Why explore alone?

What is there to do with 1 day in La Gomera

Garajonay National park

This national park in the centre of La Gomera is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s also the reason my family wanted to visit La Gomera. Once I’d read about this national park I was hooked and knew I had to see it for myself. I was not disappointed (except by the fact that I now want to live with these beautiful moss covered trees).

☁️🌳 An incredibly gorgeous laurisilva cloud forest covers around 70% of this park. There are very few cloud forests left in the world and this one, at the heart of the island of La Gomera, is considered to be one of the best there is, hence its super protected status. This natural reserve is one of the last areas in the world where we can see the subtropical forests that covered most of Europe millions of years ago. It is nothing but a pure privilege to walk in this forest. 

The upper reaches of this dense forest are almost permanently shrouded in clouds and mist, and as a result are covered in lush and diverse vegetation, much of which is endemic to the island. We particularly loved seeing 25m tall heather trees & giant dandelion plants.

✅ A day trip to La Gomera gives you ample time to get to the forest as it’s just under an hour to either the Juego de Bolas visitors’ centre or to other nice spots to walk in the park. If you just have a day on the island, I recommend starting at the visitors’ centre as you’ll get the chance to learn about the island’s fabulous eco-system before you head into the forest. 

Other options: Area Recreativo El Cedro & Area Recreativo Laguna Grande

El Alto de Garajonay

🏔 Another great option with your day on La Gomera is to hike up to the top of El Alto de Garajonay, the highest point on the island.

🅿️ Don’t worry, there’s a carpark just 30 minutes from the summit! On the map look for Aparcamento de Cruce de Pajarito.

☁️ If it’s a cloudy day I don’t recommend trying this short hike because you’ll probably see nothing. We were pretty unlucky when we visited as it wasn’t cloudy but the summit was still shrouded in cloud. The views on the walk up were great but from the top we saw only the inside of a cloud!

Miradors

If you are exploring in a car, you’ll be able to see more than one mirador (viewpoint), which is great news as the island is really gorgeous and very imposing. 

🔭 There are numerous stunning miradors to visit across the island where you’ll get excellent views out across the island. We particularly loved looking over to La Calera near Las Hayas.

The 2 best known are probably: Mirador de Abrante near Agulo – here there’s a gorgeous glass cantilever where you can enjoy views over to Tenerife, & the Mirador de Juego de Bolas (near Las Rosas)– this is the national park visitors’ centre.

As you explore the island you’ll see there are plenty more, including: Mirador de Amanecer near Agulo, Mirador del Morro de Agando, Mirador de el Palmarejo, Mirador de los Roques.

😙 At the restaurant attached to the Mirador de Abrante you’ll also be treated to a demonstration of silbo gomero, the whistling language of the island. 

Explore the villages of La Gomera

Under 20,000 people live on La Gomera so you can imagine that even the island’s capital city, San Sebastián de la Gomera isn’t huge and bustling. These are a few of the towns and villages you could check out with one day in La Gomera:

San Sebastián de la Gomera

This is the island’s capital and most populated town. You could spend a whole lazy day here very happily. There are some nice restaurants, you can sit on the beach, visit the Archaeological Museum (sadly it was closed when we were in town), check out Casa de Colón to learn about Christopher Columbus and his journeys. The Torre del Conde is a nice white building that is apparently a fortification from the 14th century. It’s not possible to go inside but it’s nice enough from the outside. San Sebastián is also a decent place to pick up local products and a souvenir or two. 

Valle Gran Rey

An hour and 15 from San Sebastian is Valle Gran Rey – the journey to get here is absolutely magnificent. Once here there are some nice beaches to check out – think the calm Playa de Vueltas or El Charco del Conde or the windy Playa del Inglés.

🌅 The best time to be here is for sunset as they have some of the most spectacular sunsets in all of Europe (meaning staying a night would be a winner!)

Vallehermoso

It takes an hour to reach this small town in the hills from San Sebastián de la Gomera. Check out the San Juan Bautisa church and the traditional Canarian houses in the centre of the casco historico (old city), visit the Mirador de la Pilarica for excellent views over the town, of the adored Roque Cano and then head down to the beach – choose from Alojera, Argaga de la Rajita or even the 2 fresh water pools by the coast at Playa Vallehermoso.

❌ Sadly, the Jardín Botánico del Descubriamento de Vallehermoso is currently closed and it’s not clear when it’ll re-open. 

Hermigua 

The town of Hermigua is nestled delightfully in the Hermigua Valley, meaning you kinda get a 2-fer if you head over this way. 

Be sure to check out the Museo PEG Los Telares, El Parque Etnográfico de La Gomera & the nearby Roques Pedro y Petra (just one of the cool rock formations on the island, Roque de Agando is another you might spot as you explore), Parque el Curato, & the numerous miradors around here. If you’re looking for a nearby beach, Playa de la Caleta is a good option. 

And of course, Bosque del Cedro, part of the cloud forest, is nearby so there’s plenty of opportunity to explore the lush forests land. – the Chorros del Cedro is a great looking waterfall (sadly I haven’t seen it).

Playa Santiago

This tiny town has some nice restaurants, a stony beach and a truly gorgeous valley behind it if you enjoy walking – Barranco de los Cocos.

Agulo

Agulo is a small village that many love to visit on their day trip to La Gomera. It’s definitely worth a short stop as you head towards the Mirador de Abrante.

Las Hayas

Las Hayas is a tiny, tiny place but if you’re looking for a typical restaurant to visit for lunch while on the island, I highly recommend Casa Efigenia La Gomera as it’s something of an institution on the island. It’s 50 yrs old and is currently run by the son of the woman who opened it. It’s a really special place serving traditional food – all vegetarian by the way. 

➕🏺 Nearby you will find the small pottery town of El Cercado. Here the ancient pottery techniques only found on the island are preserved by local women hand making pieces directly over an open flame. Visit Las Loceras Interpretation Centre to see their work.

So what are you waiting for?? Get that day trip to La Gomera booked!!