British tourist dies and 14 injured in bus crash

A coach carrying the driver and 27 British tourists being transferred from their holiday accommodation in Playa de Santiago to the ferry in San Sebastian de La Gomera crashed yesterday just about 4 kms from its destination and only a few hundred yards above the location of another fatal bus crash in May last year.

One British tourist died in yesterday's crash, three are in a serious condition and a further 11 suffered minor injuries. The three most seriously injured have been transferred by helicopter to the university hospital in Tenerife, the others are being treated in La Gomera's hospital. It has been confirmed that the most seriously injured victim is the driver who remains in a critical condition.

The crash happened at around 1 pm and it has been reported that the Guardia Civil police suspect a brake failure on the steep serpentine mountain road which has lots of sharp bends and that the driver's actions prevented a much worse outcome, but further investigations are ongoing. The British Foreign Office is supporting the victims and their families while all victims are receiving psychological support provided by local authorities.

(images from official Canary Islands government 112 emergencies X account)

Ferry ticket bargains

Ferry company Armas is offering tickets at discounts of 30% off and up to 45% off on all their routes, including their high-speed ferry to La Gomera, for bookings made until Monday 1st of December 2025. You can book ahead for sailings until June 15th 2026. The discount is applied in the final step of booking before you pay when you enter the discount code BLACKFERRIDAYS. Here's the link to the offer in English...

The Number One Bus

Linea 1 bus at platform number 1 in Valle Gran Rey's bus station (''Estacion de Guaguas'' at the bridge in La Calera), connecting the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera with the south-west and the mountain villages of Chipude, La Hayas and El Cercado. The 65 kms long journey with over 40 bus stops (depending on demand), costs just 5 €uros  and takes less than two hours. There are several stops in the national park and the bus also goes to the island's hospital. Please note that there is only the relevant bus station's departure time given and that you have to signal the bus to stop anywhere else. You also must ring the bell (the red button marked STOP) aboard just before your destination, but stops are not generally announced. Also worth noting is that a bus or coach is not called ''autobus'' as it is in Spain, but only known as a ''guagua'' (pronounced ''gwa-gwa'') in the Canary Islands. The routes, timetables and fares for the public bus company Guaguagomera can be found HERE...

Two dead and one critical after car crashes into house

Scene of the accident in Arure (Image source: Ramon Hernandez/facebook.com)

A car crashed into the wall of a building in a bend on the main GM-1 road in the village of Arure, municipality of Valle Gran Rey, on Sunday night hitting two persons outside the house.

The alarm was raised just before 7 pm and when the emergency services arrived at  the scene a man and a woman who had been in front of the house at the time had been fatally injured, while another woman, who was the passenger in the crashed car, was extracted from the vehicle alive with life-threatening injuries. She was transferred by SUC helicopter to the university hospital in Tenerife, where she remains in critical condition. Meanwhile the male driver of the crashed vehicle was transferred to La Gomera's hospital with less severe injuries.

Several people near the scene of the horrendous crash had to be treated for shock and the whole island of La Gomera remains shaken by the incident. Valle Gran Rey has declared three days of mourning and all events have been cancelled there.

And then there was light...

 ...and not only at the end of the tunnel.

For many years the demand for lighting of the two tunnels below Arure down into Valle Gran Rey had been vociferous, not least after a serious accident involving a cyclist in the 625 metres long tunnel of Yorima. 

As I reported in 2020 the Canarian government had allocated substantial funds for the installation of illumination in both tunnels, but it took another few years for works to be completed, and some time ago the light came on, which I failed to report up to now. 

Many years ago when newly arrived in Valle Gran Rey, I once naively walked down from Arure to La Calera through both dark tunnels at night, trying to hitch a lift down. Nobody stopped for me as they probably thought they saw a ghost. A very scary experience for me and one to be avoided even now that the tunnels are lit, as the bit of pavement on both sides is too narrow to walk on safely, and only serves for standing on, back tightly pressed against the wall, when a car or truck thunders through the tunnel.

Fatal bus crash on mountain road

Image source: diariodeavisos

A major accident on the GM-2 main road about 3 km outside San Sebastián de La Gomera yesterday morning left a 73-year-old woman dead and 11 other people injured, some seriously, when a public transport bus with 20 people on board overturned.

The crash happened at around 8:30am, when the bus veered off the road and tumbled down a slope. The authorities stated that the vehicle was operating the regular route between Alajeró in La Gomera's south and the capital San Sebastián de La Gomera when it left one part of the roadway and overturned onto a lower part of the same mountain road near and below the large statue of Christ overlooking the capital.

Scene of the accident seen from the upper part of the road. Image source: diariodeavisos

The alarm was raised at 8:42am, initiating a major emergency response involving ambulances, a rescue helicopter, police, civil defence, etc. According to the Canary Islands’ Emergency Coordination Centre (CECOES), all those injured were taken to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe hospital, but one critically injured was later transferred by helicopter to Tenerife's main hospital.

The cause of the accident is being investigated by a team of specialists from Tenerife.

Despite La Gomera's winding and often precipitous roads such accidents are thankfully very rare, but in January 2018 another bus crashed and overturned (click to read post).

Get a free knife just before boarding your flight

 The following article and above image appeared in Canarian Weekly last month and I'm sharing this worrying story with you below. The large knife was spotted at Fuerteventura airport, but the magazine with the free knife was probably on sale in some other airports as well:

'' FUERTEVENTURA AIRPORT: 

BUY A MAGAZINE WITH A FREE KITCHEN KNIFE BEFORE BOARDING

9/21/23, 7:57 AM  By Canarian Weekly  Fuerteventura  Photo Credit: Noticias Fuerteventura

The security policies at airports following the September 11th attacks in 2001 have left us all with frustrating experiences when travelling by air. Security systems implemented over 20 years ago sometimes require us to almost strip naked before passing through a scanner, and even empty our bags.

However, having a tube of toothpaste or a pot of hair gel confiscated seems even more incredulous when after passing through security at Fuerteventura airport, you come across a newsstand selling a cooking magazine with a six-inch knife (the blade alone appears 6 inches long to me, Ed.) attached to the front, free with the publication!

Passengers were left stunned when they saw a well-known Spanish cooking magazine in departures at Fuerteventura airport, with a ‘Dafne’ kitchen knife as a free gift available to buy and take on the plane.

At the time of this publication, the magazine is still on the shelves and there has been no comment from the airport authorities. Makes you wonder why they bother to confiscate your tweezers or nail clippers! ''

Twin peaks and a giant's organ

Tenerife's Teide mountain, at more than 12.000 feet Spain's highest peak, seen in the background left with a rock of similar shape at La Gomera's most north-western point near the famous landmark cliffs of Los Organos. These spectacular basalt formations (below) can only be seen from the sea and a trip to Los Organos from Valle Gran on an excursion boat is highly recommended, but the seas can be rough in this windswept remote corner of La Gomera.

Partial view of Los Organos. The whole cliff, resembling a giant's church organ, is about 600ft wide and rises to 250ft tall, with enormous prismatic columns of basalt that drop down the cliff face into the sea and continue under water, all visible only from a boat in the clear Atlantic around La Gomera.

Ferry 'Benchi Express' to run soon again

The 'Benchi Express' passenger ferry entering the harbour of Playa de Santiago a few years ago

The reopening if the so-called interior ferry line between the ports of Valle Gran Rey, Playa de Santiago and San Sebastian de La Gomera will soon become reality when the purpose built ferry owned and run by the Fred. Olsen ferry company will re-establish the service. The 'Benchi Express', a catamaran type passenger ferry, suspended all services with the beginning of the pandemic in March 2019 and the vessel was first mothballed and later serviced the connection between Playa Blanca in Lanzarote and Corralejo in Fuerteventura, where post-pandemic tourism recovered first. It has a capacity of 250 passengers and boasts a cafeteria and kennels for pets, but again it will not sail to Tenerife. However its sailings will be timed to connect with the large Fred. Olsen car ferry to Los Cristianos in Tenerife with three voyages in both directions per day . Tickets will be again be sold online and through special vending machines in Valle Gran Rey and Playa de Santiago. These will also give up to date information on sea and weather conditions and real-time arrival and departure times. It was announced by the Fred Olsen ferry company and the Canarian minister for transpot that the vessel will come back into service uniting the three La Gomera ports on the 1st of July this year.

Into The West

Taguluche and Alojera with its beautiful beach are two villages in La Gomera's west that are both well worth exploring... 

Bus travels in record time...

 ...from Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera's south-west across the mountains and through the national park to the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera. A journey that normally takes about 100 minutes was done in less than nine minutes (!) by this Mesa coach, as the video below shows. Caution: Better have a bucket handy just in case your stomach isn't up to what you're about to see:

Keep the fingers crossed !

Lower Valle Gran Rey with the port of Vueltas (top)

Yesterday the parliament of La Gomera approved a government motion calling for the reopening of the ferry service between Los Cristianos in Tenerife and Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera which had recently been suspended indefinitely by shipping company Naviera Armas (see previous post). The motion also calls for the port of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey to be included in the list of Canary Islands ports with an 'obligatory public service' (Obligación de Servicio Público, OSP) by the Canarian ministry for transport, which would mean that a ferry connection will have to be provided.

Further, the approved motion also calls on the port authority to further improve the harbour of Vueltas and integrating it better into the town.

In an interview La Gomera's president Casimiro Curbelo also said that ferry company Armas was already actively looking 'in all of Europe' for a suitable ship to charter with which the ferry connection can be reopened viably.
In 2018 the service transported more than 170.000 passengers and 30.000 vehicles, most of which would have passed through the national park in the mountains had the ferry not been there.

Just after the announcement of the suspension of the service about 1.200 signatures for a petition in support of the ferry line were collected in Valle Gran Rey in a very short time and presented to the local mayor.

Keep the fingers crossed...

Bad News

It has recently been announced by the ferry company Naviera Armas that the ferry service between Los Cristianos in Tenerife and Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera has now been suspended indefinitely. The direct service between the two ports by high speed catamaran was introduced two years ago, but since this summer only sailed at weekends. The company has also stated that it will study the viability of a similar ferry service to be reinstated in the future, possibly with a smaller vessel. 

This is sad news for Valle Gran Rey and bad news for the forest in the national park which is experiencing higher volumes of traffic since the ferry stopped operating as all goods and traffic have to go across the mountain through the park on that road now.
Read more with an update ...

New night-time taxi service

Up to now it was almost impossible to get a taxi after 10 pm in all of La Gomera and early morning departures had to be pre-booked with the taxi drivers. Thankfully now there's an all-night taxi service operating in Valle Gran Rey (see above), so getting home for up to seven passengers after a night out enjoying Valle Gran Rey's nightlife is made much easier. Don't forget to add the prefix 0034 (Spain) to the number when roaming.

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...

Bus overturns: Several people injured (Updated)

The overturned coach. Image: twitter.com/112canarias

A serious accident occurred at around 10:30 am this morning when an excursion coach with about 20 passengers. overturned on a very winding and narrow minor road near the hamlet of Argoyada in the muninicpal district of Alajero in La Gomera's south. Several people were injured, two of them seriously, The cause of the accident is not known yet. Weather conditions were poor with strong and very gusty winds and some fog and drizzle. The passengers were said to be tourists on their way to begin a hiking tour. The two seriously injured are woman of 67 with back injuries and an over 70 years old male with serious fractures, including a fractured skull. 

UPDATE: 

As promised earlier here's my update: Most of the passengers got away with a shock or minor injuries and had all been taken to the nearest health centre before going home. The few more seriously affected are being treated and are 'comfortably in hospital'.

As I've got some 'inside information', and as the driver is known to me and the tour guide is a friend of mine, I'll better refrain from commenting further on the accident. 

However, I feel that it must be stated that thanks to the driver's actions a disaster was prevented and that both driver and guide acted in an exemplary fashion at all times. Thankfully serious road accidents are extremely rare here, and La Gomera's drivers are some of the best in the world.

Scene of the bus crash. Note the sheer drop to the left of the overturned bus. Image: gomertoday.com

Chaos once again

Fred. Olsen and Armas ferries in the port of Los Cristianos

The past weekend once again brought traffic chaos to the port of Los Cristianos as many more people were travelling to and from the western Canary Islands through the Tenerife port due to the end of the Christmas holiday season. All the traffic has to pass through the bottleneck of the port access road in Los Cristianos and the congested port itself, where several lanes of disembarking vehicles have to go through the small roundabout into the single lane that then has to pass through the centre of the town. It often happens that two or three ferries arrive at the same time leading to delays in berthing the ships, and parked cars and trucks waiting to board add to the traffic congestion. The ferry companies' sailings also often serve two islands during one trip, i.e. stopping over at La Gomera on the way to and from La Palma. When two ferries arrive at the same time in Los Cristanos discharging hundreds of cars and trucks and even more foot passengers laden with luggage, delays are inevitable. Be warned and expect hold-ups of up to one hour if you need to catch a flight, as taxis and buses often can't get in nor out of the busy port during peak times. The traffic delays sometimes also upset the ferries' sailing schedules and the past weekend's heavy seas added further problems, resulting in some visitors missing their flights home.

The complications are particularly serious on weekends, the busiest time for traffic to and from La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, but no-one appears to have a solution for the long queues of vehicles at a virtual standstill for up to an hour in some cases. Port Police do their best to keep the traffic moving but are severely hampered by the narrow exit. The often heavy traffic through Los Cristianos town adds further delays on the road to the motorway. The negative image generated by the hold-ups also worries the officials and has led to calls for the ferry companies to work together to ensure their ships do not arrive at the same time in Los Cristianos. La Gomera's president has suggested the new port of Granadilla in Tenerife's south could be used provisionally for at least some of the sailings. Los Cristianos is much too small a harbour for the current volume of traffic and additionally is used by numerous fishing vessels, excursion boats and pleasure craft. Passenger and vehicle numbers continue to grow every year and recent fare reductions for residents of the Canary Islands have produced an even steeper increase of traffic through Los Cristianos, a popular and very busy holiday resort, prone to congestion anyway.

Benchi Express ferry winter timetable

 Benchi Express passenger ferry in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera

The new passenger ferry which connects the La Gomera ports of Valle Gran Rey, Playa de Santiago and San Sebastian de La Gomera on the so-called  interior line has now become more reliable with three return trips a day and a fixed winter schedule (see below). Sailings are mostly on time, weather permitting. The only gripe is that some sailing don't directly connect with ferries to Tenerife, but the new ferry must firstly serve commuters between the three towns. They do serve good coffee, though, and lots of tourists too are using the service for excursions and exploring and to start or finish loop walks.

The Benchi Express winter schedule

Roadworks progressing

The widening of the twisty stretch of main road to Valle Gran Rey just before arriving at the first houses of Arure village after leaving the national park, which is had been very narrow and dangerous, is progressing well. The major roadworks are ahead of schedule and the new road section should be finished early next year. However, until then you can expect delays at times during working hours as heavy machinery is at work. If you wanted to avoid this road you could take the minor and even more twisty road through Las Hayas. More...

Further growth for La Gomera's main port

Cruise ship 'Mein Schiff 4' with close to 2800 passengers in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera yesterday

Latest statistics show further growth in both freight and passenger numbers passing through the port of La Gomera's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera. Freight handling has increased by 11,5% and passenger numbers were 6% more than during the same period last year. It is expected that more than 1,3 million passengers will have passed through the port by the end of 2017. What isn't clear from these figures is whether passengers travelling to and from the island of La Palma are counted or not. They do spend time in the port of La Gomera in large numbers and are included in the docking ferries' passenger numbers, but they don't disembark during the brief stopover.