La Gomera is the second smallest of The Canary Islands, and the capital is San Sebastian. Like the other islands, it is volcanic in origin, and it rises particularly steeply from the ocean, to a peak of 1487 metres.
It has a densely forested interior and this part of the island is basically tropical forest – it has more rain than all the other islands, and the upper valleys are often shrouded in mist. At sea level, though, the island enjoys typical Canarian sunshine, so it has the most sharply divided of the islands’ climates.
The island has a network of over 600KM of trails through the interior and is a walking haven. The whole island is a biosphere reserve.
La Gomera was the last port of call for Christopher Columbus en route to discovering the new world.
Airport
La Gomera airport is at Playa Santiago, about 30KM south of the capital. The only flights there are a twice daily service to Tenerife North.
Port
The ferry port at La Gomera is in San Sebastian, and there are up to 14 daily crossings from Los Cristianos in Tenerife.
The Resorts
There aren’t holiday resorts in the traditional sense on La Gomera. You’ll find most of the accommodation in either San Sebastian, or Valle Gran Rey and Playa Santiago.
Types of accommodation
The hotels are dotted around the coastline. There’s a mixture of good quality rural hotels, with apartments and fincas.
There is also a well known Parador on the island. Paradores are state owned hotels, often set up in magnificent old mansions.
