Tamaduste, in the eastern part of Valverde, with its fishermen's neighborhood next to the bay.
When you land at El Hierro airport, let's say from Madrid, you confirm that only the blessed hour less in the Canary Islands manages to hide a long, very long journey.
The previous stopover in Tenerife and the not so frequent connections between islands turn the getaway into a full-fledged adventure. Nobody said that El Hierro was easy. No one said it was here next door. 2,176.4 kilometers from the Spanish capital, to be exact.
But that's it. You have arrived. Like Candela Montes, the judge. Or like Candela Peña, the actress. Because let's not fool ourselves The Hierro series (Movistar +) has not only put the island on the map, but there is also the data to prove it.
With just 11,000 inhabitants, in 2019, after the premiere of the first season, hotel reservations increased by almost 40%, and the forecasts in 2020, before the pandemic disrupted everything, pointed to exceeding 300,000 passengers according to AENA data, almost double the number that arrived five years ago.
El Hierro: awaken your wild side
But... what does El Hierro have beyond Hierro? Much, much... and nothing. In the face of the increasingly yearning search for untamed landscapes, for places far from the common, off the beaten path, the smallest of the largest Canary Islands, also the least populated and the most western, boasts of infinite microclimates that, in the blink of an eye (literally), change the landscape: from laurel forests to succulents, from cacti to banana plantations (and what bananas), from black lava to immense greenery.
Crossed by a dorsal line that, from east to west, the mountain truffle, reaches its zenith in the Pico de Malpaso, 1,501 meters high and located in the center of the island.
Tamaduste Natural Pool
Its volcanic origin is very recent in geological terms, around a million years, and the colossal underwater eruption that occurred in 2011 caused the formation of the tagoro volcano , whose top is 89 meters below the surface of the ocean.
A wild Atlantic, dark blue almost black, battling against cliffs where you don't expect to find long beaches of fine sand. We had agreed that this was wild and, besides, who wants beaches when they abound the natural pools and puddles, such as Charco Manso, Charco Azul and La Maceta.
lovers of diving , by the way, enjoy a huge paradise on the coast of El Hierro, considered one of the best in the world for the clarity of its waters and the richness of its fauna and flora. In addition, when you leave the great blue you will be able to look at the sky and verify that it is also one of the cleanest and brightest on the planet.
Typical vegetation in the Parador
It seems then that El Hierro is not only a place for serial judges, but also for astronomers, scuba divers, hikers and, in short, those who seek to observe beyond.
But beware, the island is heavy. His days of haze, his dense silence, his afternoons of buzzards... and that is precisely what –we trust– will save it from any threat of tourist invasion.
Nor does it seem that there is interest in opening large hotels in a place that boasts of Biosphere Reserve since 2000 and whose great bastion remains the Parador, inspired by popular architecture, opened in 1976 and located in the area called Las Playas, facing the ocean and under the colossal shadow of a great cliff.
Path to the charco de los Sargos natural pool
However, there is another accommodation that is also an open secret, Punta Grande, famous since it appeared in Guinness as "the smallest hotel in the world".
Although it no longer holds the record, the truth is that it is still tiny: only four rooms facing the Roques de Salmor, one of them (the 2) with a terrace and the relentless feeling that you are finally at the end of the world. Here it was.
The sky of El Hierro is one of the cleanest and brightest on the planet
A tremor, yours, that you will not lose wherever you go. Of wines in the (great) guachinche Las Lapas, where you will discover grapes such as the Vijariego Negro, the Negramoll or the Torrontés while they tell you that they have been cultivating vines here since the 17th century and that phylloxera never appeared.
Also in the curves that go from the Lomo Negro viewpoint to the Verodal beach; looking out at the volcanic cave of Orchilla, next to the lighthouse of the same name; or shooting the obligatory selfie at the Meridian Zero monument, because it was in El Hierro, not in Greenwich, where it all began. Where, long before going out in a series, they started every day in the world. Here it was.
Tamaduste Natural Pool
JOURNEY NOTEBOOK
HOW TO GET
Iberia has flights to Tenerife (40 minutes) and Gran Canaria (55 minutes). From both islands there are daily connections with the airline Binter (and from Tenerife also with CanaryFly).
Another option is to take Naviera Armas ferry from the south of Tenerife, in Los Cristianos. The crossing takes 2-3 hours.
WHERE TO SLEEP
El Hierro Parador: If you are looking for peace this is your place. Simple, unpretentious and with stunning views wherever you look. They say that more than one artist has it among their favorites to disconnect from the world.
Pinery
**WHERE TO EAT **
Viewpoint of the Rock (Valverde del Hierro): it is not only a restaurant (with traditional Canarian cuisine), but also a beautiful building by César Manrique, cataloged as an Asset of Cultural Interest. And you will see what a panorama...
The shelter (La Restinga): opened in 1988 and run since then by the same family, which has its own fishing boat and offers the best of the sea every day.
The Bahía restaurant, on the coast of Timijiraque
***This report was published in *number 145 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (Spring 2021) . Subscribe to the printed edition (€18.00, annual subscription, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The April issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device