The imposing forms of La Zarcita, far left, Ojila, in the centre, and Carmona, far right – a group of volcanic plugs known as Los Roques, in Garajonay National Park
‘Drink this and you’ll have enough energy to walk until the sun goes down,’ says Manolo Bello, offering a cup of fresh sugarcane juice. It’s mid-morning in an overgrown plantation outside the village of Agulo, the clouds hovering above a hazy range of mountains, and the farmer is balanced at the top of a bushy date palm, harvesting its candy-sweet sap. Below, at the foot of the tree, is a bucket to catch the juice he will later boil and crystallise into palm honey. ‘We call it guarapo and we give it as a present to new friends,’ he says. ‘Go on, take it. It’s traditional Gomeran hospitality.’