If you are travelling to El Hierro for your holidays, the following information may help by giving you an overview of the island and assist you in selecting from our range of hotels in El Hierro.
Due to the absence of sandy beaches, the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands has escaped the holiday tourist invasions experienced by other islands. Instead it has caught the attention of naturalists. Its hilly landscape and unusual fauna and flora are part of its appeal.
The island of El Hierro is the smallest of the Canary Islands, and the furthest west; consequently it is the last place in Spain where the sun sets. Superb pine forests, sheer mountain walls and fantastic outlook points or miradors are also available to the visitor on their holidays to El Hierro.
Rural tourism on El Hierro comes into its own, with a carefully managed network of hotels and accommodation. It even has the strange little Punta Grande stone hotel that is the complete opposite of luxurious! It has no amenities to speak of and sits dangerously close to the waves which often come up over the rocks and hit the sides of the hotel itself.
There are ample opportunities for activities on El Hierro holidays. Hiking enables visitors to appreciate the wonderful landscapes shaped by spectacular lava spills, volcanic cones, green pine forests and laurisilva woods. The cliffs that rise up out of the transparent waters surrounding El Hierro are famous for their excellent sea bed conditions, making these waters ideal for scuba-diving; in fact El Hierro attracts some of the most acclaimed underwater photographers, who come to capture on film the huge diversity of marine species in the crystal clear waters.
A great natural feature of an El Hierro holiday is the bay of El Golfo. Some believe this to be the rim of a large crater, half of which is sunken and the other rising theatrically to over 1000m.
The people of the island of El Hierro are the descendants of the ancient Bimbache tribes, who worshipped the sacred Garoe evergreen tree, which produced water from its leaves.
For thousands of years, until Columbus proved otherwise, El Hierro was considered the end of the world – this was the last piece of land which Columbus was to see until he landed in the Bahamas in 1492. In the Old World, El Hierro was considered finis terrae, Meridian Zero passed through Orchilla until astronomers in the 19th century fixed this point in Greenwich, London.
Frontera – Located on the west coast of El Hierro, Frontera is a very fertile area and famous for its agricultural produce including banana plantations, fig trees, pineapples and vines.
Valverde – The capital of El Hierro, Valverde is also known as Santa Maria de Valverde and is a pretty town with easy access to the top Tamaduste and La Caleta.
Getting to El Hierro
Your holiday in El Hierro will start with a fight to either Tenerife [TFS] or Gran Canaria [LPA] and then by boat or internal flight to El Hierro. Flight time from the UK : Approximately 4 hours.
Eating Out in El Hierro
There are a few restaurants on this small island – the speciality being seafood and stews. Dishes include potaje – a legume-based stew, puchero – meat stew, and rancho con papas – meat with potatoes.Fish can be fried, stewed or grilled and the typical garnish is papas arrugadas – wrinkled potatoes boiled in salty water and sauces are mojo rojo and mojo verde prepared with vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and spices.Quesadillas are cheese-based desserts. The local cheese has become an important export as well as the wine produced in El Golfo [which has a high alcohol content].
Beaches in El Hierro
There are 35 beaches on the island of El Hierro, with the best located on the east facing coast. The longest beach, more than 3km in length, is the stretch of sand including the Playas Almorranas, Playecillas, Arena, the Playa de los Cardones and the Playa de las Calcosas, fronting the Parador de El Hierro.
Other Canary Islands
Discover TENERIFE
Tenerife is not only the largest of the Canary Islands, it also offers more sights, attractions, towns and cities to explore, and more contrasts than any of the other islands. Where else can you visit a banana plantation and then drive up a mountain tipped with snow?
Discover LANZAROTE
Lanzarote is a dry and fairly flat island whose bizarre landscape has been shaped by volcanic activity. However, there are regions of green hills and sandy beaches giving Lanzarote is reputation as an island of visual impact.
Discover FUERTEVENTURA
Second largest of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura is arid and desert-like, although is perhaps most famous for its beaches with over 50km of stunning white and golden sand making this island and ideal choice for the beach lover.
Discover GRAN CANARIA
Most people go on a holiday to Gran Canaria for its abundant sunshine and golden beaches and head for the resorts of Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas and Puerto Rico. As for nightlife, there’s a huge choice and clubs, pubs, cabarets and casinos to satisfy everyone.
Discover LA GOMERA
You will be astonished at what the stunning island of La Gomera has to offer! From valleys laden with produce, elegant palm groves and pockets of pines. A peaceful island – ideal for unwinding and just a stone’s throw from its neighbour, Tenerife.
Discover LA PALMA
Not to be confused with Las Palmas [the capital of Gran Canaria], La Palma is one of the three smaller Canary Islands and is also known as La Isla Bonita [the pretty island], and La Isla Verde [the green island]. Beautiful it certainly is!
Discover LA GRACIOSA
La Graciosa is one of the Canary Island’s best kept secrets, with its stunning beaches of soft, pale sand and crystal clear waters with barely a soul to be seen anywhere. La Graciosa is recommended for the ultimate stress-busting break – even for a day’s excursion.
EL HIERRO – MAP
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Disclaimer
By its very nature much of the information in our travel guides is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they are relying with the relevant authorities. Corona Holidays [UK] Limited cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.