La Gomera Hike #1: Garajonay National Park El Cedro - Chipude
El Cedro campground is in a high valley on the northern edge of Garajonay National Park, located in the heart of La Gomera. This park makes up approximately 10% of the island. The unique eco-system of the Laurisilva forest in the protected center of the island is thought to be the remnant of subtropical woods which covered the Mediterranean area during the Tertiary period. Since 1986 the park has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The type of vegetation found here is geographically unique, in that it is only found in the Macaronesian Islands (the Canaries, Madeira, and the Azores).
I started my hike in the campground walking up into the unique, evergreen, and very misty, foggy forest alive with gorgeous lush vegetation. Something about fog just makes everything feel magical. Hiking on these forest trails definitely gave me a sense of being surrounded by mischievous gnomes, elves, and flower fairies all frolicking in a backdrop of gnarled tree roots, branches, and wildflowers. The constant moisture in the misty clouds allow for the growth of wonderful moss and lichen everywhere. My trail followed alongside a lovely, bubbling stream.
The hike quickly started climbing up and stayed steadily going up for the better part of 3 hours until I reached the highest point of the island, Alto de Garajonay, at 1487m/4,879ft. From here you can have a 360 view of four other Canary Islands: El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria…or so I’m told. I had a 360 view of the deep void shrouded in fog and wind.
As I started my decent, the terrain changed and opened up. I left the forest and hiked through magnificent wildflowers, palm trees, and terraced hills still all magically appearing and disappearing in the fog.
My destination was the mountain village of Chipude which sits on plateau. It is considered to be the oldest settlement on La Gomera. Even in the pre-Spanish era, the inhabitants appreciated the fertile land it is surrounding by.
