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Walking in La Gomera
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Canary Islands, Spain |
La Gomera, located in the sub tropical Canary
Islands only 35 minutes by fast ferry from Tenerife, remains beautifully
unspoilt and is a walker’s delight. Measuring the equivalent of just 20
miles by 20 miles yet packed with a variety of walks it is a tiny,
friendly island with charming villages scattered across contrasting
landscapes
and a handful of small coastal towns. The sparse
population (less than 20,000) is still predominately engaged in
agriculture. Radiating from Mount Garanjonay (1467 metres) in the centre
of La Gomera, craggy ravines with their usually dry river beds (barrancos)
are a main feature of the landscape. The sun drenched south at first
appears parched and barren but the explorer soon finds hidden valleys
laden with produce, delightful palm groves, pockets of pine and
isolated beaches. The more rugged north is typified by narrow ravines
with green hillsides patched in scrub and capped with woodland. Here
banana palms, orchards and garden plots of tomatoes and avocado flourish
alongside the streambeds and terraced vineyards ladder the hillsides.
Garonjonay itself stands in an extensive Natural Park famed
scientifically for its amazing cloud forest housing flora and fauna
unique to the area. Mainstream tourism is unlikely ever to reach this
isolated island: a real bonus for those
The many and varied natural features found in close
proximity on this small island make it an attractive destination for all
walkers. There are opportunities to explore the deep ravines where palm trees intertwine with
terraced gardens; to follow mountain ridge paths; to visit remote
waterfalls; to follow the winding course of a barranco in the shadow of
a volcanic dome; to traverse cliff faces with fine views to the horizon;
to experience the special world of the lush forests of the Natural Park
 On
our guided walks you will be led by someone who believes in the New
Experience philosophy that walking is to be enjoyed not endured. During a
7 night holiday there will be four guided walks. Stay two weeks and
there will be four additional walks. A minibus, included in the price,
will take you to the beginning of each walk and pick you up at the end,
mostly avoiding out and back walks.
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Guided—Independent Holidays |
On our guided independent
holidays most walks are linear and you will be
 transported to the
beginning of the walk and will be collected at the end. Average climbs
and descents are about 500 metres, average distance is 13km and average
walking times 4.5 hours. We provide 4 walks per week which range from
easy to medium difficult and are chosen to enable you to enjoy the
island’s superb landscape without hard toil. You can take additional
walks on your ‘day off’. You are likely to be part of a cosmopolitan
group of walkers and will be guided by an experienced guide who will
know the paths of Gomera well.
 Available
year around utilising our walk booklet containing ten routes all of which
have been walked by a New Experience team member in the past 12 months. We
give full directional notes and provide details of average walking time and
distance, the extent of ascents and descents and points of interest along
the way. There are a selection of easy, medium and challenging walks. Our
self guided holidays include a self drive car hire for the duration of your
stay as there is no local public transport
of any benefit to walkers. We can
arrange for a local driver to take you to and from the walks if you prefer,
payable locally.
Choose from the 4 star
Hotel El Paso Suites or 3 star
Hotel Gran Rey
La Gomera is blessed with good walking weather all year around, temperatures
averaging 20C at lower altitude. The island’s sub tropical climate is,
however, influenced by the trade winds which, particularly in winter,
may bring cloud and rain to the north and much higher temperatures to
the south.
Why not combine a trip to La Gomera with some time in Tenerife or La Palma
both offering different walks to enjoy.
We are happy to arrange a multi centre holiday of any duration combined Please
send a request with your
preferred option.
La Gomera is a short (20 minutes) fast ferry ride from Tenerife, or
an even shorter plane ride from Tenerife North airport with regular
services or the occasional service from Tenerife South
By Air to Tenerife:
Scheduled non stop British Airways flights are
available to Tenerife North and South from London Gatwick, to Tenerife South
from Manchester. London Luton, Birmingham and
Manchester is served by schedule service with Monarch Birmingham and
Manchester are also served by My Travel Lite on a scheduled basis. It is also
possible to fly Iberia from London Heathrow and Manchester with a connection on
the mainland. Charter There are charter flights from the
following airports Aberdeen, Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Blackpool,
Leeds/Bradford, Humberside, Doncaster, Manchester, Liverpool, East
Midlands, Birmingham, Norwich, London Luton, London Stansted, London
Gatwick, Bristol, Cardiff, Bournemouth, Exeter and last but not least
Dublin. We are more than happy for guests to
arrange their own flights. You may, for example have air
miles to use up!
Transfers from either airport to the port will be arranged by and takes approximately
80 minutes from Tenerife North and 20 Minutes from Tenerife South. Or you
can fly from either airport to La Gomera
Click to see
Canary Island Walking Prices
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