Misty, tangled forests; jagged volcanic peaks draped with lush greenery; sleepy villages clinging to towering cliffs and a rich culture, in a compact Atlantic emerald…
Dubbed 'the island that time forgot' La Gomera, second smallest in the Canary Island chain, lies just 28 km from its nearest neighbour Tenerife. But if this conjures up visions of concrete jungle, beer-swilling youth and late night clubbing, think again: La Gomera, World Biosphere Reserve, differs in almost every conceivable way.
Although like the other islands it is volcanic in origin, its jagged rocks have been sleeping for 2 million years, while its rural lifestyle appears equally placid. The steep, verdant slopes are traditionally farmed using terraces while the whole island is criss-crossed with well-kept hiking trails leading from the highest peaks down vertiginous ravines to surf-sprayed beaches.
In the centre of the island (and a UNESCO world-heritage site), the Garajonay National Park swirls in mist, its ancient laurel cloud forest dripping with moss and lichen, the tangle of branches and vegetation distinctly primordial. Giant heathers and ferns line the way while natural lookouts allow unexpected glimpses of tumbling white villages and cobalt sea, while Mount Teide across the water creates a spectacular backdrop on clear days.
Culturally rich, La Gomera has an interesting history and its inhabitants are proud of their traditions which include a unique whistling language. This is now being taught in schools and is used to communicate from hillside to hillside across the 'barrancos'.
Strikingly different, off the mainstream tourist path yet an effortlessly easy and relaxing destination, it's easy to fall in love with La Gomera.
Jutting further still out into the wild, blue Atlantic, La Palma, larger and fiercer in every way, is very much alive. With a volcanic eruption as recent as 2021, and its formidable, brooding peaks as jagged and spiky as the cacti which flank them, the centre of the island seems to quiver with a silent, pent-up energy and anticipation.
This only adds to its appeal, however. Like most active volcanic regions around the world, the residents of La Palma are used to the possibility of these occurrences, which they handle in a speedy, yet orderly manner. In an impressively short amount of time, (with no disrespect to those who lost their homes, or worse, in the event), the island returns to its own normality - for the most part, that is an easy-going, up-beat and hospitable efficiency.
Although both La Gomera and La Palma are undeniably Canarian, they feel about as different from each other as they do from their better-known ‘cousins’. There is a vaguely Latin American vitality about La Palma, and Santa Cruz in particular, that is much more understated in sleepy Gomera. The streets are strikingly reminiscent of Havana; this is no great surprise, since many of the inhabitants originate in that corner of the world. They even produce cigars.
To top it all – literally – La Palma is a renowned ‘dark sky’ star-gazing area, and has its own laws against light pollution. The world-famous observatory provides an outstanding viewpoint for painting, or simply standing and gawping.
La Palma is simply breathtaking, while a Canary Island-hopping adventure combining both of these islands would be pretty hard to beat.