Garajonay: La Gomera's Ancient Laurel Forest

In the middle of La Gomera, mist climbs the ravines every afternoon and gets tangled up in giant ferns and centuries-old laurels. Garajonay National Park has looked like this for millions of years: the best-preserved laurel forest on the planet, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. Walking through it is the closest you'll get to the forest that once covered the Mediterranean before the last ice age.

What Garajonay National Park is

The park covers almost 4,000 hectares across the island's central massif, topping out at Alto de Garajonay, 1,487 metres above sea level. What makes it unique is the laurisilva: a humid forest of heather, laurel and ferns that survives here thanks to the trade winds, which hit the island and leave their moisture trapped in the vegetation almost year round. The result is a green, misty landscape unlike anywhere else in the Canaries, with moss-covered trunks and a silence broken only by birdsong.

How to visit the park

The easiest way to see it with a guide is the small-group tour through Garajonay National Park, built for travellers already staying on the island. It departs from San Sebastián's bus station with an officially accredited guide and a maximum of 18 people: in 5 hours it enters the laurel forest, stops at panoramic viewpoints and crosses rural villages such as Chipude, Igualero and El Cercado, with a live silbo gomero demonstration included. It costs €75 per adult, lunch isn't included, though there's usually time to stop at a local restaurant.

If you're staying in Tenerife and want to see it in a single day, the full-day jeep safari through La Gomera includes the ferry crossing from Costa Adeje, departing at 8:20am from the X-Sur shopping centre. The driver-guide takes you through the park by 4x4 and stops at the same villages, with lunch included. It runs a full day and costs €150 per adult. Bring your original ID or passport: it's required to board the ferry, children included.

What to see inside the park

1. Juego de Bolas Visitor Centre: the park's natural entry point, with a botanical garden where you can see the laurisilva's plant species up close without hiking.
2. El Cercado: a village of potters who still shape clay by hand, without a wheel, following aboriginal tradition.
3. Chipude and Igualero: two of the island's most traditional rural villages, with terraced fields hanging over the ravine.
4. Roque de Agando: La Gomera's most photographed rock pokes up inside the park itself. If you want the full story, we have a guide dedicated to it.
5. Silbo gomero: the whistled language the island's ancestors used to communicate across ravines, listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Several tours include a live demonstration.

Tips for visiting

1. Bring a jacket even if it's hot on the coast: inside the forest, the humidity and altitude drop the feel of the temperature by several degrees.
2. The roads through the island's interior are narrow and full of bends. If you'd rather not drive them, any of the guided tours takes care of it.
3. Coming from Tenerife for the day? Book ahead: the ferry and jeep safari schedule drive the whole plan, and spots sell out in high season.
4. Mist tends to thicken in the afternoon. The early hours give the best visibility at the viewpoints.

FAQs

What is Garajonay's laurisilva? A relict forest of laurel, heather and ferns that once covered southern Europe before the last ice age, surviving here thanks to the constant moisture brought by the trade winds.

Can you visit Garajonay without a guide? Yes, there are marked trails open to anyone, but the roads are tricky and the signage explains little. A guided tour makes better use of your time and keeps you from getting lost.

How long does it take to see Garajonay National Park? The small-group tour runs 5 hours and covers the essentials. The jeep safari from Tenerife takes a full day because it adds the ferry crossing.

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Looking for more on the island? Read all about Roque de Agando, plan a day in La Gomera from Tenerife and browse all our tours in La Gomera.