Car hire La Gomera

Introduction

La Gomera is one of the Canary Islands and just like the other islands it is of volcanic origin. The highest mountain top of the island, Garajonay, is 1,487 meters high. The area around it is national park and is characterized by deep ravines. Beautiful walking routes have been plotted, both for the less trained hikers as well as for the more advanced hikers.

Population

La Gomera has about 20,000 inhabitants. The population of the island has a special way of communicating: whistling. This whistle language (Silbo Gomero) was developed to be able to talk over large distances. Thanks to the deep ravines on the island sound carries far. When the whistle language was about to vanish in the beginning of this century, the government made it a mandatory subject in school.

Location

La Gomera lies in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Morocco. It is the second largest of the seven Canary Islands and lies west of Tenerife and south-east of Las Palmas.

Economy

Nowadays tourism is the most important source of income for La Gomera. Besides that there is some agriculture (grain, peas, beans, lentils and potatoes). Furthermore there are vineyards where tasty local wines are made. Banana plantations can also be found on the island.

Airports

La Gomera has an airport (near Playa Santiago), but there are only local flights to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Most visitors fly to Tenerife first and then continue their journey by ferry to La Gomera.

Public transport

There is a bus between the capital San Sebastian and the towns Valle Gran Rey, Valle Hermoso and Santiago four to five times a day (but less frequently on Sundays). These buses are very popular, especially in the morning on the route to the mountains and late in the afternoon to the tourist centers.

Traffic and parking

A rental car is the perfect transportation to visit the most beautiful places of La Gomera. Do bear in mind that La Gomera is a mountainous island and that the roads are curvy. In a straight line the distance between the capital San Sebastian and Valle Gran Rey is only 22 kilometers, but by road the distance is more than 45 kilometers. Moreover you are forced to drive slowly on the curvy and sometimes narrow road.

Hotels

Most hotels and guesthouses can be found in Valle Gran Rey. There is also a good offer of bars and restaurants in that area. Furthermore there is a good accommodation offer in San Sebastian and near the Playa Santiago. For real peace seekers there are accommodations in the higher situated villages. Though temperatures are cooler than at the coast.

External sources

For more information about La Gomera, we recommend Google and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, La Gomera
• La Gomera (multilingual)