When we started looking for a summer destination a few months ago, our first criterion was to avoid extreme heat and heatwaves. We’d already been to Norway two years ago and are considering going back in the future for other occasions. So, just for fun, we asked ChatGPT which destinations enjoyed a mild climate in the summer without going too far. Among the list provided by the AI were the Canary Islands... The idea of a place we wouldn’t have thought of first, both not too far away and exotic enough, won us over: “Oh, why not?”
This destination had never really appealed to me, though Magali was a bit more interested. Five years earlier, COVID had caused a short break in my professional activity, and I’d considered a trip because the flight price was attractive, and I was looking for a destination different from what usually attracts me—more than out of deep interest. From a distance and with a social judgment I own up to (it’s not great, but it’s not completely wrong), I had the image of a destination for party-goers soaking up the sun with no interest in local culture, concrete coastlines, and denatured landscapes: everything I detest the most. Still, I’d done some quick research on the different islands and spotted Lanzarote for its beautiful volcanic landscapes, hiking trails, beaches, and the impression of a good balance between activity and fewer crowds than Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Then I dropped the idea of going, without ever thinking about traveling to the Canaries again...
Until now! Because we started researching the different islands in the archipelago to see which ones might appeal to us the most. It was La Gomera, the third smallest island in the archipelago, more popular for its hiking trails and preserved nature than for its beaches, away from mass tourism (fifty times fewer tourists than Tenerife) but still a bit more developed than its wild neighbor El Hierro, that caught our attention. Contrary to what might come next, I’m not at all addicted to AI, but I use it from time to time to synthesize quick research or just experimentally. Since ChatGPT had started anticipating my tastes lately as if it had become my buddy (often successfully, sometimes way off), I asked which Canary Island would suit me best for a trip with my family. The tool answered first with... La Gomera. So I tested it and teased it a bit to see if the suggestion was solid, as the method sometimes makes it contradict itself. But no luck: “You’d love the wild nature of El Hierro, but with your family, you’d find little to do for the kids. You won’t like the touristy vibe of the big islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. You could consider La Palma, but it’s really La Gomera that will suit you best, based on your interests and the criteria you gave.” So we dug deeper into our research and were convinced without a shadow of a doubt that this island was the one waiting for us.
Without knowing it, we had Canary Islanders in our circle who revealed their origins when they heard about our travel plans. One from Tenerife insisted we’d be better off choosing Tenerife (obviously...) because it also has preserved spots, and La Gomera, “you can see it all in two or three days, you’ll get bored fast...” The other, a colleague from Gran Canaria who had never visited La Gomera, still recommended it without hesitation because it turned out her parents had just been there on vacation: they loved it and had encountered few tourists. She also tended to think this destination was usually the subject of short stays, but according to what her parents told her, taking your time there was also a great idea. However, in our research, the idea that La Gomera is an island you can see in three or four days max kept coming up. So we considered combining its visit with La Palma or El Hierro, the other two that caught our eye. But hopping between islands by ferry in the Canaries is a significant budget for non-Canary Islanders, even more so for a family of four. Then, looking at Google Maps, it seemed obvious that two weeks were too short to discover two islands as they deserve, and there seemed to be a lot to see in La Gomera, given its very unique culture. After all, we read that some people spend several months a year there, others have never left... Finally, these landscapes and this atmosphere, which seemed to us a mix of Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, tempted us. So it would be two weeks in La Gomera, deal!
La Gomera is therefore the second... well, the third smallest island in the Canaries since La Graciosa was recently recognized as a fully inhabited island. It’s roughly round, 20 to 25 kilometers in diameter, and has just over 20,000 inhabitants, half of them in its capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera, the only real town. Like its Canarian sisters, La Gomera is a volcanic formation that rose about 10 million years ago. The island is very mountainous and rugged, covered in red and black rocky landscapes. Geological activity has shaped, between the sprawling massifs that end in steep cliffs in the ocean, six coastal valleys with tropical vegetation that have favored human settlement: from the north clockwise, the agricultural Vallehermoso, the rustic Agulo, the green, humid, and fertile Hermigua, the sunny capital San Sebastián de la Gomera, the southern and isolated Alajeró-Santiago, and the beachside Valle Gran Rey. They make up the island’s six municipalities (more like cantons to our French minds).
The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurisilva, a forest mainly composed of laurels, now grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Its distinctly European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one part of the island to another: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry, sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at 18°C in the highlands.La Gomera was settled late. As with the rest of the Canaries, human presence likely began about 2,000 years ago. Groups of animist Berbers, probably fleeing persecution, gradually populated the archipelago, especially the western islands and La Gomera, becoming its small aboriginal population: the Guanches (or later Gomeros). The animist and pastoral Guanche civilization thrived until the Spanish takeover in the 15th century, which, after a short period of harmony and mixing with the indigenous people, suddenly ended in bloodshed... La Gomera soon became the “Columbus island” after Christopher Columbus’s stopover, increasing the blending of populations. In the 20th century, many Gomeros emigrated to Cuba and other Latin American countries in search of a better life, bringing back a mix of cultures and traits that are still very palpable in today’s Gomeran culture. It’s in La Gomera, however, that the remnants of Guanche culture seem to have left the most traces, in the language, gastronomy, social practices... Moreover, most Gomeros, especially in remote villages, have a distinct and identifiable look and proudly claim their ancestral roots, even making La Gomera a bit exotic in the eyes of other Canary Islanders.
Maybe that’s why it never really wanted to develop its tourist infrastructure too much. If you set aside the tourists who visit for the day by bus or boat from Tenerife on a marked itinerary (and whom you rarely encounter), La Gomera has remained a hidden gem, a destination focused on nature discovery that attracts hikers, nature-loving divers, and scientists for its fauna and flora, and to a lesser extent, beachgoers who aren’t looking for overly developed coastlines. Tourism is therefore limited. Roughly speaking, you’ll find mostly Spaniards, including a substantial number of residents from other Canary Islands, many Germans who have a particular fondness for La Gomera and spend long stays there or own second homes, to the point that the German cultural footprint is clearly noticeable in some places (it’s said to be Angela Merkel’s favorite holiday spot), and still quite a few French. The presence of other nationalities seemed negligible to us. Most travelers come mainly for hiking, but it’s also a prime spot for whale watching. In addition, the beach resorts of La Gomera—San Sebastián, Santiago, and especially Valle Gran Rey—are well-known hippie destinations, especially among Germans, ranging from chic boho hippies to old-school hippies who’ve been there for decades, much like those you’d find in Goa, Rishikesh, or Paharganj in India. As a result, practices like naturism, vegetarianism, and local organic production are quite well established in some areas.
Some practical info: - The round-trip flight from Paris to Tenerife cost us 365 € per person (outbound with Transavia, return with EasyJet), including one checked bag and three seats reserved side by side. - We chose two bases to explore the island: one week in Valle Gran Rey, known as the most pleasant of the three beach resorts, and one week in Hermigua, more mountainous and close to the natural park. We booked two houses with balconies and views: the first at 120 € per night, the second at 99 €. - The round-trip ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera cost us 270 € with Baleària Canarias, including discounts for our 4- and 12-year-old kids, though I don’t have the exact breakdown. It was a bit cheaper than with the other company, Fred Olsen. - Finally, we rented a car through the Cicar agency for 360 € for 16 days, or 22.50 € per day. - Apart from that, we didn’t plan anything and decided the day before or even the morning of what we wanted to do. We didn’t invest in any paper guides on the Canaries, as there’s little info on La Gomera, but we used the very comprehensive travel guide published by the Canary Islands Tourism Board, a real goldmine of almost exhaustive info on the island.
And there you have it—off for 16 days of adventure discovering La Gomera!
And we start the trip with music!
We start the trip with music!
La nuit tombe, la transformant en grande masse noire menaçante, décuplant cette impression d’immensité et de submersion imminente. Au même, des bruits étranges ressemblant un peu à des chats qui se battent résonnent dans la vallée… Cela m’interpelle un instant mais qu’importe : entre le Uber, l’avion, le bus, le ferry et la voiture qui se sont enchaînés pendant 13 heures presque sans temps mort, l’heure est venue d’un repos plus que mérité pour entamer demain notre exploration des environs.
A little sneak peek?
Traversed and forgotten
Dear daggers
... One foot in front of the other...
... A few photos among the ten...
... Abdou and his teapot...
... Mohammed...
... Jebel
.. A secret in the desert...
Desert drawings
Pink pebbles, fossilized pebbles, sparkling pebbles, and a black stone
Memory of beetles
Gift from the desert, good luck charm?
Clothes from 4 days...
.. Still lost!...
.. Started on the plane... read in the desert... finished in Marrakech...
On some paintings, the scenes become almost narrative: you can make out figures, everyday gestures, like a memory of the village inscribed in the walls. The decorative frames around the doors aren’t left to chance either—they symbolically protect the house, like a boundary between the inside and the outside world.
It was 15°C, but it rained—and kept raining on and off all day. Belgian weather, basically.
We went for a walk in Shinjuku Gyoen Park. Not as pretty in the rain, but the big greenhouse was interesting.
Come along, I'm taking you to this country where it's so nice to wander and slow down...
I’m inviting you on a stroll through my drawings—a completely subjective, far from exhaustive, and totally personal take, since it’s based on my own sketches. I put this travel journal together after returning in late 2024, mostly using felt-tip pens and pencils, with a few collages thrown in. I worked from our personal photos.
And in Kyoto, Nishiki Market:
