The forgotten Canary island worth a visit that is tipped to go ‘green’

When Christopher Columbus arrived in La Gomera on August 9, 1492, he didn’t plan to stay for a month. The explorer, who selected the port of San Sebastián as a brief stop-off for provisions en route to the New World, felt at home in the island’s warm climate and especially appreciated its locals; none more so than the Lady of the island, Beatriz de Bobadilla, who had seduced him to the point he didn’t leave for another month. 

Armed with provisions, including fresh drinking water drawn from the well of his temporary residence, Aduana Customs House, Columbus would then set sail on a five-week voyage upon which America would be discovered. Inside, the very same well is inscribed with “America was baptised with this water”. In fact, Columbus was so fond of La Gomera that he would later return in 1493, and again in 1498.

It’s easy to see why Columbus found it difficult to leave La Gomera. It is indeed an explorer’s island of deep ravines, palm groves and volcanic beaches that remain largely untouched by the modern world; the entire isle is a biosphere reserve, and its lofty centrepiece, Garajonay National Park, has been protected by its Unesco World Heritage Status since 1986. In La Gomera, time stands still.

What’s more, it could soon become more accessible for British holidaymakers. Over the weekend the President of the Federation of Entrepreneurs and Hoteliers of Las Palmas, Jose Manaricua, claimed he was briefed by government sources that July 15 would be the date after which double jabbed Brits would not have to isolate on their return home after visiting the Canary Islands. To enter the Canaries (which are FCDO-approved for non-essential travel), rules currently state you must simply arrive with a negative PCR test, or provide proof of double vaccination.

Away from the coastal hotel resorts, La Gomera's main modernised features include a 370-mile (600km) network of waymarked national park walking routes, suitably tarmacked main roads and cavernous tunnels which bypass the more gruelling hillside jaunts... but don’t let that distract you from the need to travel slowly. 

Given that the island is easily accessible from Tenerife (a 50-minute ferry crossing) it is surprising that just 53,000 people visited La Gomera in 2019 (pre-pandemic figures).

“You have to be a certain type of person to come here,” says my guide Meike, as we tackle the zigzagging roads on our exhilarating drive from the hippy coastal resort of Valle Gran Rey in the south-west, towards the lush vegetation of El Cedro in the heart of Garajonay National Park. 

“Most people come here for the day and are surprised that it’s nothing like Tenerife,” Meike continues. “I can usually tell within 30 minutes whether my clients have made the right decision to come here. The island’s main attraction is walking, so it’s very different from Tenerife and its large resorts. It’s also a lot more difficult to drive around.”

As we gradually ascend towards Garajonay, a thick blanket of fog suddenly appears from around a bend, and raindrops dash across the windscreen. “Many tourists do not expect this in the Canaries,” Meike says. “I tell them: it’s not raining, it’s dripping from the trees! We are in the clouds.” Garajonay’s permanent fog cover protects the forest, providing essential moisture for this lush landscape that would not survive in arid lower ground. 

Striding 4,200ft (1,300m) above sea level, we are walking part of Gran Ruta Circular Garajonay, a 10-mile (16km) trail that is the national park’s longest, crossing the crucial ecosystems that make up this humid microclimate: from its rare, gnarled laurel forests to the streams and ebony trees at the foot of the ravines. Its misty conditions make for a mystical hike across wet ground that, if Meike did not dig her heel into the ground to show me that the dry soil just below the surface is preventing puddles, would not feel too dissimilar to a slow summer walk through a rainy British forest. 

Persist with the tricky roads and you’ll be rewarded in Agulo, on the north of the island. Agulo is known as the ‘bonbon’ of La Gomera and is probably its most beautiful village: think cobbled streets, Greek-style whitewashed walls, Lisbon-like porcelain wall tiles and a football pitch with one of Europe’s best views. We stop off at Hermigua too, an agricultural hillside between two dramatic mountain ranges where the Atlantic crashes rather than caresses; a natural rock pool provides a calmer place to swim.

Strike it lucky on a clear day at Mirador de Abrante, a glass platform leaning over the edge of Agulo, for the most wonderful view of Tenerife’s Mount Teide. Back on the road, I tell Meike it feels like the towering Teide is on La Gomera at times. “This is true; we as Gomeros often say this. Other than in the air, the best place to see Teide is from La Gomera.”

The next day, I opt to spend the afternoon lounging around in Playa de Santiago, a laid-back fishing village home to one of La Gomera’s three Blue Flag beaches – and the sunniest spot on the island. Its black sand is scorching and the water is crystal clear. I take a deep breath and plunge headfirst into the sea. I feel refreshed, happily detached from the rest of the world and am tempted to stay longer. I can’t this time, but like Columbus and many after him, I will return.