Garajonay National Park (UNESCO World Heritage)

The Parque Nacional de Garajonay is the heart of La Gomera and has been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site since 1986. Covering around 3,986 hectares (11% of the island's area), it features a laurisilva — a laurel forest, as it covered large parts of the Mediterranean and North Africa 2–20 million years ago. The ice ages wiped out these forests on the mainland, but on the Canary Islands — protected by the mild, humid climate — they survived. Garajonay is the largest and best-preserved remnant of this primeval forest type.

Hiking through Garajonay is an experience like being in another earth epoch. Meter-thick, moss-covered tree trunks, giant ferns, mist swirling through the treetops, and a silence broken only by the call of the Canary Island chaffinch. The trees — especially Canary laurel (Laurus novocanariensis), tree heath (Erica arborea), and wax myrtle (Myrica faya) — reach heights of 15–20 m and form a closed canopy.

The highest point of the park is the Alto de Garajonay (1,487 m), also the highest peak of La Gomera. On a clear day, the view from the summit extends to Tenerife, La Palma, El Hierro, and even Gran Canaria — all four neighboring islands at once.

Main Hiking Trails in the Park

Ruta 18: El Cedro — Ermita de Lourdes (circuit, 5 km, 2 hrs): The classic laurel forest trail. Leads through the densest part of the forest, along mossy paths by a stream. Easy to moderate. Starting point: El Cedro parking lot.

Ruta 2: Contadero — Alto de Garajonay (round trip, 6 km, 2.5 hrs): Ascent to the summit through tree heath scrubland. At the top, a 360° panorama. Starting point: Pajarito/Contadero parking lot on the TF-713.

Ruta 5: Las Creces — Risquillos de Corgo (circuit, 3 km, 1.5 hrs): Short, family-friendly trail through particularly beautiful sections of laurel forest. Hardly any incline.