11-day Canary Islands Walking Holiday

Arrival at TFS airport and transfer to the high village of Vilaflor where you’ll spend 3 nights at the welcoming hotel, with garden and swimming pool.

After a short 10 min transfer, you begin an intriguing walk through a veritable “moonscape” (‘Paisaje Lunar’) north of Vilaflor, following well-maintained way-marked tracks / paths. Pleasant pine woods and striking views over strange volcanic rock and southern Tenerife. At the end, you walk back to the hotel. 

Challenge: 5 - 5.5 hrs, 14.5 km / 9 mi, 475 m ascent, 675 m descent.

Villages along the way: Vilaflor

This morning you have a transfer organized to the Parador at El Teide. A 2-hour circular walk at Roques de Garcia, near the Parador. Another option is to be dropped of at the cable car and do a short walk (max 1 hr) around the peak (at an elevation of 3500m!) then walk from the lower cable car station back to the Parador (1.5 hrs). Afternoon taxi back to Vilaflor 

Challenge:  1.5 / 2.5 hrs, 4.5 - 8 km / 3 - 5 mi, 250 / 120 m ascent, 250 / 300 m descent. 

Villages along the way: Vilaflor

After an early breakfast, you have a 30 min private transfer to Los Cristianos harbour to get the first ferry to San Sebastián de la Gomera, where a taxi will be waiting to take you to El Contadero, a remote crossroads high up in Garajonay National Park. From there you do a 4.5-hour walk down to Hermigua. The first section (2.5 hrs) is a long but easy descent  on wide footpaths through the magical laurel wood. Near El Cedro, you do a short steep section on a stony, stepped path then continue on quiet inland roads to reach your comfortable and charming rural hotel in Hermigua.

Note: Ferry departures may change during the season and are always on request. If you want to have a rest day and prefer to book an afternoon ferry, please let us know at the time of booking.

Challenge: 5 / 6 hrs, 10 - 13 km / 6 - 8 mi, 25 / 160 m ascent, 1275 / 1410 m descent.

Villages along the way: Vilaflor, San Sebastián de la Gomera, Hermigua, Agulo

A circular route, going north to Hermigua  past abandoned village along the stunning coastline. Spectacular views of Tenerife and El Teide peak. You alternate between wide dirt tracks and stony footpaths; all are well-marked, and protected by wooden railings on exposed sections near sheer drops. The last section takes you through papaya and mango fields in the valley. 

Challenge:  5.5 - 6 hrs, 12.5 km / 7.8 mi, 735 m ascent and descent. 

Villages along the way: Agulo, Hermigua, La Caleta

Morning transfer to the Garajonay Visitors’ Centre at “Juego de Bolas”, where you can marvel at the tropical flowers in their botanical garden. Then you begin an easy route on a long-distance hiking path, the GR-132, to Vallehermoso. Along the way you pass 2 Natural Monuments, Roque Blanco and Roque Cano, before your descent into the lush valley of Vallehermoso. After a refreshing drink on the village square, transfer back to your hotel in Hermigua.

Challenge:  3.5 - 4 hrs, 9 km / 5.5 mi, 200 m ascent, 750 m descent.

Villages along the way: Juego de Bolas,  Vallehermoso

Transfer to Degollada de la Peraza for an easy but very rewarding, panoramic descent. It’s 4 to 4.5hrs on the GR-131 to reach San Sebastian, where you catch the ferry to La Palma in the late afternoon to stay in a friendly hotel in the historic centre of Santa Cruz.

Challenge:  4 - 4.5 hrs, 10 km / 6 mi, 125 m ascent, 1025 m descent.

Villages along the way: San Sebastián de la Gomera, Santa Cruz.

Early in the morning a taxi transfer is arranged to go to one of the cloud forests that are so typical of the Canary Islands: el Cubo de la Galga. The walk starts on wide forest paths but then changes to paved and unpaved country roads as you reach the coast; covered in with plantations of the Canarian banana: the plátano. You can choose to end the walk after 7 or 11.7 km at one of the bus stops where you can get on the Guagua (canarian for public bus) back to Santa Cruz de la Palma

Challenge:  7 -12 km / 4.5 - 7.5 mi, 450 / 650 m ascent, 400 / 800 m descent, 4 / 6 hrs.

Villages along the way: San Bartolomeo, San Juan

After a 45-minute transfer up to La Cumbrecita, a very beautiful walk awaits you to the top of Pico Bejenado (1854 m). This is a tough ascent up to the summit  with sweeping views over La Caldera de Taburiente, Los Llanos de Aridane and the eastern sector of the island under the “watchful eye” of the ever-present Pico El Teide, looking on from Tenerife. The descent is long but along shady forest paths. The last 2 km you follow a quiet tarmac road to the National Park Visitor Centre in El Paso, where you take the bus back to Sta Cruz.

Challenge: 12,2 km / 12,2 mi, 730 m ascent, 1190 m descent,  5 - 5,5 hrs.

Villages along the way: Santa Cruz de La Palma

On you last day you’ll do another classic of the island's hiking repertoire: the Ruta de los Volcanes, between the hermitage of the Virgen del Pilar towards Los Canarios (Fuencaliente). Fortunately ,this route is again open to the public, after the most recent volcanic eruption at Cumbre Vieja (in September 2021). It was already a route of great geological interest, and now it is even more so; demonstrating the shaping and destructive force of nature, whose consequences the inhabitants of the Island still suffer daily.

If this route seems too long and hard, ask the taxi driver to take you to Los Canarios so that you can do the last part of the route only, towards the Fuencaliente Lighthouse (supplement to be paid directly on the spot). In both cases you continue in the afternoon by public bus to Santa Cruz where your luggage awaits you at the hotel.

Challenge: 17.5 - 8 km / 11 - 5 mi, 550 / 80 m ascent, 1200 / 700 m descent, 6.5 / 4 hrs.

Villages along the way: Santa Cruz de La Palma

By ferry you will travel back to Tenerife. At the port of los Christianos, a taxi awaits to take you to Tenerife Sur airport, where your trip ends.