Garajonay
Rough and wrinkled, arid and volcanic, conceive in La Gomera a explosion of greenery it might seem like a joke. But one dense, tight, almost impenetrable jungle , occupies the heart of its impossible orography. Due to the whims of geology and the fate of the species, this small round island hides a paradise that is a jurassic relic.
Forty years are celebrated in this 2021 since the declaration as such of the Garajonay National Park , which also celebrates 35 years since its recognition by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site . An opportunity to rediscover this unique ecosystem, which was threatened by a devastating fire in 2012. Fortunately, nature forgives and today a new vegetation sprouts from those ashes.
Garajonay: 40 years of the park of eternal love
The figures are frightening in what concerns the formation of this space that occupies the ten percent of the island surface . an impressive laurel forest reserve , the largest known, which comes from the tertiary era . Yes, the one about the shaking of the Earth and the extinction of the dinosaurs. The one that upholstered the solitary landscapes of southern Europe and northern Africa with a dense jungle. That is why entering this forest today is discovering what life would be like about 20 million years ago . It is said soon.
PASSION, DEATH AND MYSTERY
Garajonay is also a love story. The one that tells the legend that is associated with its name. A sort of Guanche-style Romeo and Juliet, in which Gara and Jonay star in a tragic story . She was a rubber princess; he, a prince of Tenerife. Two lovers who are forced by their own families to break off their romance.
Not content with this circumstance, Jonay decides to go swimming to meet his beloved. Together they flee to the highest point of this laurel forest where, rather than quench their desire, they make the saddest decision: merge into an eternal embrace piercing their hearts with a cedar stick.
This myth enhances the feeling of mystery involved in immersing yourself in the park. Because once in the bowels, where the trade winds rip off shreds of mist and condense curtains of steam, the humidity is almost as pervasive as magic. The reason for this permanent mist must be found in a phenomenon known as horizontal rain. : the trees, as if their branches were sponges, retain the water carried by the clouds, pushed in turn by the winds.
jurassic laurel forest
FROM SPRING TO WINTER
Of course, you have to get to this place first, installed on the heights of an island that is not very accessible either. Yes or yes, you have to go through Tenerife, from where you can catch the classic Binter flight of barely half an hour or embark on a a ferry from the port of Los Cristianos.
Once in La Gomera, his thing will be to climb devilish roads. It is what this territory has that resembles an orange juicer. Above, at the top, would be the Alto de Garajonay that, with its 1,487 meters, presides over the folds of this island that is, by the way, all of it Biosphere Reserve : ravines, rocks and cut throats mark the way to this forest immersed in mist and legend.
Entering the Garajonay, after having gathered information at the interpretation center known as Balls game , is to go instantly, from spring to winter, from a dry and hot environment to a cold and rainy atmosphere.
Garajonay in spring
ROUTES FOR ALL TASTES
Nothing like hiking to explore this park, crossed by a network of paths lasting a few hours. Its almost 4,000 hectares make their way through endemic vegetation that fosters a primitive air. Mosses, lichens, ferns, heathers, aceviños, vines … Thus, up to 400 species cover the depths of this forest that is the home of the friendly and elusive giant lizards.
As for the routes, there are linear and circular, short and long, simple and demanding. Interesting is the Las Creces road or known as The Mimbreras , which follows the course of a river. In any case, sooner or later, you will have to go through Laguna Grande, a recreational space installed in an old crater. There are swings, zip lines and even a bar-restaurant where you can taste a delicious watercress stew.
ISLAND GUARDIANS
The most daring will not want to miss the ascent to Alto de Garajonay, the highest point, where the young aborigines chose to die of love. If luck brings a clear day, the views will reach El Hierro, La Palma and Tenerife. If not, nothing happens either: the roof of the island not only gives the spectacle of the ravines collapsing towards the sea, but also the magic of los roques peeking through the clouds.
These geological formations, which have volcanic origin, are called Guardians of La Gomera . The rocks they are natural works of art (sculpted by erosion and the solidification of lava) to which the inhabitants have worshiped since time immemorial. Especially the three that can be seen from the top of the park: Zarcita, Ojila and the most imposing, Agando . The latter, located in the Dethroat of El Tanque , is the emblem of the island, considered by many the gomeran Machu Picchu.
Roque Agando, in Garajonay