La Gomera Appears As an Impenetrable For- Gomera
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd La% Gomera 922 / POP 21,952 Includes ¨ Why Go? San Sebastián de la From a distance La Gomera appears as an impenetrable for- Gomera ...................... 166 tress ringed with soaring rock walls. Noodle-thin roads wig- Parque Nacional de gle their way alongside cliff faces and up ravines, and the tiny Garajonay .................... 171 white specks that represent houses seem impossibly placed Hermigua ....................173 on inaccessible crags. Viewed from up-close, however, that El Cedro .......................174 rough landscape translates into lush valleys, awe-inspiring Agulo ...........................174 cliffs and stoic rock formations sculpted by ancient volcanic activity and erosion. Vallehermoso ..............175 La Gomera does not offer the standard tourist resort trap- Playa Santiago ............176 pings of golden beaches and an animated nightlife. It is also Alajeró & Around.........177 relatively laborious to reach; the ferry from Los Cristianos is Valle Gran Rey .............178 a filter of sorts, and visitors here tend to be walkers heading for the myriad hiking trails that weave across this lush and spectacular island. La Gomera also has a tangible bohemian air; and you will Best Places to Eat spy plenty of grey ponytails from foreign residents who ar- ¨ Restaurante Breñusca rived here in the 1960s flower power days – and stayed. (p169) ¨ Casa Efigenia (p171) When to Go ¨ Bar-Restaurante El Puerto (p179) ¨ March and April are the best months for hiking with an ideal temperate temperature coupled with a dazzle of subtropical ¨ Restaurante Junonia (p176) flowers on the hillsides. ¨ During the summer months August can reach a sizzling Best Places to 30°C and sees the most day-trippers from nearby Los Stay Cristianos, while June and September are a tad cooler and good fiesta months with El Día de San Juan (23 to 24 June) ¨ Parador Nacional Conde and the week-long Fiestas Columbinas (from 6 September) de la Gomera (p230) street party taking place. ¨ Apartamentos Los Telares ¨ In winter expect some rainfall in December and January (p230) with an average temperature of around 17°C. Look for wild ¨ Finca Argayall (p231) mushrooms on local menus in February. ¨ Apartamentos Tapahuga (p231) ¨ Apartamentos Quintero (p230) 165 # 05km e 02.5 miles A T L A N T I C O C E A N Los Órganos #4 Playa de Ù# Vallehermoso Arguamul #\ 6æ#Castillo del Mar R Barranco de la Teselinde (876m) Tamargarda Era Nueva #\ Lepe Roque Agulo #\ Tazo #\ R Cano (650m) #\ Playa de Santa Catalina #\ Ù# Vallehermoso#2 #ïJuego de Ù#Playa de Hermigua Playa de Las Rosas #\ Bolas Visitor Ù# #5 8À #\ Playa de la Caleta Alojera TF-711 La Palmita #\ Centre Ù# #\ Alojera #\ Carrasco Chorros Parque #\ Meriga 6666de Epina Nacional de #\ Hermigua Dehesa de Punta de la Lomo del Las Garajonay #1 Punta Talisca Negra 8ÀTF-713 S# Majona Majona Carretón Creces Boca del Cruce del Ermita #\ #Y Rejo Arure #\ La Laguna Chorro w Casa de de San Las Hayas #\El Cedrow #\ Punta w #\ æ# Grande Enchereda w Llana Antonio Ü# Ermita de Nuestra #\ Casa de Juel Mirador César Ü# El CercadoEl Contadero #\ Manrique #\ Señora de Lourdes Las Casetas ö# Los Llanos #\ Alto de #\ R c Tajaqué La Laja 8À Playa del de Crispín #\ Garajonay #\ TF-711 Ù# 66666#\ R Inglés La Chipude(1487m) Roque de Barranco #\ Calera R Pajarito Agando (1182m) #\ de Gran Rey San Sebastián La Playa #\ La Fortaleza Igualero Ù# Valle B #\ Benchijigua de la Gomera ar 8À #\3 (1243m) TF-713 #\# La Puntilla Gran Rey r ##]6 Ù# #\ a f# Vueltas Drago n f# Ù# c (Dragon Tree) o #\ Punta d Las Toscas Ù# æ# e de los GOMERA LA GOMERA El Cabrito S D Alajeró #\ Canarios Playa de las a #\ #\ Pastrana 6666#\ n Arenas Ù# Arguayoda e t Playa del Los o d i La Dama #\ #\ nc Magaña a Cabrito ra go g Cristianos; r ia o #\ Ba nt Santa Cruz de la a La Rajita S Playa Playa de Palma (Tenerife) Santiago Ù#Ù# Chinguarime #7#\ #\ La Caldera #– Ù# Playa del Medio GOM f# Playa de Tapahuga era HI GH A T L A N T I C O C E A N LI gh T S D Puerto de la Estaca (El Hierro) La Gomera Highlights 1 Explore the fern-filled plunging valleys and picture- 6 Peer into the well that trails of the Parque Nacional perfect terraced hillsides ‘baptised America’ and explore de Garajonay (p171), the 4 Take a cruise to visit the colourful backstreets of laurisilva (laurel) forest at the Los Órganos (p175), a rock the pint-sized capital San island’s heart formation that resembles a Sebastián de la Gomera 2 Be amazed by the tropical titan’s set of pipe organs (p166) flowers, plants and fruits of the 5 Unwind at the Playa de 7 Munch seafood on the lush Vallehermoso (p175) Alojera (p175), the island’s seashore in the laid-back 3 Soak up the beauty of remotest beach beach resort of Playa Valle Gran Rey (p178), with its Santiago (p176).