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La Gomera is one of the smaller
of the Canary Islands. Quite tranquil
and largely unspoilt, you can expect a
real chill-out holiday or visit
here.
The island of La Gomera, has
an area of 378 sq.km. It is the second
smallest of the Canary Islands. The
highest mountain is the "Garajonay",
reaching an altitude of 1487m. About
16.000 people live on the island. The
capital is San Sebastian de la Gomera,
with a ferry harbour and a marina for
sport boats. The airport for flights
between the islands is situated in Playa
de Santiago in the south of the island.
La Gomera's marvellous character
comes from its rough nature, and the
deep, spectacular valleys, called "barrancos".
In the middle of the island you find the
national park "Garajonay", which is a
protected area, with it`s "Laurisilva"
forest. This has been declared by the
UNESCO as an Human Heritage area. The
forest gets the water it needs, from the
trade wind clouds, coming from the north
towards the island. This is the reason,
why it is also called misty forest. All
over the island you can find remote
beaches and impressive tracks for hiking
tours. Today, the main income of the
island is, tourism with small apartment
establishments and the "turismo rural",
with traditional "fincas" predominating
on the island.
The "baile del tambor" is a typical
and rhythmic dance with drums,
traditionally for celebrating religious
fiestas. Chácaras, a type of castanets
are also used. When celebrating the
religious festivities the islanders
carry the patron saint of a village or
of the fishermen, from the chapel to
their village and back. This is an
impressive event for all visitors of
La Gomera. In Playa de Santiago,
they have the "Fiesta del Carmen",
patron saint of the fishermen, in the
middle of July. In the mountain village
of Alajerķ you can visit the "Fiesta de
nuestra Seņora del Buen Paso" in the
middle of September, with a large
procession and traditional customs.
El Silbo is an old whistling language of
the inhabitants. Only by whistling
signals was it possible to talk to each
other without climbing for hours through
the large barrancos from one village to
the other. Today el Silbo is again
taught in the local shools.
On the island of La Gomera you
can find also traditional handicrafts
like hand made pottery, basket-making,
carving or weaving. Visitors who are
interested in pottery, can have a little
course with Doņa Rufina, in the mountain
village of El Cercado. She knows
everything about this traditional
handicraft.
To view holiday and long-let
properties in La Gomera click
here.
Tenerife |
Gran Canaria
|
Lanzarote
|
La Gomera
|
El Hierro
|
Fuerteventura
|
La Palma
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