Canary Islands Walking Tour

Arrive Tenerife and check-in at hotel, a short drive from Tenerife South airport.

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This morning we start with a short bus journey to Los Cristianos from where we take the Ferry to El Hierro Island, El Hierro is the smallest and most westerly of the Canaries. We drive through the new tunnel to Tigaday La Frontera, where your tour leader will arrange an orientation walk to explore the area of our base for the next three nights. You may wish to visit La Maceta, the Eco Museum or the Charco Azul natural swimming pool this afternoon.

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This morning, before we start our walk, we'll first visit briefly the inspiring architecture of César Manrique's building at the stunning viewpoint of La Peña, overlooking the crescent shaped Golfo Bay. After the visit we'll start a gentle uphill walk to San Andrés via a legendary spot ("El Árbol Santo") that'll show us how the ancient canary tribes gathered and stored their so badly needed watersupplies. Once we arrive in the cattle farming village of San Andrés, at an altitude of 1045m, we'll do a little picnic break and, for the ones that feel safe, they can continue with the TourLeader crossing the stonewalled fields around San Andrés to arrive at a dramatic viewpoint called Jinama. At this point, a beautiful but steep, cobbled lane (when wet, very slippery) winds back down to our hotel in Tigaday. For the ones that decide not to join on this particular section, the Tour Leader will provide you with the necessary information to catch a local bus or taxi in San Andrés and check out Valverde, the tiny but charming capital of the island. From there other public buses will take you back to Tigaday (La Frontera).

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Today we include a walk following the gently undulating ridge on the south side of the island from Cruz de los Reyes (1350m) to the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de los Reyes (700m). This hike, which is part of the famous ‘Bajada de la Virgen’, a religious procession made across the island every four years, takes in some of the most dramatic scenery on El Hierro: lava fields, pine forests and desolate volcanoes, before finishing at the white-washed sanctuary of the island’s patron saint, nestling at the foot of a volcanic crater of the same name. From here we take a bus to a viewpoint overlooking the Orchilla lighthouse through which the zero meridian used to run, El Hierro being the most westerly point of the known world for ancient seafarers, (approx 4 hours walk).

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This morning we return by Ferry to Los Cristianos where we connect with a ferry to the green and rugged island of La Gomera. Pulling into the small, pretty port of San Sebastian we immediately get an idea of the terrain, as impressive mountains loom up from the ocean behind the colourful town. Depending on the ferry schedule and arrival time we may have time to do a short orientation walk near San Sebastian.

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This morning we take a bus ride to Contadero (1350m) from where we begin our first walk, we ascend to the island’s highest peak –- Alto de Garajonay (1484m) on a clear day we will have a splendid 360° view of the island. Afterwards we return to the trail to cross the road before delving into the Barranco del Cedro, a deep ravine characterised by luxuriant vegetation and a bubbling stream. The trail passes through the Laurisilva forest before reaching the chapel of Nuestra Señora de Lourdes and finally the hamlet of El Cedro from where we return to San Sebastian (approx 4-5 hours walk). San Sebastian was Christopher Columbus’ last stopping place before discovering the Americas, so there are several Columbus sites to be visited including the well where he drew water, his house and the church where he prayed. In addition, San Sebastian has two beaches, a host of restaurants and bars, and narrow streets bursting with life.

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We start the day with a short bus ride up to the interior to start our first walk from the area of Roque de Agando (1029m) where the giant monolithic rocks of basalt defy belief. We walk for around 5hrs through this magnificent and beautiful landscape to the beach at Playa Santiago. This area of the island is the most likely to receive sun and, with a protected harbour and beach, is a great spot for some swimming or relaxing after your walk.  From here we transfer by bus to Chipude.

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Today your tour leader can arrange several optional walks in the area. An exhilarating walk is the climb to La Fortaleza with its ancient archeological sites. An alternative if you don’t feel like walking today is a visit to the nearby coastal town of Valle Gran Rey.

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Leaving Chipude by bus, we drive to Agulo which enjoys the finest setting of any of La Gomera’s charming villages, staring across the Atlantic to the giant volcanic pyramid of Mt.Teide on Tenerife. Here we start our walk with a steep 1h uphill section on a rocky path, passing along a reservoir and quiet, secret valleys. The final stretch down to our hotel in Vallehermoso is a superb and gentle way to arrive at one of the most beautiful spots on this trip. This and neighbouring valleys are of a charm equalled only by master painters of former centuries (approx 6 hours walk).

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Greener than the southern side of the island, the north is scattered with small villages and lush, fertile valleys. Bananas are intensely cultivated and vines are grown in small plots protected by stone walls. Vallehermoso is known as the valley of 1,001 palms; they are tapped for their sap to make ‘miel de palma’ – a sweet syrup used in desserts. Exploring the valley is a delight and we can take an optional walk to the Chorro de Epina with its natural springs (approx 6 hours walk).

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This morning we board an early ferry to take us back to Tenerife. From the port we are transferred to El Medano where you can either spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach or you can take an optional visit to the Teide National Park and do a guided walks around the famous Roques de Garcia (approx. 2-4 hours optional walk).

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Tour ends.