Roque de Agando is a 1,250-metre-high volcanic plug near the centre of the island of La Gomera
Treking among volcanoes in La Gomera
About the size of the Isle of Wight, La Gomera is nonetheless large enough to host some of the most impressive hiking in the Canary Islands. Rather unlike a stroll on the Isle of Wight, you’ll amble past cloud-capped volcanoes, mighty lava plugs and shady banana groves, while steep slopes tumble down to Atlantic waves. With cool sea breezes, January is the perfect time to test your walking boots on its shepherd’s tracks. Headwater offers a guided walking trip around the island. Highlights include walking through terraced farmland to views of Roque de Agando, a jagged peak that looks a bit like Rio’s Sugarloaf, and climbing the island’s highest reaches to pick through the subtropical forests of the Garajonay National Park. Keep a keen eye out for whales in the surrounding seas – the island was the location for In the Heart of the Sea, a new epic movie about an American whaling ship sunk by a whale – albeit a CGI one.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Headwater’s seven-night guided Walking on La Gomera trip departs on selected dates in Jan to Mar and Oct to Dec 2016. Accommodation is in a historic clifftop hotel in the island capital, San Sebastián (from £1,317, incl. airport transfers, breakfast, fve lunches, dinners with wine, and map; excl. fights). Visit headwater.com/lpt and quote ‘LPT’ when booking for a complimentary bottle of wine and room upgrade to a superior room (with sea view and balcony) on all 2016 departure dates. For more on hiking on the island, see lagomera.travel.