Garajonay National Park

Garajonay, spread across the high centre of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, protects the finest surviving example of laurisilva — the humid laurel forest that covered much of southern Europe millions of years ago and now survives only on a handful of Atlantic islands. The park was created in 1981, inscribed by UNESCO in 1986, and covers about 40 square kilometres, reaching into every one of the island's six municipalities.

The forest changes character with its exposure. In the sheltered, north-facing valleys it is at its richest, a true subtropical rainforest with the tallest laurels; on the slopes it thins, and on the drier southern side it gives way to a lower forest of heather adapted to less humid air. Many of the plants and invertebrates are found nowhere outside Macaronesia, and the park is one of the best places to see the Canaries' two endemic pigeons, the laurel pigeon and Bolle's pigeon. A network of eighteen footpaths runs through it, and the visitor centre stands at Juego de Bolas near Agulo.

Above the trees rise volcanic plugs worn into towers by erosion, such as Roque de Agando, and the summit of Garajonay itself, at 1,487 metres the island's highest point, where remains of an ancient native sanctuary have been found. A romantic tale says the mountain is named after two lovers, Gara of La Gomera and Jonay of Tenerife, who died together on its slopes rather than be parted; the story in fact first appears in print only in 1924, and the name is more likely an old island word for a high crag. In August 2012 a fire burned 747 hectares, nearly a fifth of the park.

Getting there

La Gomera is reached by ferry from Tenerife to the island capital, San Sebastián de La Gomera, or by air: La Gomera Airport (GMZ) near Playa Santiago has flights to Tenerife North and Gran Canaria. Tenerife South Airport (TFS) is about 66 km away in a straight line, across the water. From San Sebastián, roads climb into the park's centre; the town of Guía de Isora on Tenerife's west coast lies roughly 46 km away across the channel.