La Gomera: The hiking paradise of the Canaries

The Canary Island La Gomera is ideal for hiking all year round. But what BRIGITTE author Doris Ehrhardt really liked there: that the locals not only take care of the magnificent nature, but also consciously protect their nerves.

When Francisco Rodriguez steps outside the door in the evening, he sees the orange of the setting sun over the mountains. When he walks across his farm, the dogs wag their tails. If he climbs into the large enclosure, the goats surround him. He then crouches down at eye level with the animals. You nudge him, he caresses you. He has tattoos on his right arm and a happy smile on his face.

As a truck driver, Francisco was dissatisfied. When he was in his early 30s, he wanted to try something new and took over an old farm above San Sebastián, the capital of La Gomera. Today he keeps a total of 180 goats, most of them in the mountains. "Free-roaming goats are important to the island. They keep the grass short – that's valuable fire protection," says Francisco. And: "Our ancestors could not have survived without goats, the milk is very nutritious." He uses it to make fine types of raw milk cheese, which have already won various awards. "I never thought it would go so well. I just wanted to make food and do my job well."

Acting sustainably – sounds modern, has always been done here

For the Gomeros I get to know on my trip, "doing well" means: producing sustainably, acting regionally, doing something special with your hands and sometimes seeing more sense in sharing than in profit. In short: act in a modern way. And thus very similar to their ancestors, the old Gomeros.

Imagine a cake-round volcanic island: in the middle a mountain range with many gorges – as if someone had carved deep grooves in a shortcrust pastry with a fork and grabbed all sorts of things on the topping, trees and streams, cacti and palm trees, volcanic crumbs and red earth. This is something like La Gomera: extremely diverse, despite only 25 kilometers in diameter. As a travel destination, it is increasingly offering environmentally friendly tourism. If you are on holiday here, you will not be bored if you prefer to go hiking than to the beach or if you are interested in traditional craftsmanship.

Breaking Dawn. In the early morning, the Teide volcano stretches over the clouds on the neighboring island of Tenerife.

© Maxim Schulz / Brigitte

El Cercado is a mountain village in the northwest. Small, simple houses, hilly streets. A woman is sitting in an open door on the winding thoroughfare. Sneakers on my feet, a white cloth on my lap. Carmen Delia Niebla Negrín, one of the last islanders to make a living from pottery. With a metal scraper, she smooths the lumpy surface of a future fruit bowl. At the entrance to her garage-small workshop, she did not place enticement offers, but rather flower pots. "Why should I do extra advertising? You can see what I'm working on," says Carmen with a shrug. She doesn't use a disc to make pottery, and the earth looks for her in the surrounding mountains. This is how the indigenous women did it, this is how they learned from their mother. "I need about 15 days for each part. The process cannot be accelerated, I have to follow the clay, otherwise it will go wrong. The pottery taught me patience."

The weather sheath makes for a blatant change of scenery

The Gomeros are naturally used to being fast. If you drive across the island – mostly uphill, downhill – the landscape changes every few minutes. The frequent change of scene is related to the trade winds. Blowing from the northeast, it brings with it humid cloud masses that do not get any further on La Gomera's up to 1500 meter high elevations and therefore rain their moisture on one side of the mountain. The other side comes out empty. The south is correspondingly dry. And because the cloud moisture naturally spreads more above than below, a separate vegetation zone has developed in the north, depending on the altitude. It's roughly how you see something different after almost every corner.

I experience a particularly blatant change of scene on a hike in the Majona nature park in the east of the island. We start in a parched brown landscape, climb the Majona Gorge and walk through the vegetation zones as if they were stories. Clouds flutter on the end floor, atomized by a strong constant wind. It also ensures that the otherwise tightly standing pines only grow crouched and crouched. At the top of the ridge of the ravine you suddenly find yourself between two worlds: on the left a steep abyss, covered in mold green with lichen, on the right everything is brown, stone-dry and bare except for a few palm trees. A boulder in the middle of the ridge could be used as a compass: its green overgrown side shows north.

La Gomera: weather divide

Weather sheath. The clouds stick to this ridge in the Majona Gorge. Therefore it is green to the north of it, on the south side the landscape remains dry and barren.

© Maxim Schulz / Brigitte

At this weather divide I could watch for hours as the clouds in the sky paint one watercolor picture after another. But it's not up to me. I like to run after our guide in a nice hiking group because she knows the best things: Marina Seiwert, moved to La Gomera a good 20 years ago because of the mild winter and is as well versed in nature as if she was born here. From her we learn, for example, that a Canary Island pine can survive a lava flow for 45 minutes; that lice used to be bred on cacti, which provided red dye for lipstick.

Thanks to small reservoirs and artificial irrigation, agriculture on a large scale is also possible on the north coast. The banana plantations in the Hermigua area benefit from this. And people who grow for their own needs, like Marina's partner Ulises, on a slope near the pretty village of Agulo. More than 50 types of tropical fruit trees thrive here because the former national park employee has a green thumb – and La Gomera's subtropical climate.

Ulises, a guy like Gérard Depardieu when he was still very personable, welcomes our hiking group with a fresh harvest: prickly pears, dragon fruits, mangoes – that's how I imagine the catering in paradise.

Ulises peels, we slurp and smack our lips. But: why doesn't he eat with us himself? "I don't care about fruit. But Marina loves it."

He does not sell surplus fruit, but gives it away. "All of our friends grow vegetables, each one something different. We give each other what we have left every week – so we all have something good from each other." Throwing away is taboo here.

The palm juice Guarapo is precious – and is given away

Manolo, on the other hand, does not trade. But he doesn't sell either, he gives away. This is his hobby, for which the street gardener leased a palm tree in the Valle Gran Rey. On the slopes of the legendary valley in the northwest there are a particularly large number of Canary Island date palms. With their crowns they tower above the other green folk by a long way. Its fronds swing elegantly in the wind and glitter metallic green in the sun.

La Gomera: Manolo on the palm

Climbing tour. Every morning Manolo climbs his palm and harvests guarapo.

© Maxim Schulz / Brigitte

Manolo's lease palm, however, is not a splendor. She looks like she has circular hair loss because there are no fronds in the top center. "I removed it myself," says Manolo, "I don't want to win a beauty award, I want guarapo." That is the palm juice that you can tap. Manolo drives to his palm tree every morning and evening for four months and climbs it in seconds Six meters up the trunk and check the situation. If things go as planned, up to 15 liters of juice are collected in a bucket every day. Manolo can be believed that he is extremely careful because otherwise he would have to pay 500 euros per meter of palm, because all Canaries Date palms in La Gomera are under strict protection.

Later, Manolo sits across from me in the village bar in El Cercado like a showmaster at the presentation of a superstar. On! Glass! Guarapo! Looks like cloudy apple juice, tastes pleasantly sweet and creamy. Unfortunately, palm sap lasts a maximum of 24 hours after harvest. "I always drink it fresh from the harvest. I freeze the rest and share it with friends," says Manolo. "Unprocessed guarapo is hard to come by." Guarapo has usually been boiled down to make syrup since the indigenous peoples times. Today's gomeros pour a dollop of the tough, honey-brown, mineral-rich liquid over vanilla ice cream, fish or cheese. Goes just as well as fog with blue skies.

A jungle like something out of a fantasy film

Such paradoxes can be experienced in the Garajonay National Park in the center of the island. It protects one of the oldest and largest laurel forests in the world. Clouds waft through this jungle, while at the same time the rays of the sun make their way through the branches of the giant trees and conjure up a play of light and shadow. A scene as mystical as in a fantasy film. Shaggy beard lichens abseil down from branches, moss pillows drape on fallen trees, ferns billow up like a man.

Even when we have already left the laurel forest and go up through a wide valley to the hamlet of El Cedro, everything is green wherever you look. Even in the streams. Marina reaches into the clear water: "Would you like to try freshly picked watercress?" The tender leaves taste wonderful – slightly hot and nutty.

La Gomera: soup with watercress

Super soup. Watercress is the basis for this delicious meal in the mountain restaurant "La Vista".

© Maxim Schulz / Brigitte

Watercress ends up in many soup pots in the island restaurants, but nobody cooks watercress soup as well as Juana in her restaurant "La Vista" in El Cedro. Lunch break with a mountain view. We spoon creamy soup from traditional wooden bowls. Juana flits back and forth between the kitchen and the tables, her raspberry-red head of hair bobbing on her back. Will she tell us quickly what makes her soup so special? "I don't buy the watercress at the market, I grow it myself so I can cut it fresh." Your secret? "I cut all the ingredients very small, and I do it by hand," says Juana. She keeps the rest to herself. Also a way of preserving something special.

Doris' tips for La Gomera

COME AND COME AROUND
Hiking trip.
Hikes on La Gomera are particularly interesting when you learn a lot about nature and people. Such tours for a maximum of 14 participants are led by Marina Seiwert, presented in our story, for the hiking tour operator Mitoura. "Best La Gomera Hiking" is the name of the eight-day trip, during which you set off on varied tours from a permanent hotel. Can be booked from 1649 euros, including a flight from Germany to Tenerife, transfer by ferry to La Gomera, seven nights in a double / half board and five different hiking tours (www.mitoura.com).

STAY
Parador de La Gomera.
Nostalgic accommodation in the style of an old manor house. In the rooms: creaky wooden floors, some antique furniture, modern bathrooms. Outside: a beautiful garden with pool, sea views and a view of Tenerife, where the summit of Teide sticks through the clouds. On the breakfast buffet: lots of fresh food. In the restaurant: more sophisticated Canarian cuisine, e.g. B. Fish with mussels in saffron sauce (approx. 19.50 euros). DR / F from 120 euros (San Sebastián, Lomo de la Horca s / n, Tel. 922/87 11 00, www.parador.es).

Los Telares. Beautiful, modern apartments and holiday homes, plus the option of having organic food served: this is just part of the wide range of options offered by a family from Hermigua who have been involved in sustainable tourism in the area since the 1970s. Interesting: the "Ethnographic Park", where you can learn a lot about Gomerian handicraft tradition and buy products from ceramics to wine. Apt. for two from approx. 70 euros (headquarters in Hermigua on Hauptstrasse GM-1, Tel. 922/88 07 81, www.lostelaresgomera.com).

ENJOY
El Trópico. What the young chef Moisés González Abreu brings to the plate tastes great and looks great, e.g. B. candied cod with coriander oil (12 euros) or vegan lentil balls (8 euros). Caribbean flair inside, a mild evening breeze outside in the pedestrian zone (San Sebastián, C / Rep. De Chile 5, Tel. 651/05 02 89).

Roger's café. In the mood for sweets, but without an overdose of sugar? Roger from Lille bakes crepes and uses fine doses, such as the homemade chocolate sauce (from 2.50 euros). There are also hearty dishes, e.g. B. Salad (6 euros). A nice meeting place (without outside seats) opposite the beautiful church Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (San Sebastián, C / Rep. De Panamá 3).

Bar Maria. Good, hearty Gomerian cuisine. The tapas portions are bigger and better than you would expect for 6 euros (El Cercado, Vallehermoso).

La Montaña – Casa Efigenia. Exactly one vegetarian menu is served (approx. 10 euros), cooked by the host Doña Efigenia, who has cult status. Many ingredients come from our own garden. Cozy dining room and terrace. Apartments are rented next door (Las Hayas, Plaza de los Eucaliptos, Tel. 922/80 42 48, www.efigenialagomera.com).

Amparo Las Hayas. Here, a serpentine above Efigenia's realm, workers prefer to fortify themselves with goat meat dishes and potatoes (from 7.50 euros) or tapas. Sunny terrace; simple rooms and country houses can be rented (Las Hayas, Ctra. General 14, Tel. 922/80 42 01, www.amparolashayas.com).

El Faro. On the roof terrace above the Playa de Hermigua: sea view. On the plate: fresh, regional dishes (e.g. grilled prawns for 14 euros). Changing day pass (Hermigua, Ctra. Playa 15, Tel. 922/88 00 62).

La Vista. The view from the terrace at a height of 800 meters is great, as is Juana's watercress soup ("Potaje de berros", 3.50 euros). If you are really hungry, you can order a main course for around 7.50 euros. A simple campsite is part of the site (El Cedro s / n, Tel. 922/88 09 49, www.camping- lavista.jimdo.com).

SHOPPING
La Cabezada.
Francisco Rodriguez's goat cheese creations are available in the cheese dairy or at the San Sebastián market. Brand Name: "" La Cabezada ". Top: cheese with oregano matured for nine months (San Sebastián, La Lomada s / n, www.queserialacabezada.negocio.site).

Ceramica Tradicional Maria. Carmen Delia Niebla Negrín's sales workshop. In addition to traditional brown earthenware, she also makes useful vessels for tourist households (El Cercado, on the CV-18 thoroughfare). Information on the pottery tradition in the museum, "Centro Interpretatión Las Loceras" (El Cercado, Plaza d’El Cercado, Tel. 922/80 4104).

Artesania Santa Ana. If you prefer small shops, you will find Gomerian specialties here that are suitable as souvenirs: "Sirope de palma" or "Eco-extracto de palma" (palm syrup) for approx. 5 euros (in a 100 ml screw-top jar), "Gofio" (Flour made from roasted corn, wheat or barley), "Mojo verde" or "Mojo rojo" (green or red, hot sauce for tapas or potatoes), "Almogrote" (slightly hot cheese paste made from finely grated hard cheese, garlic and olive oil ; San Sebastián, C / Real, 41, Tel. 922/141 864).

Aloe Vera Center. On the organically managed aloe vera plantation near Hermigua, it is explained how the fruit pulp of the plant can have healing properties. Products from soap to skin cream are available in the large shop (www.fincacanarias.es).

IMPERATIVE PACKING
Hiking boots with shaft!
For the rocky terrain, sneakers are not the real thing. Also take with you: daypack, water bottle, hat and rain jacket for on the go – the weather can change quickly.

PHONE
The country code for Spain is 00 34.

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BRIGITTE 05/2021