Garajonay National Park

Garajonay National Park covers approximately 4000 hectares at the geographical centre and highest elevations of La Gomera, protecting what scientists consider the finest surviving example of Macaronesian laurel forest on Earth. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, the park preserves a relic ecosystem — laurisilva — that covered vast areas of southern Europe and North Africa during warmer, wetter climatic periods of the Tertiary era, and has survived in the Canary Islands while disappearing almost entirely elsewhere. The forest is defined by several dominant species of the laurel family: Laurus novocanariensis, Persea indica, Ocotea foetens, and Apollonias barbujana, alongside tree heathers that grow to extraordinary heights in the perpetual moisture. The park takes its name from a Guanche legend of two lovers, Gara and Jonay, whose story is associated with the volcanic peak at the park's highest point — Alto de Garajonay at 1487 metres. The forest environment is cool, misty, and atmospheric year-round: trade-wind clouds frequently blanket the canopy, depositing horizontal rainfall that drips continuously from the trees and sustains a dense understorey of mosses, ferns, and endemic plants. A network of well-maintained hiking trails threads through the interior, ranging from short accessible paths near the visitor centre to multi-hour circuits reaching the summit plateau. The Juego de Bolas Visitor Centre near Vallehermoso provides detailed interpretive exhibits on the forest ecology, endemic flora, and traditional Gomerian culture. La Gomera is reached by ferry from Tenerife, making Garajonay accessible as a day trip from the neighbouring island.