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Whales

One of the most dramatic and moving daytrips anyone can do in Tenerife is a whale and dolphin spotting cruise, which is a truly memorable experience for all the family. Numerous companies offer whale tours on the island and the south-west of Tenerife is considered to be the best place to see them. There are up to twenty-one different species in the stretch of sea between La Gomera and Tenerife, they range from the iconic blue whale to the notorious killer whale, with the most prevalent species being pilot whales which reside in the sea off the south coast.

Tenerife is enormously fortunate to have the leading whale migration route on its doorstep, which allows the mammals to travel towards the nearby island of La Gomera. This is why the majority of the boating trips will leave from the south-west of the island and visitors staying at places like the Costa Adeje Gran are well placed to organise a trip. Although most large boat companies will provide coach trips from spots all over the island, so there will always be access to this most absorbing of nature trips.

Volcanic Scenery

Those who prefer to stay on foot when on holiday will have some wonderful opportunities to enjoy the island’s volcanic landscapes. One of the most rewarding methods of exploring the island is by car and travelling past the island’s volcanic peak is a unique experience. Mount Teide is the highest peak in Spain and rises to 3718 metres and provides Tenerife with perhaps its most iconic landmark. Teide National Park is a must visit with the landscape dominated by the old lava eruptions of the past two millenniums; the area was officially declared a World Heritage site in 2007. Some of the birds spotted at the national park include kestrels, chaffinches and canary birds, and there are up to 168 species of plant in this outstanding area of natural beauty.

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While driving along the island’s scenic roads, a detour pass the Anaga Rural Park comes highly recommended. Visitors to the park will enjoy a magical forested paradise, which literally hasn’t changed for thousands of years and captures the raw primitive beauty of the island.

A world of Parrots

Another colourful place to visit is the Katandra Treetops nature reserve that resides inside Loro Parque. Situated on the pretty outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz, the parrot park is an oasis of colour and is home to some of Spain’s most beautiful birdlife.

Visitors arriving at the bird reserve can expect to see loris, cockatoos and parrots when walking along the tree top trails and jungle pathways of the bird reserve. Loro Parque isn’t just about birds, however, there are Flipper style dolphin shows and adorably cute penguins on display too. Offering a wonderful excursion for all the family.

A beautiful island home to some magnificent bird life, sea mammals and volcanic landscapes, Tenerife is a perfect destination for nature lovers. It’s almost like stepping back in time with the old lava flowing beneath the world’s surface. An otherworldly destination surrounded by a cocktail sea blooming with wildlife, if there is ever a time to invest in a digital camera then it’s a week before a holiday in Tenerife.

Written by D.Agnew, part of the travel writers team on the easyJet holidays website.

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Garajonay National Park includes also a mountain massif Garajonay that reaches an altitude of 1487 meters and such it is the highest point of the island. From here, during nice weather you can enjoy a beautiful view over the Atlantic Ocean and the other islands of the Canary Archipelago, El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Foot of the mountain is covered by the dense forest, on the drier side it is formed by gale and tree heath. These shrubs are reaching heights over 15 meters. Because of their non-combustible timber, they are used in production of pipes. Laurel forest grows on the northern and northeastern slopes. These trees boasts a large, solid, and shiny green leaves.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Axel Brocke

The climate on La Gomera is cooler than on the other islands, even though this area is known for its dry climate. Deep green forests provide a pleasant relax during the hot days. The air is usually cool and moist, it rains almost constantly during the summer. This is due to the action of trade winds that are coming from the northeast, which brings permanent moisture from the Atlantic Ocean. This phenomenon is important in terms of the water regime of the island, because about two-thirds of drinking water are formed by this way. The sunny parts of the forest feature a number of blooming flowers. You can also find almost two meters high fern, which prevent from the smooth walking through the jungle. The local lush vegetation includes 20 metres high trees, which are densely covered with moss. La Gomera is also a home to around 100,000 palm trees, which is the most of all the Canary Islands. Half of them are Canary palms, whose sap is used for production of an edible sweet syrup called also a palm honey. The other half are African palms. In addition to this interesting and unique vegetation, island boats numerous gorges, rock cones and rocks, which descend deep into the sea. Among the most beautiful valley on the island is Gran Rey.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Axel Brocke

More than 450 species of plants grows on La Gomera. Some of these species are endemic and can not be found anywhere else in the world, such as Canarian mahogany and ebony. In the Tertiary period laurel forests covered an area of northern Africa and parts of southeastern Europe. Their demise was due to temperature fluctuations in times of Ice age and subsequent deforestation. Laurel forest in the Garajonay national park is the last surviving example of those forests. Since it is not destroyed, it is called a living fossil.

The island of La Gomera was created by the volcanic eruption and the last eruption is dated to the Quaternary period. Volcanic chimneys spewed basalt and ash that settled in the layers. Those were then burned by hot lava. Long ago, the island was much larger, but due to the erosion has shrunk by more than half into the present area of ​​370 km2.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Axel Brocke

Since it is a popular tourist area there are lots of accommodation options of all categories on the island of La Gomera. The beaches are mostly rocky.

The capital of the island is San Sebastian, which was a popular port of Christopher Columbus. Among the known historical villages are the Valle Gran Rey, Chipude, Agulo and Arure. An interesting feature of the island is that the locals communicated by whistling. This language is called El Silbo or Silbo Gomero and is still used by some people, because such they can communicate over long distances (3-4 km).

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