the rest of the island
(Valverde, El Pinar etc.) only opened in 2003. Most roads have only been
paved for about 10 years. Accordingly, one feels transported to the past
on the island.
The main language on the island is Canarian Spanish, a dialect of Standard Spanish. Because of the long tradition of tourism on the Canary Islands, it is also possible to communicate in English or German.
Overview
The quickest way is to fly to Gran Canaria and from there
take a small plane to El Hierro.
Alternatively, you can fly to
Tenerife South (or if you're lucky, Tenerife North) and continue from
Tenerife North with a small plane or by ship from the port of Los
Cristianos near Tenerife South to El Hierro.
Alternatively by ship
(ferry!) for around 100 euros per adult passenger from Huelva (southern
Spain, almost near Portugal) with Naviera Armas or from Cádiz (southern
Spain) with Transmediterranea to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Duration of the
crossing with the ferry 1.5 or 2 days. With a car it costs about 400
euros. From Tenerife or Gran Canaria by ship (ferry) or plane to El
Hierro.
You can also take the boat from La Gomera to El Hierro every
Wednesday.
From Gran Canaria to El Hierro
There are also
flights several times a week from Gran Canaria (with BinterCanarias).
There you have the advantage that you don't have to change airports
(like in Tenerife) and you don't have to check in and out twice. Only
one security check (e.g. in Germany if you come from Germany). Flying
from Gran Canaria to El Hierro takes just a few minutes more than flying
from Tenerife.
From Tenerife to El Hierro
By boat
From
Tenerife continue with the ship of the shipping company Armas from Los
Cristianos (in the south of Tenerife) in the direction of El Hierro. You
should calculate a good 30 minutes for baggage claim at the southern
airport. From the arrival in Tenerife South to the departure of the
ferry you should calculate at least 3 hours if you are traveling by
public transport and on foot. You can do that by taxi in just 1.5 hours.
It is best to buy the ticket for the ship in advance. Then all you have
to do is show your ID/passport and the printed ticket and you can go on
board.
by bus to the ship
The green Titsa bus number 111 runs
from the airport to Los Cristianos around the clock (from 6 a.m. to 9
p.m. even every 30 minutes, at 10 and 40 minutes past the hour).
Departure at Platz32 Departure bus towards Los Cristianos, directly at
the information point outside. Tickets can be bought from the driver and
cost 3.20 euros. The stops are not announced! Los Cristianos can be
recognized by its bus station Bus-Station Los Cristianos and by the fact
that it is the first real place you come to. The journey takes about
15-20 minutes, and then it is a 1 km walk to the port. As the ferry
departs from ferry ticket offices at the far end of the harbour, allow
20-30 minutes for the journey. Walk west past the gas station and the
road becomes pedestrian at a church. There is a small beach and a
promenade with many restaurants.
shipping
For the new, fast
catamaran ship, which takes about 2.5 hours for the crossing, you pay
about 50 euros (up to and including 3 years free, under 12 half price).
It runs once in each direction every day except Saturday (see timetable
at Naviera Armas). Tickets for the ship must be purchased at least 30
minutes before the ship departs or already online (don't forget the
AutoCheck-In so that you can board the ship directly with the boarding
cards you have printed out yourself and your identity card). If you want
to buy the tickets on site or forgot to do the AutoCheck-In: Queues
often form in front of the counters, so you should expect to queue for
at least 15-30 minutes. When boarding, you must always show the identity
documents of all passengers (including children and babies). There is
free WiFi again in the ship terminal. There is no WLAN on the ship, but
there are public sockets in the front area (unfortunately without
seating). The ship arrives very late in El Hierro on a few days.
Sometimes there is no bus down at the port and you have to take a taxi
(phone numbers see below).
By plane
Alternatively, you can fly
three to four times a day from the north airport of Tenerife (IATA: TFN)
to El Hierro (flight time 45 minutes), prices between 60 and 110
euros/flight (booking in good time is worthwhile here, as it is then
only half the price of the flight). normal price costs). Since most
holiday planes arrive in the south of Tenerife, you still have to plan
the transfer to the north airport. You can take a taxi (75 euros[1],
travel time just under an hour) or take the direct bus number 343 for
around 10 euros (see there PASO AEROPUERTO, travel time just over an
hour) or with a change: first drive to Santa Cruz (Intercambiador) and
then get on the Bus20 (journey time just under 2 hours).
From the
port or airport to Valverde and Frontera
from port
Since 2019, bus
number 11 or 7 has been running from 5 Port Puerto de la Estaca on El
Hierro to Valverde to the central 6 bus station in the capital Valverde
(terminus). Departure 8 p.m., or on Sunday 10 p.m.
from airport
Bus number 10 goes up to Valverde several times a day to the central bus
station (terminus).
From Valverde you can take the number 3 bus to
Frontera, departure at 9.30pm, on Sundays you have to take a taxi or
hitchhike.
Taxi on El Hierro
Taxis run all night and also during
the day.
Taxi Transhierro. Phone: +34 92255-0729. Large taxi and
bus cooperative on the island. The taxi from the airport or port to
Frontera costs around 35 euros.
Taxi Gustavo, Calle Tejeguate,
Frontera. Mobile: +34 620637490. Gustavo has a six-passenger taxi; If
you are in a hurry and want to save a little, go with Gustavo. Taxi from
the airport or port to Frontera costs about 30 euros.
rental car
If you want to explore the entire island quickly, it is
advisable to rent a car due to the insufficient local transport on El
Hierro. This can be done in Valverde (biggest choice of providers and
prices) or at the airport. In Frontera there is the car rental company
Autos Bamir, which also hands over the rental car at any time of the day
upon arrival at the port, when you return the car you simply leave it at
the port. The Cruz Alta car rental offers the service of bringing the
car from Valverde to Frontera, after having previously arranged this by
telephone (0034-92255-0004, also possible in German and English). If you
book a rental car in advance via the Internet, it is usually cheaper
than on site. The easiest way is to use Avis. Since Avis does not have a
counter, the handover takes place in the airport car park. When you
return the vehicle, you simply park it in the parking lot (lock the car,
put the key in the car, close the car doors, done).
hitchhiking
It is very possible to hitchhike (hitchhike) on this small island as
this is also practiced by locals of all ages. One is taken everywhere
very quickly by interested islanders. Even hitchhiking through the
tunnel by bike is easily possible, as there are many large cars with
loading platforms and small trucks on the island.
By bicycle
Mountain bikes can z. B. Heidrun and Jörg in Frontera rent very cheap.
The service also includes the transport of the bikes to the
accommodation. More information here on the cave page of the two:
http://www.hoehlenelhierro.de
Electric bicycles (e-bikes,
pedelecs, bicicleta eléctrica in Spanish) are available in Frontera from
Mountainbike Active S.L. and normal bikes also for rent in La Restinga.
The main streets of the towns are based on contour lines, so that you
can easily move through the elongated towns.
You can only get
through the tunnel by bike by hitchhiking with your bike or by using bus
line 3, which takes up to two bikes.
By bus
The bus is called
Guagua in Canarian and is operated by the company Transhierro, on whose
website you can also see the timetable.
tunnel
The tunnel can
only be passed in motorized vehicles with license plates. So this does
not include simple electric bikes. At the lower end of the tunnel (near
Frontera) there is a checkpoint that is always manned during the day,
which reminds you again if you try to cross the tunnel on foot, by
bicycle or on a horse.
Hikers or cyclists can legally pass
through the tunnel, as described above, by hitchhiking or by taking the
number 3 bus.
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.
January 1: Año Nuevo
January 6th:
Epiphany, Los Reyes: On this day, children in Spain receive their
Christmas presents brought by the Three Kings.
March 19: San Jose
Maundy Thursday: Jueves Santo
Good Friday: Viernes Santo
Easter
Sunday: Pascua
May 1st: Day of Trabajo
May 30: Día de las Islas
Canarias, Canary Islands Day
Pentecost Sunday: Pentecostés
Corpus
Christi: Corpus Christi
Ascension Day: Ascension del Señor
July
25: Santiago Apostel, Apostle James
August 15: Assumption of Mary:
Asunción
October 12: Day of the Discovery of America, Día de la
Hispanidad
November 1st: All Saints' Day, Todos los Santos
December 6: Día de la Constitución, Constitution Day
December 8:
Conception of Mary, Immaculada Concepción
December 25: Christmas,
Navidad