Worth a visit

Above is the entrance to the very informative visitors centre at the northern fringe of Garajonay national park. This recently refurbished interpretative centre boasts many exhibits besides explaining La Gomera’s flora, fauna, geology, history, culture, crafts, customs, etc. There are regular screenings of documentaries in the small theatre off the courtyard in the back of the main building, and the friendly helpful staff speak English. There's also a small museum cottage, craft shops, gardens with labelled plants and lots 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 Garajonay (click for more info), but is just outside of the park itself. A definite must-see for visitors and fortunately still free of charge. There is also a coffee shop and bakery offering delicious traditional Gomeran treats, which is easy to find as there’s always a delicious sweet scent of baking wafting through the clear mountain air, and lots of birdlife around the area waiting for crumbs.

Note that on some afternoons it can get very busy with coach tours, but these don’t stay for long once they've visited the clean and ample toilet facilities.      

Centro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional del GarajonyCentro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional del GarajonyCentro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional del GarajonyCentro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional del Garajon

Have a rest...

I took this photo recently at El Cepo near Las Rosas in La Gomera's north, a geologically very interesting area

The Trap

Above image shows part of the spectacular landscape at El Cepo near the village of Las Rosas, close to La Gomera's northern coast. 'El Cepo' translates as 'The Trap' and indeed there are many traps in the area, as there are precipitous drops and no marked paths. However, La Gomera's steep landscape contains lots of vertigo-inducing cliffs and mountain passes, so caution is always advised. 

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.

Road through ravine

The spectacular road from Las Rosas to Agulo in La Gomera's north

Dry winter causing worry

Farmland near Vallehermoso, La Gomera

While the very dry winter in the Canary Islands this year may be exactly what tourists expect and want to experience when they spend their holidays here, the prolonged drought is a worrying fact for locals and especially the farming community. 

Some rain fell in October and November but there was hardly a drop since then and February continues the same trend. Farming has been particularly badly affected and the Canarian minister for agriculture has recently stated in parliament that potato crops for example could be down by as much as 50-60 % this winter season. 

Here in La Gomera there were some heavier falls of rain in the island's north and northeast, almost filling some water reservoirs used for irrigation, but the rest of the island got very little rain, so that some farmers didn't even bother planting crops that need the winter precipitation. Some bored wells in lower farmland near the sea have also been reported to gradually become more saline and potentially damaging to banana crops.

The drinking water supply which comes almost exclusively from tapped springs here has remained fairly stable up to now. However the administration  of the municipality of Vallerhermoso in La Gomera's northwest, an area normally receiving abundant rainfalls in winter, has restricted the use of drinking water and banned its use for the watering of plants and gardens as well as washing cars as a precautionary measure during the drought.

Water reservoir for irrigation in Las Rosas in La Gomera's north is still almost full after heavy autumn rain in the area

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...

Strawberry trees

In La Gomera's mountainous north and especially around the village of La Rosas there are numerous specimens of the relatively rare strawberry tree (Arbutus Canariensis) which is more like a large bush. Wikipedia explains about the tree with its beautiful reddish-brown smoth bark:

''Arbutus canariensis, known in Spanish as madroño canario, is a species of shrub or tree in the Ericaceae family. It is endemic to the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, and La Palma. It is threatened by habitat loss.''

A close relative is the Irish strawberry tree which has always been one of my favourite plants. Again I quote Wikipedia:

''Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree, occasionally cane apple) is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe north to western France and Ireland. Due to its presence in southwest and northwest Ireland, it is known as either "Irish strawberry tree" or sometimes "Killarney strawberry tree".''

The fruit, though similar in shape, are not really comparable in taste to the strawberries that grow low in fields and are sold in the shops, but are rich in vitamins as well. They take a very long time to mature and can then be used to make jam. The strawberry tree is related to the heather tree, but prefers limy soil.

Unusually large but short trunk of a strawberry tree in the garden of the visitor's centre
in La Rosas showing the typical smooth reddish bark.

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.