Hiking between mountains, palm trees and the sea on the volcanic island
If you are looking for a sporty challenge for your next hiking holiday, we recommend the small Canary Island of La Gomera! On the GR-132 hiking trail, the entire island can be circumnavigated on foot and with a backpack. The circular hiking trail can be hiked all year round and is therefore also an ideal travel destination in winter.
La Gomera is one of the smaller Canary Islands and largely spared from mass tourism. In some places there are therefore only a few accommodations, which are often the more original.
The GR-132 has the great advantage of being able to hike all year round. Since La Gomera is at the height of North Africa, the temperatures are ideal for hiking even in December and January. At the same time, the location in the middle of the Atlantic provides some cooling in summer.
Inspiring pictures, free route downloads and much more can be found on our separate info website: www.rundwandern-lagomera.de.
New: On La Gomera there has recently been an individually bookable luggage transport - you can find information on this here: www.rundwandern-lagomera.de/gepaecktransport-mit-dem-taxi/
July 17, 2018
I bought the latest Kosmos hiking map and found that the circular hike described here 1. completely differs from the GR 132 shown on the map and 2. it is only the northern half of the island.
The GR 132 goes around the entire island and is also marked on the hiking map.
July 17, 2018
Hello Marion,
yes, on the south side of the island the route we proposed deviates from the official GR-132 hiking trail. The reason is the lack of overnight accommodation there (see also explanation under https://www.rundwanderung-lagomera.de/ueberblick-2/). So we simply planned the stages a little differently.
In order to complete the circular hike on the official GR-132, the section between Playa de Santiago and La Calera is missing with a distance of approx. 40 kilometers and 2.000 meters of ascent and descent. This is not possible without an overnight stay.
Regards
Frank
August 26, 2019
Hello Frank,
Thank you for the detailed report about your hike on La Gomera.
I would also like to run the GR 132 as described by you next year. Now I'm a little unsure about the signposting of the path. Is the GR 132 well signposted? I don't have a GPS with me.
Best regards,
Rainbow wrasse
August 26, 2019
Hello Julia,
the way is mostly very well signposted (for example: Image signpost GR132.jpg. If you don't have a GPS device with you (or a smartphone - see Viewranger: Outdoor app for GPS hiking, which I would actually recommend in any case), my eBook, which can be found below, will surely help you https://www.rundwanderung-lagomera.de/ebook-zur-la-gomera-rundwanderung/ can download. There the route is described in some detail. Together with the signage, this should also be possible without GPS.
Have fun hiking!
Frank
September 12, 2019
Hello Frank,
first of all thank you for your great and detailed reports. In addition to your tour, I would like to make a detour to the cloud forest and then continue hiking on your tour. How and where is the easiest, best or most beautiful possible and how much time should I plan?
Many greetings and thank you
Hubert
September 13, 2019
Hello Hubert,
the cloud forest is affected at several points on the tour (Stage 3, Waypoint 3 or Stage 5, Waypoint 5), but only briefly. The cloud forest is approximately congruent with the extent of the Garajonay National Park.
In the absence of my own experience with the cloud forest, I have researched the following:
According to the Rother hiking guide (La Gomera, tour no. 55), the descent from the summit of the island via El Cedro to Hermigua is "the island's parade tour". As far as El Cedro, the path runs in the cloud forest as described. Then it goes past the highest waterfall on the island down to Hermigua (duration in the descent: 3:20 according to Rother). There is also a variant that takes a round trip from El Cedro back to the “Pajarito” bus stop (Rother: 4:35). Ie the cloud forest could be planned before stage 1. The next place to stay would be in Chipude (Hotel Sonia Chipude), i.e. at waypoint 4 of stage 1.
Alternatively, you can of course hike from Hermigua towards El Cedro, there is also the option of a round tour (e.g. https://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=mqxuquydabgqbkfc), which you would then have to expand a bit to get to the higher cloud forest.
So much for my ideas and suggestions. I hope this helps you further!
Regards
Frank
September 20, 2019
Hello Frank,
Thank you. that's very good info. Look, Franz Beckenbauer would say :-).
September 24, 2019
Thank you for the detailed information!
I would be interested to know if the tour can also be done with a tent?
What about campsites along the route?
September 30, 2019
Hello Christian,
legally, unfortunately, no: wild camping is prohibited and there are almost no campsites on the island (see also https://www.gomeralive.de/camping).
Regards
Frank
8 December 2019
Dear Frank,
we hiked the tour you described in October 2018 and were thrilled!
We followed your directions and hotel tips almost without exception. The tour leads through incredibly varied landscapes and from our point of view through the most interesting parts of the island (we explored "the rest" of the island after the hike for a few days by car).
Thank you for your effort, the tour description made the travel planning and the hike considerably easier for us and we are already planning the next tour on your trail.
Best Regards
Tina
12 December 2019
Hi Tina,
Thank you for bothering to write here again over a year later! It's great that you enjoyed it!
Regards
Frank
14 January 2020
Hi Frank,
this is a super great site that you / you have built there.
The 3D preview on ayvri.com also pleases.
It's fun to browse the pages.
Since I didn’t “want” to go hiking in Chile due to the political situation, I was looking for something “local” and am happy to have come across wanderndeluxe.
I look forward to your further reports. Have fun with the long-distance hikes and best regards.
Jochen
18 January 2020
Hello Jochen,
thank you, I appreciate your feedback! Then I hope that there is a good alternative to Chile for you :-)
Regards
Frank
29 January 2020
Hello Frank,
We hiked the gr to la Gomera last year and have been suffering from long-distance hiking trails ever since. We would like to go hiking again at the end of February at the beginning of March and now my question would be, where can you do it well this time of year? Do you have a tip?
Greetings sarah
30 January 2020
Hi Sarah,
very much, for the end of February / beginning of March I can recommend Malta and Gozo: https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/fernwanderung/kuestenwanderung-malta-gozo-coastal-walk-6-tage/, I came back from there last week and you will like it very much. Even in mid-January it was great for hiking. Depending on the season, this would be ideal for you!
Excited for your feedback.
Frank
2 Maj 2021
Hi Frank
I would like to give you feedback on the circular hike on La Gomera. We were inspired by your website and completed the route you suggested in 8 days. Conclusion: simply brilliant! The landscape is extremely varied. The accommodations are ideal for hikers. We ate each very tasty. And the weather in April was great too. We always had sunshine; except in the cloud forest. But that has to be the case there too. The altitude difference intimidated us a bit at first. But in retrospect, it was exhausting, but quite doable. And the views afterwards are all the more spectacular.
We made a few small changes to the route. We did stage 6 from Playa Santiago to San Sebastian on the first day. We took a rest day in Valle Gran Rey and went on an interesting whale watching tour and went swimming on the beach. We arrived in Las Hayas in the early afternoon. This meant we were able to take a one-and-a-half hour walk without luggage in the cloud forest (after Las Creces and back). In Hermigua we took a second rest day and rented a car for a day at the Hotel Ibo Alfaro for 25 euros. This meant we could still visit the sights that were not on the hiking route (for example the small circular hike in El Cedro).
We downloaded the route to our mobile phone as you suggested. That worked well. That was also very helpful at the start of the individual stages. Once on the road, however, the signposting was so good that we got along well without a mobile phone. The Covid measures were also not a problem for this long-distance hike. For the journey there and back we had to do a test and register on the internet. Once while hiking, Covid was very far away. And of course we liked that too.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the extensive information on this website. You gave us a wonderful experience. We can only recommend this long-distance hike.
Best hiking greetings from Switzerland
Urs
June 6, 2021
Hello Urs,
Thank you for your great feedback! Somehow I missed answering you promptly! There are good suggestions and tips for other hikers.
Greetings back to Switzerland!
Frank
22 January 2023
Dear Frank thanks for the great blog. As a woman, I would like to hike alone for 5-7 days at the end of February - but I'm very afraid of ( wild ) dogs:-(( is that an issue on Gomera? Alternatively, Malta or Liguria or Nice would be possible.. here too.. there are there dogs?and do you think these routes are feasible in terms of weather?thank you very much
23 January 2023
Hello Gaby,
I would definitely recommend La Gomera to you. From the weather in February anyway. And I don't remember any wild dogs there either. In Malta - which would also work weather-wise - there are some places. And I wouldn't recommend Liguria and Nice in February.
Regards
Frank
23 January 2023
Thank you Frank for your reviews!
1. February 2023
Dear Frank I will now overcome my fear of dogs + follow tracks. :-)) I can put in a 2nd night somewhere on the route and I'm hesitating between hermigua and san sebastian. (I cancel the 6th stage). What would you recommend ? At first glance, hermigua seems more scenic; but weather-wise far more uncertain than SS. Journey end of February. Thanks ! + ps: which card do you like better / Freitag+berndt or kompass? thank you gabby
12. February 2023
Hello Gaby,
since I'm a fair-weather friend, I would always advise you to go to the south side - either two nights in Valle Gran Rey or in San Sebastian.
When it comes to maps, I would of course recommend my own hiking map (PDF) :-) You can find it under https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/shop/pdf-wanderkarte/la-gomera-pdf-wanderkarte-als-download-1-zu-25-000/.
Have fun hiking!
Frank
25 November 2023
Hello Frank,
We are not from La Gomera on this island and have surpassed all expectations. Magnificent walking paths, ongerept, authentic, goedkoop.
We take care of the trip based on our travel route, so we can get the right to travel. Om 2 talking:
-Rother has a new wandelgids voor La Gomera (editie 2023) with 73 wandelingen, zowel rondwandelingen as wandelingen in lijn. The island is described here.
-Taxi Goyo is great. Hij is zeer vriendelijk en betrouwbaar. Seeds with zijn zoon supply hij stipt de op voorhand afsproken transfers. Let us, hey, can give away the grandson's baggage. Passengers doet his grandchildren vanuit zijn woonplaats Hermigua.
When we are still there, we have opted for a truck in 1 of 2 stands to make various changes. As you are walking in the street, you will have overal taxis that will take you to the rental plazas.
Thank you again for your tips!
Johan
29 November 2023
Hello Johan,
I am very pleased! Thank you also for the positive feedback about Taxi Goyo, I have only received very few reviews about it so far. Good to know it's working!
Regards
Frank
5. February 2024
Hello Frank,
Thank you for your partages.
Woman living on the sentier, habituée à la rando de montagne, also souci? Is it difficult to pass or risk losing it?
Also, for 10-15 days, consult-vous également Las Palmas pour rando? or uniquement La Gomera? Apparemment, Las Palmas est also attractive concernant les randonnées, peu-etre, est-ce plus touristique?
Thank you for your return quickly.
Sophie
7. February 2024
Hello Sophie,
With good equipment (good hiking boots, poles for the steep descents on scree, smartphone with GPS app) and appropriate experience, I see no problem for long-distance hiking on La Gomera, even as a woman traveling/hiking alone. 10-15 days are also ideal for La Gomera if you want to add a few relaxing days after the circular hike.
La Palma is also very beautiful, but in my experience it is not suitable for a long-distance hike. There is also a lack of suitable accommodation along the routes in question. Therefore: if you want to go long-distance hiking, I would recommend La Gomera. La Palma, on the other hand, is more recommended for day hikes (ideally with a rental car). In terms of population, La Palma is 4x larger than La Gomera and therefore probably 4x more touristy, but of course not at all touristy compared to the neighboring island of Tenerife.
Regards
Frank
5. February 2024
Hello Frank,
Also, for the month of Mars, can the room be stored in the bathroom? Or do you want to stay in an improvised accommodation?
Sophie
7. February 2024
Hello Sophie again,
If I were you, I would at least book the overnight stay after stage 2 in advance, as there are relatively few accommodations there. With the following tool you can get an overview of where and how many accommodations are available in just a few minutes:
https://www.rundwanderung-lagomera.de/unterkuenfte-buchen-leicht-gemacht/
Regards
Frank