La Gomera
ABOUT LA GOMERA
La Gomera is a lovely, picturesque island on the western side of the archipelago. With an area of 142.87 square miles, La Gomera is one of the smallest islands of Canarias. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and has about 21,503 inhabitants. La Gomera’s capital and largest city is San Sebastián de La Gomera.
The island is of volcanic origin and is circular – it is about 14 miles in diameter. The island has very mountainous terrain, with its highest peak at 4,879 feet (Alto de Garajonay). On clear days, El Teide (the volcano on Tenerife and highest peak in Spain) can be seen from La Gomera.
La Gomera is home to Spain’s Garajonay National Park, a site that boasts beautiful laurisilva forests. Garajonay National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and thousands of tourists flock to La Gomera each year to visit. And in 2011, La Gomera was awarded World Biosphere Reserve status, in the excellent category, thanks to the island’s well-protected ecosystems.
La Gomera is also home to the ancient whistling language of silbo, which past generations of Canari@s used to communicate across the island’s ravines and valleys. Nowadays, this language is often used during traditional festivities. Canarios from La Gomera are extremely proud of this language, as it is one of the oldest and only remaining whistling languages still alive today.
La Gomera is also a hub for tourists, mostly from Germany and England. You may even spot German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her Easter holiday, as she has been known to vacation in La Gomera.
Needless to say, this island is a hidden paradise within the Canarias archipelago, and there will be so much for you to discover!
TRANSPORTATION
As La Gomera is one of the smaller islands, transportation can be a bit tricky to coordinate at times. But, do not fear, we have an abundance of advice and guidance for you in the following paragraphs! Read on for some great transportation tips and tricks.
First and foremost, the previous grantee recommended using this site to look at bus schedules. Some simple bus tips from the previous La Gomera grantee: Like most of the Canary Islands, bus schedules can be full of surprises, so make sure to always get to your stop 10 minutes ahead of time! Also, make sure to always hit the “request stop” button before your desired stop. This may seem like common sense, but can be easy to forget in the first few weeks.
The previous grantee also noted that the departure times for Valle Gran Rey are when the bus leaves the station; it then takes a lap around town, going from the station to La Playa > La Puntilla > Vueltas > Borbalán and then starts up the valley. So you do not need to walk up to the bus station to catch it! However, beware that in high season (~November to March), sometimes the buses going up the mountain will be filled up with tourists hitching a ride up to hiking spots. If you want to ensure your seat on the bus, you should walk up to the station in La Calera to catch it before it takes the lap around town.
The morning bus to the ferry in San Sebastián first stops at the station and then takes remaining passengers to the port, so you don’t need to get off at the station and walk. Sometimes, two buses leave Valle Gran Rey for San Sebastián – one is a direct route to San Sebastián and the other meanders through mountain towns, tacking an extra ~25 minutes onto the trip. If you can avoid it, don’t take that route, although sometimes you may not have an option.
Currently, bus schedules only display departure times and have no estimates for arrival times at stops in between the departure station and the arrival station. This is why it’s risky to rely on the buses for transportation for hiking–drivers are not held to any set schedule. In general, the direct ride from Valle Gran Rey to San Sebastian takes 1 hour 20 minutes, indirect is closer to 1 hour 45 minutes. Valle Gran Rey to the airport is 1 hr 30 minutes, and VGR to Vallehermoso is a little over 40 min. Just be sure to time things very carefully and always have a backup plan.
For more tips on transportation, including travel to and from La Gomera, check out the Canarias Travel Guide.
DAILY LIFE
Super markets/food shopping info
While La Gomera may not have a variety of large chain supermarkets, there are definitely enough options to go around for grocery shopping! Some suggestions are the San Sebastián Municipal Market, the SPAR, and Plaza de Mercado. For some of the best-stocked grocery stores, check out the mercados in the Vueltas area. The previous grantee recommended that if you can’t find a certain ingredient or product, check out some of the German/Italian specialty stores in Vueltas – NaturVal is particularly good. You will be surprised by the selection!
Gyms/Exercise
While Valle Gran Rey only has one known gym, there are many opportunities to go on a run, a hike, or a swim in the ocean. For more details and recommendations for hiking, beaches, and more, visit the Outdoor Activities section of the Ocio guide.
Language classes
La Gomera offers the unique opportunity of being the center of education for the silbo whistling language. If you have a free period on a Tuesday or Thursday, talk to your co-teachers and see if you could sit in on a silbo class.
For classes to improve your Spanish, consider looking at Escuela de Idiomas IDEA La Gomera, or perhaps setting up a weekly language exchange with one of your co-teachers!
Shopping
Apartment decor and amenities can be found in GomeraHogar in La Playa, FerroBox right across from the school, or the Comercial Gran Rey (known locally as la ferretería de Pepe) diagonal from the SPAR in Borbalán. Be sure to price check expensive items between the two ferreterías as they often sell the same things for different prices.
Some suggestions for local shopping:
- Farmacia Celina in Borbalán has some higher-end skincare/cosmetic products.
- Papelería Sacoha (known locally as just “Nieves”, the name of the kindly owner) is right next to the school and is a good place to find snacks, books, and school/classroom supplies.
The previous La Gomera grantee also recommended doing the majority of your clothing shopping on larger islands, as prices will be cheaper and options will be more varied.