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This short branch of the GR 131 links the town centre of Vallehermoso with its coastal front, offering a gradual descent from the mid-altitude agricultural landscape to the island’s northern shoreline. At just over three and a half kilometres in length, it forms a natural extension of the main route toward the sea. The trail begins in the urban centre and, after passing through its first streets in the direction of the coast, turns toward the ravine bed. A small footbridge allows hikers to cross and enter a setting where relief and traditional agriculture shape a landscape of strong character. For much of the route, the path runs parallel to the ravine, at the foot of the imposing Roque Cano, one of the municipality’s most recognisable geological landmarks. The terraced slopes, supported by dry-stone walls, testify to centuries of agricultural use. Canary Island palms, banana plantations, and small orchards dot the valley floor, forming a fertile mosaic that contrasts with the verticality of the surrounding mountains. This section helps visitors understand the close relationship between the local population and the land, shaped by adaptation to a rugged terrain and the careful management of water resources. In its final stretch, the path crosses the ravine once again and approaches the coastline until reaching Vallehermoso Beach. This coastal enclave, inhabited since ancient times, played a significant role in the island’s economic history. Beneath the cliffs remain the ruins of an old loading crane, once used to facilitate the shipment and export of agricultural products at a time when maritime connections were essential to the island’s economy. Reaching the sea marks the natural conclusion of this GR 131 branch and offers the possibility of linking with other coastal itineraries. This section combines rural scenery, ethnographic heritage, and historical memory in a short yet meaningful walk.

Atthe Tokyo Olympic Games, Paralympic swimmer Miguel Luque had the honour of being the first to secure a medal for Spain, winning silver in the 50m breaststroke (SB3 class) after completing his training stageat the high-performance centre Tenerife Top Training. The Catalan swimmer, who ascended the podium during his sixth Paralympics having made his debut at Sydney 2000, has accumulated seven medals: two golds, three silvers and two bronzes.

Canary Islands, the place where Ellie Aldridge, the first Olympic Formula Kite champion, trains and finds inspiration. Discover why she considers it her second home.

Mol and Sørum, Olympic beach volleyball champions, train in the Canary Islands to stay at the top. Discover why this destination is key to their performance.

This modest temple, where the Virgin of La Peña is venerated, follows the tradition of placing difficult access routes to El Golfo under the protection of a holy image. The Virgin of La Peña watched over the most dangerous path, the Peña or Tibataje route, which is now closed due to its extreme danger.

In the Guinea Ecomuseum in the north of El Hierro, by an old aborigine settlement, the houses of the first inhabitants are still preserved, as are those built by the colonists. The archaeological remains that have been discovered in the zone have been excavated so that visitors can now get to know more about the way of life of the island’s inhabitants in centuries gone by as they wander through the streets of the old village with its stone houses.

This route offers one of the most complete and varied itineraries within Garajonay National Park, allowing visitors to explore a remarkable diversity of summit and northern slope ecosystems, distributed according to altitude, humidity, and the influence of mist. In its initial sections, the trail crosses summit heathlands, wind-exposed plant formations covered with dense carpets of moss that blanket the ground and tree trunks, creating a cool and silent atmosphere. As the path descends along the northern slope, the landscape gradually transforms into classic hillside laurel forest, more humid and lush, where laurels, barbusanos, large heaths, and giant ferns abound. In the lower parts of the ravine, the trail enters a particularly interesting type of laurel forest: laurel forest with viñátigos (Persea indica). Here, these trees reach remarkable size due to the high environmental humidity and the presence of permanent watercourses—one of the most characteristic features of this area of the Park. These ravine bottoms form true ecological refuges, where vegetation appears at its most exuberant and mature. After leaving the northern boundary of the Park, the route continues toward the hamlet of El Cedro, located at the bottom of a ravine that carries water year-round thanks to the retention capacity of the monteverde forest. This rural enclave, surrounded by high forested cliffs, is one of the most distinctive places on La Gomera due to its isolation, natural beauty, and historical connection to agriculture and water management. The landscape is marked by an impressive vertical cliff over 200 metres high, from which a waterfall plunges down, sharply separating this area from the Hermigua Valley, one of the most fertile valleys in the north of the island. This escarpment is one of the most striking geological features along the route. The return to Contadero once again allows visitors to experience the variations in vegetation and climate, thus completing an itinerary that perfectly encapsulates the environmental richness of Garajonay National Park.

This short and comfortable route offers an immersive walk through one of the best-preserved areas of mature laurel forest in Garajonay National Park. The trail winds through secondary ravines where some of the tallest and most developed trees of La Gomera’s forest thrive, thanks to high humidity levels and the constant effect of “horizontal rain” (mist precipitation). Shade, coolness, and the sound of water accompany visitors from the very first moments, creating a serene and deeply evocative atmosphere. As the path enters the heart of the laurel forest (monteverde), the surroundings become increasingly humid and lush. Moss-covered trunks, giant ferns, lianas, and lichens hanging from the canopy create the atmosphere of an ancient, almost mystical forest where direct sunlight barely penetrates. This landscape is one of the finest examples of Macaronesian laurel forest, a living relic of the forests that covered southern Europe millions of years ago. The route culminates at the charming Chapel of Lourdes, located in a small square that invites visitors to rest. Next to the chapel, wooden tables and a small drinking water fountain provide a perfect spot for a break and to enjoy the silence of the forest. The El Cedro stream, the most voluminous watercourse in the entire Park, flows through this area, its murmur enhancing the sense of freshness and vitality that characterizes the site. This trail is ideal for families, hikers seeking a gentle walk, or anyone wishing to experience the essence of the laurel forest without steep gradients or strenuous effort, in a setting that encapsulates the magic and biodiversity of Garajonay National Park.

This circular route crosses one of the most emblematic sections of the laurel forest in Garajonay National Park, a humid and lush ecosystem that thrives thanks to the mist sweeping across the summit. Most of the trail follows a paved track, making it easy to walk and allowing visitors to comfortably enjoy the exuberant vegetation that defines this sector of the Park. In the stretches where mist is most frequent, the surroundings take on a particularly magical atmosphere: trees covered in moss, hanging lichens, and giant ferns create a humid and silent landscape that evokes the ancient character of the Canary Islands’ monteverde, a true relict forest inherited from the Tertiary Era. After leaving the Park boundary, the trail descends toward the hamlet of El Cedro, one of the island’s most distinctive rural enclaves. This small settlement is completely surrounded by forest and located at the bottom of a ravine that carries water year-round, thanks to the forest’s remarkable capacity for water capture. Here, the traditional agricultural landscape blends with the murmur of the stream, creating a cool, fertile environment deeply connected to La Gomera’s rural heritage. At the end of the ravine rises a vertical cliff over 200 metres high, from which a spectacular waterfall plunges down, sharply separating this area from the Hermigua Valley. This impressive escarpment is one of the island’s most striking geological features and highlights the contrast between the humid forest and the agricultural slopes of the northern valley. The route later returns toward Reventón Oscuro, ascending once again into the realm of the monteverde and completing an itinerary that combines nature, rural landscape, and one of the most humid and lush environments of the National Park.

This short yet extraordinary trail leads into one of the most privileged natural viewpoints in Garajonay National Park. Despite its brief length, the route offers one of the finest perspectives of Los Roques, authentic stone guardians of central La Gomera, as well as the rugged headwaters of the Hermigua ravine, one of the deepest and most humid valleys in the northern part of the island. The path runs along the island’s ridgeline, a place where, within just a few steps, visitors can experience La Gomera’s two major climatic environments: The northern slope, often shrouded in mist even in midsummer, dominated by humid laurel forest and unique tree heaths, covered in mosses and lichens. The southern slope, much sunnier and drier, where thermophilous shrubland prevails and open hillsides descend toward the southern ravines. This visible and tangible contrast makes the trail a unique educational and sensory experience for understanding the island’s geography and climate. The route also crosses rocky walls where valuable rupicolous vegetation typical of humid environments thrives, including ferns, ivy, lichens, and plants adapted to growing in crevices and natural rock faces. In this same section, visitors can observe up close a volcanic dyke, a striking geological formation that reveals La Gomera’s eruptive history, appearing here as a dark wall that cuts through the surrounding rock. Despite its short length, Route 1 – El Bailadero in Garajonay National Park offers an excellent opportunity to enjoy the landscape, vegetation, and geology of the Park, while providing an unforgettable panoramic view of one of the most emblematic corners of the island’s heart.