Section 09: Chipude – Fortaleza, Garajonay – Chipude
As mentioned before, Chipude is a great base for tours to the parque nacional, Alta Garajonay etc. So we did a nice little round-trip that took in two great peaks: The mystical Fortaleza and the highest peak on La Gomera, Alta Garajonay. The rainforest in the area around the peak had burned down a couple…
Section 08: Valle Gran Rey – Chipude
After two off-days in VGR we were back on the trail again, climbing roughly one k up to Chipude. We started relatively early, shortly after sunrise. Unless you want to really show how tough you are, I suggest that this is the best time of day to undertake this climb. You’re mostly in the shade,…
Valle Gran Rey
VGR is kinda the touristy centre of the island. So if you are planning on doing any tours, “cruises” etc., that’s where most of them depart. We didn’t need any of that, so cannot report on them. What I can say though is that there’s lots of nice food to be found here. 🙂 One…
Section 07: Arure – Valle Gran Rey
To stay our course we had to backtrack to Arure in order to continue our route as planned. Also, we did not want to miss the La Merica high plateau and views! We dutifully waited 25 minutes at the bus stop before I hailed a taxi to drive us up to Arure. I was certainly…
Section 06: Las Hayas, Parque Nacional Garajonay, Laguna Grande, Rason de Bruma, Las Creces – Las Hayas – Arure
So, after not sleeping at all, we were up early enough to catch the bus to Las Hayas. A bit of an adventure, you basically stand around until it arrives or you lose patience and call a taxi. 😀 And yes, you have to signal the drive when you want to get off – since…
Section 05: Vallehermoso – Arure
We had originally planned this as a slightly longer segment, with a descent from Epina to Alojera and then back up to Arure. But the Reisebegleitung was not feeling too well, so we cut this part and walked straight through the parque nacional to Arure, saving us a few km and lots of descent/ascent. It…
Section 04: Vallehermoso – Emita Sta Clara – Vallerhermoso
A little round trip from Vallehermoso to explore the northern coast of the island. You will get nice (dry) forests, lots of hungry chickens and cats, abandonded settlements, boring churches, and beautiful ocean views galore. What’s not to like?! Plus gum trees, so a good follow-up on yesterday’s outback theme. 😀 Because we stayed at…
Section 03: Angulo – Vallehermoso
The third leg of our trek was another nice calf-burner, but also super beautiful. But first things first: What rhymes with Angulo? Gran culo! 😀 Nuff said. Well, after a nice breakfast at the only cafe that was open (at the bus stop, good croissants), we headed straight for the “red wall”. A relatively straight…
Section 02: Hermigua – Angulo
Just a very short section, quite welcome after the strenuous day before. But still a very nice climb from the coast up to Angulo. Plus lots of banana plantations, an aloe vera forest, and terraces that look like pyramids. The interesting thing about the banana plantations is that you walk right through them – whereas…
Section 01: San Sebastian – Hermigua
Fortunately, there are no direct flights from the mainland to La Gomera. Fortunately, because I think that’s what’s saved the island from suffering the same fate as Tenerife for example. It’s a striking difference – the big hotels and apartment blocks, high rises on Tenerife and the mostly provincial, relaxed feel on La Gomera. We…