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.

Extremely clear vision

Yesterday the air was so clear that La Gomera's neighbouring islands could all be seen very clearly and seemed much closer than they actually are. Even Gran Canaria could be seen distinctly. I took above photograph from Juego de Bolas (near Agulo) with a simple little camera at about 10:30 am yesterday morning. La Palma's capital Santa Cruz can clearly be seen and even one of the observatories (red arrow) on Roque de Los Muchachos is distinctly visible - a distance far in excess of 100 kilometres as the crow flies.

Rarely can La Palma be seen from here with such clarity and in such detail. Extremely clear vision when distant objects seem much closer is generally considered a sign of coming rain and this morning the skies look fairly grey...

100 years of Spanish national parks

Today a ceremony at the Garajonay national park visitor's centre in Juego de Bolas at 10 am will mark 100 years since a legal foundation for Spain's national parks was laid, the first one in the world. As marcaespania puts it:

''According to history, or to those who write it down, it all began in Yellowstone, back in 1872. The US Government intended to protect this natural area by designating it as a National Park – the first of its kind. The practice was soon adopted in Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia… It took longer for it to come to Spain, but it made its entry in style.

As various countries designated their own National Parks, Spain granted them legal protection by passing the first National Parks Act in the world at the request of Pedro José Pidal y Bernaldo de Quirós, Marquis of Villaviciosa de Asturias. Adopted by the Cortes Generales (the Spanish Congress), the law was sanctioned by King Alfonso XIII, coming into force on 8 December 1916.''

The Canary Islands are the region with the most national parks with four of a total of fifteen and Teide national park on Tenerife is the most visited, accounting for over 30% of all visitors to the 15 parks. 

La Gomera's 'Garajonay' national park is unique with its almost two million years old evergreen forest. The island's government is soon to take over ownership from the Spanish state and the long legal process for this change is well underway.

Location of the four national parks in the Canary Islands. Note: Garajonay is spelled wrong on map

Skywalk above Agulo now a major attraction

The Mirador de Abrante skywalk with associated building housing a bar and restaurant has become one of the major attractions in La Gomera's green north since it was opened to the public about one year ago. It is perched about 1000 feet above Agulo and offers sweeping views across the Atlantic (itself a further 500 feet below Agulo) with Tenerife and mount Teide (Spain's highest mountain) forming a spectacular backdrop. Agulo is said to be one of the most beautiful traditional Canarian villages, nestled picturesquely in the cliffs over the Atlantic. The viewpoint's car park, garden areas and the access road have been improved now and from a distance it appears so well integrated into the landscape that it is hard to spot. Today I'm posting some more recent images. How to find it and more...

 

Skywalk and cafe above Agulo finally opening today

Mirador de Abrante above Agulo on La Gomera now open to public

The spectacular  new seven metre long glass (including the floor!) skywalk suspended in the air high on the cliffs above the small town of Agulo on the northern coast of La Gomera will be finally opened to the general public today, including its cafe and restaurant plus information point. The Fred Olsen ferry and tourism company won the tender to run the viewpoint complex called 'Mirador de Abrante' and will be paying just under 1500 Euros rent to the town of Agulo every month. It will be open all day seven days a week. The same company also runs the large restaurant in nearby Las Rosas which solely caters for the daily bus tours from Tenerife. 

The area around the new skywalk attraction is known for its red soil and overlooks Agulo about 1000 feet below. It also offers sweeping views over the Atlantic (a further 500 feet below Agulo) with Tenerife and mount Teide (Spain's highest mountain) in the background. Agulo is said to be one of the most beautiful traditional Canarian villages, nestled picturesquely in the cliffs over the Atlantic. 

The access road and car park were upgraded recently by the island's government. Visitors can get directions from the visitor's centre (Centro de Visitantes) in Juego de Bolas, itself a must-see when on La Gomera and from where the road to the skywalk begins. See UPDATE...

3-D model of La Gomera

                                                                 ^   Valle Gran Rey   ^       

There is a large model of the island of La Gomera at the very informative visitor's centre of the national park. This interpretative centre also has a smaller model on show, besides explaining flora, fauna, geology, history, culture, crafts, customs, etc.. There's also a small museum cottage, craft shops, a garden with labelled plants and more. The centre is located at Juego de Bolas above the village of Las Rosas and is called Centro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional del Garajony (click for more info), but is just outside of the park itself. A definite must-see for visitors and fortunately still free of charge.