Hiking in Tenerife & La Gomera

Welcome to Tenerife and the beginning of a week that will showcase two very different sides of the Canary Islands. Upon arrival at Tenerife Sur, a transfer awaits up from the coast to Vilaflor, beautifully situated at around 1,400 meters altitude on the slopes below El Teide. Here, the coastal tourist resorts are replaced by pine forest, cultivated land, and fresh mountain air. You check in at your comfortable hotel with garden and pool and have the rest of the day to settle in, explore the village, and gear up for tomorrow's first hike.

After a short transfer of about ten minutes, today's hike begins north of Vilaflor. The destination is the imagination-sparking Paisaje Lunar – the moonscape – where erosion has sculpted the light-colored volcanic bedrock into spikes and strange formations. You walk along well-maintained and marked trails through fragrant Canarian pine forest, with lovely views over southern Tenerife's slopes and out towards the Atlantic. The contrast between green forest and colorful volcanic formations makes this one of the trip's most distinctive days. The hike ends on foot back at the hotel in Vilaflor, perhaps with a glass of mineral-rich local wine.

Today the journey takes you up to Tenerife's roof and volcanic heart. A transfer takes you to the area around El Teide and the high plateau of Las Cañadas, a landscape unlike anything else in Europe. Thoughts drift more towards Utah or Mars. One hiking option is a roughly two-hour round walk at Roques de García, where spectacular rock formations rise from the red, yellow, and black volcanic landscape. You can also choose the cable car up El Teide and take a shorter walk to the viewpoints at around 3,500 meters altitude before continuing on foot from the lower cable car station. In the afternoon, the transfer takes you back to Vilaflor after an otherworldly day.

After an early breakfast you leave Tenerife. A private transfer takes you down to Los Cristianos harbor and the morning ferry across to San Sebastián on La Gomera, a crossing of about 50 minutes. Here another taxi awaits, driving you up to El Contadero, high within Garajonay National Park. The contrast to Tenerife's rugged volcanic world could hardly be greater. You walk down through dense and almost fairy-tale-like laurel forest, where old trees covered in moss create a subtropical feel. After El Cedro follows a shorter, steep, and rocky section before calmer country lanes lead onward down towards the remote farming village of Hermigua and your accommodation.

Today's round hike starts directly from Hermigua and heads north through one of La Gomera's most dramatic landscapes. You pass abandoned mountain villages and follow paths and gravel roads along the steep coast. On clear days, El Teide looms on the horizon – a nice reminder of where you were hiking just a couple of days earlier. Towards the end, the landscape changes again as the trail takes you through the valley's papaya and mango plantations back towards Hermigua.

In the morning you get a transfer up to Garajonay's visitor center at Juego de Bolas. Feel free to take a look at the botanical garden before the hike begins. From here you follow parts of the long-distance trail GR-132 towards Vallehermoso. It's a relatively easy hiking day through La Gomera's green interior, passing the two natural monuments Roque Blanco and Roque Cano. Eventually the long descent through the lush valley to Vallehermoso begins. Feel free to sit down in the village square for something cold to drink before today's transfer takes you back to your accommodation in Hermigua.

The last hike is easier but hardly less beautiful. After a transfer to Degollada de la Peraza, you begin the hike along GR-131 towards San Sebastián. The route goes mainly downhill and offers sweeping panoramic views over La Gomera's rugged southeastern side and the Atlantic. After several days among the island's green valleys and dense forests, you once again see how quickly the landscape shifts in the Canary Islands. After a few hours of walking, you reach the small, charming capital of San Sebastián. Here awaits the trip's final hotel, conveniently located near the harbor and the town's restaurants. And a swim!

After breakfast it's time to say hasta luego to La Gomera. From the hotel it's about a ten-minute walk to the harbor in San Sebastián. From here you take the ferry back across the strait to Los Cristianos on Tenerife. The crossing takes about 50 minutes and gives a final chance to see both islands' dramatic silhouettes from the sea. You might even catch a glimpse of La Palma and El Hierro on a clear day. In Los Cristianos a taxi awaits to take you onward to Tenerife Sur Airport, where the program ends. If you have a very early flight, you have the option of spending the last night on Tenerife instead. You can also book extra nights with us for some beach life after the hiking week.