Carnival season 2024

The carnival season 2024 has begun in La Gomera and the island capital San Sebastian's festivities are already in full swing. The main parade will wind its way through the streets tomorrow, Sat. 10th of February 2024, followed as usual by dancing until sunrise, see poster above for the full carnival programme, which is themed 'The Jungle'.

The capital will barely have recovered from the jamboree when the celebrations begin again across the mountains in Valle Gran Rey where this year's theme is 'Hawaii' and the  main carnival parade takes place there on Saturday, February 24th 2024 from 5pm(-ish).

See VGR programme below:

Then carnival and all aficionados move to Playa de Santiago in the deep south of La Gomera where the fun begins on March 28th, themed 'Pirates of the South', see their poster below. 

Agulo and Hermigua in the north of the island will of course have their own distinct carnivals as well, but I don't have their programmes yet. Watch this space...

UPDATE: 

Nice poster (below) out now for the carnival in Vallehermoso (March 7th-9th):

Explore La Gomera's north

The town and valley of Hermigua in La Gomera's north

The much quieter and greener north of La Gomera island, which includes the municipal areas of Agulo and Hermigua, is well worth exploring and the following link has loads of information in English: northgomera.com

New mayor in Valle Gran Rey

The new mayor of Valle Gran Rey, Cristopher Marrero (image: gomeranoticias.com)

Valle Gran Rey's new local administration has now been formed and Cristopher Marrero of the PSOE is the new mayor, even though his party holds only two of the eleven seats on the council. His election was facilitated with the help of the two councillors of the Si Se Puede grouping and the two of the Nueva Canarias party, leaving La Gomera's strongest party ASG in opposition with five seats. See all La Gomera local election 2019 results...

Local election results La Gomera 2019

Casimiro Curbelo

The independent La Gomera socialist ASG party of the island's president Casimiro Curbelo (image on top) was the clear winner in the recent local elections, followed by the socialist PSOE. The graphics below (source: gomeraverde.es) first show the results for the election to La Gomera's cabildo (island government) followed by the results in all five municipal areas of La Gomera, where in some it is not clear yet who will form the new local government ('escaños' = seats). Left environmental group SSP (Si Se Puede) won two seats for the first time in Valle Gran Rey and Vallehermoso as well as one in San Sebastian de La Gomera, plus two seats in the cabildo.

                                                                             CABILDO:

MUNICIPAL AREAS:

Temporary road closure (Updated)

The visitors centre will remain accessible from the northern main road through Las Rosas (above right)

The scenic road connecting the visitors centre in Juego de Bolas with the main road through the national park close to La Laguna Grande will be closed to all traffic in both directions from tomorrow Monday December 3rd 2018 until Friday from 8 am until 6 pm each day. The closure is due to resurfacing work and it is hoped that some restricted opening is possible from Wednesday 4 pm if work progresses well. Access to the visitors centre and the glass viewing platform Mirador de Abrante from the northern main road between Hermigua and Vallehermoso will not be affected.
UPDATE: The road closures have been extended until 6 pm Wednesday Dec. 12th 2018. However, this road will be open this Saturday and Sunday.

Video of heavy rains and flooding in La Gomera

Yesterday's very heavy downpours caused flooding in the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera, as the above video by Gomera Today shows. As in most of the other Canary Islands a lot of rain fell in a relatively short time with which the drainage system couldn't cope, here leading to flooding of several business premises in the centre of the capital. The video also shows the many waterfalls in the valley above the town and roads turning into rivers. 

 Radar at 22:40 hrs last night
during the thunderstorm

Last night there was a spectacular thunderstorm which brought some more rain, but thankfully without further incidents. The AEMET weather station in San Sebastian de La Gomera yesterday recorded 26,4 mm of precipitation and most of that fell in the afternoon when most of Hermigua weather station's recorded total of about 45 mm fell as well. As all of the island got some rain, caution on the roads and hiking paths today and in the coming days is advised when the sun heats and expands drying material and debris that then may fall.

The forecast is for some further well scattered showers today gradually dying out, and for a ridge of high pressure to bring mostly sunny weather over the weekend.

Ominous looking sky yesterday afternoon seen from Valle Gran Rey, where most of the rain fell in the morning though.

La Gomera features in Irish press again

La Gomera's emblematic Roque Agando on left.
(This image © lagomera1.blogspot.com . The article in the Irish Times has several different stock images)

When I opened the magazine supplement in The Irish Times this morning I was greeted by a two-page article about La Gomera by Conor Power, published in the travel section. While this article, too, contains some inaccuracies, it does serve as a nice introduction to the island. La Gomera is definitely being discovered by more and more discerning Irish tourists as a destination a with touch of the west of Ireland and away from the mass tourism in most of the rest of the Canaries. I'm sharing the text part of the article below:

''  La Gomera: The beating heart of the Canary Islands

With the heavy iron key that looked like a prop from a Harry Potter film, Pedro opened the old wooden door and I peered down into the well. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, I could see the gentlest of vibrations on the surface of the water. Just as Wolfgang had said, it was the ancient beating volcanic heart of La Gomera. I thanked him and went back into the bar to rejoin my friends and my beer.

Whether or not the legend was true, there is no doubt that if you’re coming to the Canary Islands and looking for an authentic link to the islands’ ancient past, you’ll find it all around you on this most effervescently green isle.

Located just 20km or so to the west of Tenerife, La Gomera is easily accessed by a regular ferry link from Los Cristianos. Depending on whether you get the hydrofoil or the standard version, it will take either 40 minutes or an hour and a half.

La Gomera looks a bit like the upturned half of a huge green orange that has been broken into rough segments. A permanent rainforest of sorts resides across much of the upper reaches of the island, which are almost permanently shrouded in mist. It’s unlike any other of the Canaries that people are used to seeing, with their characteristic lunar landscapes and bare volcanic fields.

Here in La Gomera, all is lush – from the vast forests of banana trees that run to the shoreline at Santa Catalina to Europe’s largest primitive forest, in the Unesco-listed Parque Nacional de Garajonay. Along the roadsides, exotic papaya fruits heave alongside banana trees. It looks as if the island could keep the entire population of Spain in fruit for the rest of their lives.

We were fortunate to run into Wolfgang and his French Moroccan-born wife Danielle near the start of our stay on La Gomera. With three friends, we had rented a house close to the village of Hermigua on the northeast of the island, just a 15-minute drive along the spectacular, twisty and perfectly-tarred road from the main town of San Sebastián.

Roomy terrace

The central meeting point in Hermigua is Pedro’s bar, with its views over the valley from the roomy terrace outside. Every night there was a themed music night. The first was a French night, where accordion-playing singers brought many of the French-speaking tourists and everyone else out to enjoy a folk-like, convivial atmosphere that turned the place into a little piece of Montmartre.

The second night was a Cuban night where we were treated to live music from a smashing band that wouldn’t have been out of place on a pavement in Havana. The infectious music got everyone up and dancing around the terrace in the warm evening air.

The climate in La Gomera is a little bit different to most other Canary Islands too. The Canaries are known for the variation in temperature between the balmy middle of the day and the cooler evenings but, on La Gomera, you can experience cool spring weather requiring layers and rain gear up in the mountains while, by the seashore, high summer reigns supreme, with temperatures in the mid-20s and seawater warm enough to comfortably bathe in.

The next morning, I travelled north, near the beautifully formed and perfectly located village of Agulo, to a lookout area known as the Mirador de Abrante. Here, the car park ends in stunning red rock cliffs and a restaurant. Inside, the restaurant has a narrow glass floor extension to give you a dizzying perspective of the extraordinary views over the sea and colourful Agulo below.

The restaurant is also well known for the fact that some of its staff communicate through the fascinating whistling language El Silbo. Waiter Fabio was only too happy to give us a demonstration on site, asking us to tell him something in English or Spanish and then translating it into El Silbo. The language was brought to the Canaries by the Guanche people and has survived Spanish colonialism; it is now a mandatory subject for all Gomerans in both primary and secondary schools.

Quiet paradise

Wolfgang and Danielle had bought a house nearby and habitually spend most of the spring living in this green and relatively quiet paradise. After a first day of hard walking along the steep slopes of Hermigua and El Cedro, it was they who advised us to try the more user-friendly trail (10km return trip) from Pastrana to Benchijigua on the south side of the island.

We parked the hired car at the tiny village of Pastrana before heading north along the Barranco (ravine) de Benchijugua – a deep, rocky indentation where the waters flow at a variety of volumes depending on the weather. We started off at around 11am, and the weather was warm and sunny. The spectacular views towards the sea and up into the mountains were superb and the trail was well signposted and provided decent challenges for the average walker.

Along the way, we passed a number of isolated, deserted villages and hamlets before arriving at Benchijigua. It was a very quiet walk as well, and we only encountered a handful of walkers on the way. Benchijigua didn’t have anything by way of refreshing pitstop – just a few unoccupied holiday homes and a closed church – but it was a truly gorgeous spot with panoramic views in all directions from its elevated position looking down on a series of ravines and across to craggy hillsides on three sides.

The atmosphere is low-key, with a complete absence of the lager-lout brigade or the post-Leaving Cert party platoon

At this point, the weather was positively autumnal and even in three layers and with our hoods up, we had to keep moving to stay warm. By the time we got back to Pastrana, the afternoon sun was beating down on us once more. It being a Monday, the one restaurant in the hamlet was closed so we got in the car and drove down into the resort town of Playa de Santiago.

There are plenty of hotels and accommodation centres here to cater for all kinds of visitors, but the atmosphere is decidedly more low-key than most resorts you’ll find in the Canaries, with a complete absence of the lager-lout brigade or the post-Leaving Cert party platoon. Sun and sand it has a-plenty.

Comprehensive package

Valle Gran Rey offers a more comprehensive package for sun-worshippers looking for that little bit less Canary-like Canary Island sun resort, while the fine beaches at San Sebastián have the advantage of being next to the island’s largest town. This is where Christopher Columbus stopped over before his historic voyage to the New World, and much of the town has managed to retain an old-world atmosphere. It’s a place to wander around and take in the Spanish colonial vibes of its colourful, authentic streets.

Back at Hermigua, we were invited to spend an evening at Wolfgang and Christine’s lovely home – a chilled-out abode with a lot of traditional touches built on two levels. Upstairs, the tiled roof terrace covered the entire footprint of the building and was designed to cater for the outdoor life, complete with kitchen corner, large stone table and outdoor loo – all with superb views of lush mountains and blue sea and backing onto a tropical garden.

As the sun went down behind the mist-shrouded mountains, Wolfgang enquired if I had been able to witness the “beating heart of La Gomera” – if I’d seen for myself the pulse from the long-dormant volcanoes that formed the Canaries in the ripples on the surface of the water of the well at Pedro’s.

“Yes,” I said, uncertainly. “I think I did.”

He winked and raised his glass. “Then the beating heart of La Gomera will stay in your soul forever.” ...''

Carnival in Hermigua 2018

Tonight and tomorrow March 3rd 2018 it's carnival time in Hermigua 

Drive carefully...

Scene of today's accident. (Image: gomeraverde.es)

...on La Gomera's roads. Today's accident shows that you have to treat the roads here with the greatest respect. It happened just around midday in good driving conditons on the main road between La Gomera's capital and the northern town of Hermiga (GM-1). This road is in very good condition, but all roads here have a lot of twists and turns. The cause of the accident is still being investigated, but the barriers on the side of the road are said to have slowed the vehicle on impact, preventing the vehicle from tumbling into the ravine below. The two ''younger'' occupants of the crashed car thankfully escaped with minor injuries.

Image: pclagomera

GENERAL ADVICE (not relating to this accident):

There's a lot more tourists about in hired cars these days and most of them are not used to rural mountain roads, often driving erratically and/or being distracted by the beautiful scenery, adding to the danger. If you're driving on La Gomera, stay alert and always indicate and let locals pass when/where possible. This allows you to enjoy the scenery at your own pace and lets the local driver meet his appointment. Local drivers are generally driving with a lot of foresight, communication and skill, and even if it isn't immediately obvious to the visitor, they generally know what they are doing. So don't rely on the fact that accidents on La Gomera are few and far between and do your bit to keep the roads safe. They can't be straightened here, you know...

Three bands to play festival in Hermigua

Three bands from three islands will bring rock and contemporary world music to Hermigua this Wednesday,
Dec. 6th 2017, from 7pm. The event is free of charge and held in the open air in the upper part of Hermigua.

More details of dramatic rescue

The rescued  thanking their rescuers (Image: gomeranoticias.com)

More details have emerged of the dramatic rescue in the EL Rejo valley (see previous post). The two ladies are actually 23 years old and both are students from mainland Spain living in Tenerife. The had followed GPS instructions on their mobile phones when in the upper region of the El Rejo valley thinking their phones were showing them a shortcut to the main road through the valley after they had left the hiking path and became lost. One of them then slid about 20 metres down a steep incline and just managed to cling onto the branches of a tree above a vertical drop of 150 metres. The other girl tried to help her friend but ended up in a similar position above the gorge, also clinging to a tree. 

They had already called the emergency services on 112 at around 5 pm saying that they had left the path through the valley and were lost. They then tried to get to the main road before dark using the GPS service on their phones which subsequently lead them into their precarious trap. It was night by then and weather conditions were said to be adverse with high humidity and cold gusty winds, and they were beginning to suffer from exposure. 

A police helicopter from Tenerife set down three specially trained agents of the mountain police unit in the area in the early hours of the morning in 'very difficult conditions' who finally managed to locate the victims still clinging to the branches of trees above the gorge at around 04:20 am. At first light the rescuers began the laborious task of bringing the two ladies down the vertical drop of 150 metres to the bottom of the ravine in several stages with the aid of ropes and harnesses and from there a provisional path had been prepared to bring them to the waiting ambulance on the road where they arrived shaken but uninjured later that morning. Yesterday they visited the police headquarters in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to thank their rescuers.

Trapped hikers rescued with difficulty

Part of the El Rejo valley (Archive)

Two young tourists were brought to safety unharmed yesterday morning after an extended and difficult rescue operation in the northern fringes of La Gomera's national park. The two 22 year old ladies had become lost in the 'El Rejo' valley in the municipality of Hermigua the previous night at dusk and subsequently fell or slid down the mountainside into a position from where they couldn't find a way out. Luckily the remote location has mobile phone cover and they could call for help. The emergency services arrived and managed to locate the trapped hikers, but found they couldn't reach the victims due to the rough and dangerous terrain and lack of light. The stuck girls had to spend the night in their uncomfortable position, but food, etc., was dropped to them and mobile phone communication was maintained at all times. A special mountain unit of the Spanish police was sent from Tenerife and with the help of the local services as well as the national park's forestry department a provisional path had to be constructed to reach the stricken hikers at first light yesterday, and finally the laborious task of bringing them to safety succeeded.  The two victims were said to be unharmed but shaken by their ordeal.
SEE: UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS

Rains force road closures

The steep and winding scenic road through 'EL Rejo' valley

Today's abundant rains have caused some traffic disruption in La Gomera. Apart from minor debris on the roads there was a larger landslide affecting the scenic 'El Rejo' road which connects the main north road and the main west road through the national park. This landslide is said to be not as significant as previous ones, but has forced the closure of this road past the volcanic cone of the same name. The road will be closed until further notice, pending the clearance of debris and a detailed inspection. For locals and visitors normally using this short-cut the closure means very long detours.

In San Sebastian the road past the main beach to the harbour called 'Avenida Maritima' is temporarily closed until flooding caused by heavy rain has subsided, which is expected to happen soon.

There were also flight delays at La Gomera's airport due to the rain and poor visibility.

UPDATE Thursday Feb. 16th 2017:

All roads are now open again, but caution is still advised as always after rain when the sun heats any remaining loose material which then expands and may fall onto roads and paths.

Scenic El Rejo road now fully open again

Images taken a few weeks before the reopening

The spectacular mountain road past the volcanic cone of 'El Rejo' whichis popular with tourists and connects the main north road with the main west and south roads through the national park had been first closed after a landslide late 2014. It was partially reopened some time ago and after remedial works which are said to have cost nearly half a million Euros were finished recently the road is fully open to the public once again. For locals in the area the closure of this byroad had meant very long detours.

Latest images of scenic road landslide repair works

The bright dots are steel anchors driven into t
he rock for the stabilising measures above the road

The damaged road clinging to the side of the mountain precariously. The road is open even for buses between the hours of 7am and 7pm. every day. I passed through there yesterday and took these images. Click to read more about this... 

The beautiful El Rejo valley below the landslide

Scenic road blocked by landslide now reopened

The reopened road,    Images above and below: gomeranoticias.com

The scenic road past the El Rejo volcanic cone was closed for a few days after a larger landslide late November last year, then briefly reopened after debris had been cleared off the road. Then another landslide only a few days later forced the renewed closure and it had remained closed since, while work was being carried out to stabilise the mountainside. Due to the very steep incline  this proved very difficult as conventional methods such as strong mesh-wire and concrete walls could not be employed due to the unstable terrain and for environmental reasons. The same stretch of road had been blocked before by a huge rock in February 2014.

Yesterday afternoon it was announced that the road will be open to the public again from today, but initially only during the day from 7am to 7pm. Drive with caution as only one lane will be open at the spot where work is continuing and two men with walkie-talkies are regulating traffic. The island's government, which is responsible for the road, has asserted that the works are nearing completion and the road should be reopened fully soon.

The spectacular mountain road is popular with tourists and connects the main north road with the main west and south roads through the national park. For locals in the area the closure of this byroad had meant very long detours.

The extent of the landslide 

The new municipal mayors of La Gomera

Angel Piñero of  Valle Gran Rey (Image: gomeranoticias.com)

Valle Gran Rey: 

Angel Piñero has been elected mayor of this municipal area on La Gomera last Saturday. His Coalicion Canaria party came out strongest in the recent local elections, winning four of the eleven seats on the local council but unable to gain a majority. However, his candidature was supported by all but the two Si Se Puede councillors and it now appears he will form a minority local government with the support of most elected councillors.

The other 5 municipal mayors on La Gomera were elected as follows:

San Sebastian de La Gomera: 

Now ruled by the new socialist party ASG (6 seats)  in coalition with Antonio Luis Arteaga of Nueva Canarias (1 seat) with Adasat Reyes  of the ASG as mayor. 

Vallehermoso: 

Emiliano Coello of the ASG elected mayor with absolute majority held by the ASG.

Agulo: 

Rosa Chinea (ASG) is new mayor, also with absolute majority of the seats held by her party.

Hermigua: 

Pedro Negrín of CC (2 seats) elected mayor, forming local government in coalition with ASG (2 seats) and PSOE (1seat). Former mayor Solveida Clemente's party is now in opposition with four seats.

Alajeró: 

Manuel Ramón Plasencia of the Spanish Labour Party PSOE managed to go against the trend on La Gomera, now being the only mayor to be re-elected with his party gaining an absolute majority of the seats.

Scenic road still closed after massive landslide

The scenic road past the El Rejo volcanic cone is subject to frequent minor rockfalls and landslides. During the recent bad weather in late November this stretch of road was closed for a few days after a larger landslide, then briefly reopened after debris had been cleared off the road. Then another landslide a few days later forced the renewed closure and it has remained closed since. Work is being carried out to prepare for reopening, but due to the very steep incline stabilising the hillside is proving difficult as conventional methods such as strong mesh-wire and concrete walls cannot bre employed due to the unstable terrain and for environmental reasons. 

The minor mountain road is popular with tourists and connects the main north road with the main west and south roads through the national park. For locals using this short-cut the closure means very long detours and the administration of Hermigua has  made a complaint to La Gomera's government which is responsible for this road.

Both mages by gomeranoticias.com

Lucky escape

The driver of the van above miraculously escaped with only very minor injuries after the van he was travelling in left the main road to the north La Gomera town of Hermigua on a stretch with several hairpin bends. The van skidded and went down a very steep incline before coming to a stop in a small vineyard yesterday. It is supposed that drizzle which had fallen earlier had made the road slippery.

The longest load possible on La Gomera roads

Last week a truck with a load of more than 100 feet in length (31 meters, to be precise) arrived on La Gomera by ferry and had to travel all the way to the beach of the northern town of Hermigua on the island's narrow winding roads. The load consisted of roofing planks for the thalassotherapy seawater pool and spa under construction there. The truck and trailer only got stuck once for a while just before reaching the destination (see red circle on image 2), otherwise the transport went without incident. Congratulations to the driver!

Finally unloading at the beach of Hermgua  (All Images: gomeranoticias.com)