La Gomera Vacations

La Gomera is a hiker's island through and through. It's a place for hiking boots, not flip flops.

Its steep volcanic contours and deep barranco gorges are threaded through by a network of undulating trails. At the center, Garajonay National Park offers a rare chance to hike through ancient laurel forests, often shrouded in mist, where the air is cool and scented with moss and leaf litter. From there, footpaths wind down to palm-filled valleys, over terraced hillsides and along dramatic coastal cliffs.

Many of these routes are old mule tracks linking remote villages - places where colorful Canarian houses nestle among banana groves. Along the way, you'll pass flowering cacti, sun-basking lizards and locals tending papayas and avocados in lush, subtropical gardens.

Hikes on La Gomera can range from gentle to challenging, depending on the route - and most involve at least some elevation change. The island’s terrain is steep and rugged by nature, with deep ravines and high ridges, so even shorter hikes can feel more demanding than their distance suggests. Many trails descend from the misty heights of Garajonay down to the coast or cross multiple barrancos, meaning a fair bit of up and down is part of the experience.

That said, the island’s well-marked network of trails caters to a wide range of abilities. There are accessible routes through the national park’s laurel forests that are relatively level and shaded, while seasoned hikers can tackle full-day routes that link remote hamlets or follow old shepherd paths along dramatic cliffs. Good footwear, a bit of stamina and a sense of adventure go a long way here - but the effort is always rewarded with panoramic views and a deep sense of connection to the landscape.

Off the trail, the island's delights are plentiful too. La Gomera has a rich winegrowing heritage and through its isolation, the endemic forestera gomera grape has evolved into something quite special. The island is equally beloved for the sweet, syrupy palm honey which melts in your mouth, for its spicy almogrote cheese paté and the firey mojo sauces.

As you travel, we give you time to indulge in the cuisine, talk to local people and enjoy the color and charm of this beguiling island.

The best time to hike in La Gomera is September through May, with peak season between November and April. The summer months can be hot with temperatures in the high twenties and low thirties. It's possible to walk during these months, but you should go prepared!

For the rest of the year, daytime temperatures remain stable and rarely drop below the high teens, though things can be a little chilly in the evenings. Rainfall is also consistently low. Sunset ranges from 18:30 in the winter to 20:30 in the summer.

La Gomera has a variety of microclimates to be aware of. The Garajonay National Park is cloaked in a constant mist and so is much cooler and damp, though it rarely actually rains. The north is cloudier and more humid and therefore much more lush and green. This is also therefore where you find the more interesting villages like Vallehermoso and Hermigua. Clouds roll in and out and so you tend to get a bit of everything whilst out on the trail. In the south, the climate is generally sunny, fresher and drier. What passes for beach resorts on La Gomera are therefore located down here.

In theory you could visit on a day trip from Tenerife, but that would massively sell the island short. Two to three days would allow you to see the highlights including the laurisilva forests of Garajonay National Park and the terraced gorges of the south. But even then, you're going to miss the real feeling of the island - the undulating terrain of the island means you'll spend a fair amount of time in the car and you'll miss the unscripted encounters that come on the trail. Much better is to spend five or six days exploring, with the bulk of that spent on foot hiking the trails. Only then will you forge a deeper affection for the extraordinary primaeval beauty of La Gomera and the charm of its people.

There are no direct flights to La Gomera, but getting here is very easy. You simply fly into Tenerife (TFS), then we transfer you 30 minutes to the port at Los Cristianos and you'll take the ferry across to San Sebastian on La Gomera, a journey of 50 minutes.

Having your own rental car and driving yourself in La Gomera (and Tenerife) is generally not for the faint-hearted. The topography of the island means that you are frequently going either up or down fairly steep hillside, meaning roads have a habit of sweeping back and forth in narrow switchbacks where you can't always see what is coming at you. It's not dangerous, but it's also not a great deal of fun for most people.

In addition, many of the best hiking routes are linear - again, the topography makes it harder to loop back generally and when you do, it's usually an uphill slog in one direction or other. The hiking is simply much better when you can go between A and B without having to turn around halfway.

Tenerife and La Gomera both also have a problem with some honeypot hiking areas in small towns and villages being overwhelmed by hire cars in peak season. We very much do not want to contribute to that problem.

So, quite simply the best way to get around La Gomera is by walking, and also employing the services of local taxi drivers. On our La Gomera hiking trip, they do all the driving for you, be it taking you and your guide around the island on your private-guided day, or taking your baggage ahead of you as you hike between the isolated villages.