I begin my series of reports from a new trip to the Canary Islands. I'll start with the smallest rugged island of El Hierro, which is located at the end of the earth. How we got there, where we lived and a little about the pools with sea water.
Fly over the island of La Palma
Most often, a new journey begins with an airplane, so for us a flight is always a holiday. Basically, only Binter Canarias with not very humane prices flies between the Canary Islands. From flew to the most distant island.
The small ATR turboprop aircraft took off briskly. A volcano appeared immediately. About 10 minutes later an island appeared on the horizon.
In just 40 minutes after takeoff, we fly up to the rugged island of El Hierro. We flew over our village Kaleta. A sharp turn, and we are already going to land. Landing strip very short. Before her, the ocean, after her - too. You can't be wrong. The plane slowed down rather sharply, turned around, and we were already opposite the airport.
It is customary here to walk to the plane. During this time, you manage to take several photos of airplanes. Nobody stops you, take pictures as much as you want.
The island has a small but cozy airport. Serves several flights daily from Tenerife and Gran Canaria. There are no charter and international flights here, so there are few tourists on the island.
Still from home, I booked a rental car. For 5 days, € 84 came out for the VW Polo. While waiting for your luggage, you can already register your car. Credit card not demanded, international law too. For registration they asked for a license, a passport and a debit card. They wrote off only for rent. No deposits were taken.
In the parking lot near the airport, a brand new Polo was waiting for us. The run is about 5000 km. I liked the car very much. We quickly checked into the apartment and went to the supermarket for groceries.
Supermarkets on El Hierro are tense. There is not a single large chain store. The largest was found in the capital Valverde. The city is at high altitude at cloud level. It's unusual to drive into the clouds!
The capital is very confused with green energy. There are wind turbines and a dam system that stores energy. I'll talk about this later.
In every country, we try to taste local products, especially fruits, cheeses and meats. There are several cheese factories on the island. Found a Herreño hard cheese in the store. Very unusual, but not aromatic enough. It's a pity we didn't find sheep's cheese.
I'll tell you a little about our sweet house overlooking the ocean. It has a large kitchen with a spacious living room, 2 bedrooms and 1 cramped toilet with shower. The hostess rents out several houses and rooms. She herself also lives on the territory.
But our house is all buried in flowers and palm trees. Fenced off from neighbors by a stone wall. You feel like you are alone. You sit, admire the ocean, listen to the canaries, watch the waves.
At the table you can meet the dawn, which I did every morning. Be sure to start the morning with a little exercise, otherwise it is difficult to keep up with our pace. You drive all day, looking for the best sights of the island, then in the evening you process photos, post information on the site. It's not as easy as it seems from the photographs. A lot of work has been done on our guidebooks. You can safely trust them.
But back at dawn and breakfast with a cup of tea. Recently, while traveling, I have a hearty breakfast with muesli with milk. The main thing is to find unroasted muesli and no added sugar!
A short walk in the morning garden. The hostess takes good care of her estate. Everything is buried in greenery. There is a small fountain at the end of the path.
The hotel is called Apartamentos Villa Marina. The house cost us only € 40 per day. See prices for your dates:
I'll tell you a little about the small village of La Caleta - 4 streets and several dozen houses, but the main attraction is the pools with sea water.
The island has very rugged shores. Swimming is very dangerous if there are waves. Some villages are lucky, they have beaches, but in Caleta there are only sheer cliffs with large boulders. Residents chipped in or the administration built an excellent pool complex for them. 2 large swimming pools and 1 child. At high tide, waves roll onto the shores, where there are several holes. Through them, water is poured into the pools, and then poured out. This is how the water is renewed.
In January, the air temperature was 21-24 degrees. The water in the ocean was about 20 degrees - quite cheerful. By the way, if there are no waves, you can get into the ocean through the ladders. He plunged and immediately swam. The water in the pools seemed to me even colder than in the ocean.
When you swim, you see such beauty around. Look with what love ladders and fences are lined with stones. Even just walking along the embankment is very pleasant.
And such landscapes around!
If you work with the creation of nature, then you need to somehow try to imitate it, use natural material, natural rounded shapes.
This was a short introduction about my beloved island, El Hierro. Next time I'll tell you about the freaky observation platformsthat will take your breath away!
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Hierro (El Hierro) is the smallest island of the seven main Canary Islands. The area of \u200b\u200bwhich is only 268 sq. km. The island has about 1000 inhabitants. The island seems monotonous and deserted, and time seems to have stopped.
Coast Hierro mostly steep, but has small bays and beautiful natural pools with crystal clear water, where you can have a great time: see the underwater beauty, or just swim. It is believed that of all the islands of the Canary archipelago, Hierro is the most interesting and beautiful diving, which easily compensates for the lack of sandy beaches.
The possibility of tourism on Hierro was discovered much later than on others Canary Islands, which contributed to the preservation of a special rural mood, cleanliness and peace. Therefore, mainly tourists come here who want unity at the end of the earth. This is what people believed for many centuries due to the fact that the island seemed very distant and mysterious. In our time, everything has changed, and now on Hierro there are small hotels where everyone can stay.
Cities and resorts:
Most of the hotels are located in the Parador del Turissimo (Las Playas) area, in the city of Valverde and on the neighboring coast.
Valverdeis the most big City on the island of Hierro, which has a population of only 5,000. In the El Golfo area there is the Punta Grande Club hotel, which is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest in the world.
You can also stay in the coastal villages of La Caleta, El Tamaduste and Timihirak, where all conditions for relaxation and enjoyment of unique landscapes are also created. One of the most famous is a natural lava pool with access to the sea. It is located in the village of Tamadust. central part can surprise you with its slopes, which are completely covered with a magnificent pine forest. In the south of the island, there is a small harbor called La Restinga, known for its calm waters and excellent fish. Therefore, the locals call this place the most maritime.
Hierro also has legends in his arsenal. Some that excite the imagination, and some that just make you smile. For example: the legend about the existence of the mythical island of Saint Brenda, which disappears and appears in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Or the legend of the sacred tree Gareo, whose branches supplied the island with moisture until it was settled by the Spaniards.
Attractions and entertainment:
One of the attractions of the island of Hierro is the La Deesa forest. 
It is here that the Canary juniper grows, a tree with bizarre shapes. And on the lava of Cape Orchilla, you can see the westernmost lighthouse in Spain. In ancient times, the zero meridian passed in this place, and it was believed that it was here that the end of the world was located.
It is impossible not to note the wonderful holiday in honor of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Los Reyes. Since 1643, once every four years, local residents celebrate this holiday, according to the tradition of which at dawn on September 24, they carry the statue of the Virgin Mary from her sanctuary in the forest of La Deesa to the city of Valverde. All this is accompanied by people dancing to the whistle and drums. This is one of the most interesting holidays in the Canary Islands.
At an altitude of 700m overlooking the sea
This is one of the creations of the famous Canarian architect Cesar Manrique. From here you can see the impressive landscapes of the El Golfo Valley with its cliffs up to one kilometer high. Here you will find a restaurant with a wide selection of traditional Canarian dishes, which are offered to taste while admiring the delightful scenery.
Garoe tree
Secrets of the past
In a very beautiful place there is this tree, considered sacred for the inhabitants of Hierro, because once its leaves collected rainwater, which was used by the local population. Today there is an information center where you will get acquainted with the phenomenon of horizontal rains and all the secrets of this extraordinary place.
Charco-Azul on the island of Hierro
A natural pool just for you!
The natural salt water pool in the majestic El Golf Valley is a gift from volcanic eruptions to the inhabitants of the island of Hierro. After a refreshing swim, you can sunbathe on the wooden deck. Despite the fact that this is almost a pristine place where there are not many people, it is quite easy to get here.
Frontera Rural Park
Enchanted forest
In this protected area, you can feel like in an enchanted forest. Admire these beautiful trees up to 8 meters high, bent by the force of the wind. Such a landscape can be seen only in three places around the world, so we are talking about one of the main symbols of the island of Hierro ..
El Hierro is the westernmost and smallest island of the Canary archipelago, among local residents better known as "Isla Chiquita" - a small island. Due to the lack of sandy beaches, Hierro is hardly affected by the tourism industry.
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How to get to Hierro
The island has air connections with the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma. There is a regular ferry service connecting Puerto de la Estaca with Tenerife and Homera.
Search for flights to Tenerife (nearest airport to Hierro)
Transport
Almost undeveloped on the island public transporttherefore it is better to rent a car to travel around Hierro. The roads are generally good, rarely with difficult-to-pass sections.
Hierro beaches
Tamaduste is located 10 km from the capital - a quiet cove with a pleasant beach, a favorite vacation spot for the islanders. 8 km from Valverde - Pozo de las Calcosas: comfortable pools for swimming and many black stone bungalows, which can be reached by steep steps.
Playa de Arenas - sand beachpopular with tourists and locals.
Most beautiful beach on the island - Playa de Verodal. Small, with reddish volcanic sand, lying at the foot of a high cliff, this beach, despite its picturesqueness, is not very popular - and all because of the bad road.
Feast of the apparition of the Virgin Mary on the island of Hierro
La Restinha is also one of the most popular resorts on Hierro. There is a large hotel, a residential complex and the Avenida Maritima promenade, which is famous for its many shops, bars and restaurants. In the center of the resort there is a small black sand beach. The beach offers plenty of opportunities for activities aquatic species sports, including diving. The surrounding waters are protected and the local diving base is open all year round and offers guided tours and night expeditions.
Nautical nature reserve, located in the south of the island, is a diving paradise.
Hierro Hotels
There are only 800 tourist beds on the island, most of whom are Canarian residents who vacation here in July and August.
Shopping: shops
Handicrafts flourish on the island, just like hundreds of years ago: ceramics, weaving and wood carving. All this splendor can be bought in shops as well as in village markets.
Hierro attractions and attractions
The main attractions of Hierro are natural.
The capital of the island is Valverde (full name is La Villa de Santa Maria de Valverde) - a small town located on the slope of an evergreen valley. Only cultural monument here is the Church of Santa Maria de la Concepcion, built in 1767.
Casas de Guinea is an ancient Norman settlement of the 15th century, considered one of the oldest on the island. An ecological museum is open here - a complex of shepherd's huts, reconstructed and furnished with furniture from different eras.
Lagartario is a nature reserve, where natural habitats are provided for rare breeds of lizards (one and a half meters!), Found only on Hierro.
- Where to stay: On the largest, multifaceted and hospitable island of the Canary archipelago - picturesque Gran Canaria, a variety of hotels in the main resort of which - Maspalomas - can satisfy every taste. We recommend Lanzarote for nature lovers - there are as many as 300 extinct volcanoes... Tenerife is rich night life, but the coast is steep and rocky. On
Exploring the Island
The port and airport are located near Valverde, the island's capital, located off the coast. Valverde is located at an altitude of 700 m above sea level - in the old days it protected the city from pirate raids. Valverde is a small town. In its center stands the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción church. There is not much to see here, although you can visit the Casa de las Quinteras (open: Mon-Fri 9.00-14.00, Sun 10.00-13.30) and get acquainted with the island's folk crafts. But entertainment in the many bars and restaurants on El Hierro will delight you. From the bus station you can take a bus to other parts of the island. If you are driving, then take a ride on scenic road across the island to the small town of San Andrei, and from there climb to Mirador de la Peña in the northern part of El Golfo. Once these rocks were part of a huge volcanic crater, but about 50 thousand years ago, part of the crater slid into the sea, leaving behind a fertile valley and a huge bay. On Mirador there is a restaurant built by Se-zar Manrique. The views from there are stunning in beauty.
You can go through the Moncanal tunnel from Valverde to Frontera. The main attraction of this town is the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria church with a free-standing bell tower, built right on the crater of the volcano. Near Frontera, on the coast, there is the Lagartario Giant Lizard Reserve (open: July - September Tue-Sat 10.30-14.30, 17.00-19.00, Sun 11.00-14.00; October - May Tue-Sat 10.00-14.00, 16.00-18.00, Sun 11.00-14.00 , paid entrance). Here you can also visit the Ecomuseum Guinea (open: July - September Tue-Sat 10.30-14.30, 17.00-19.00, Sun 11.00-14.00, entrance fee), where Canarian dwellings have been recreated from the time of Spanish colonization to the 20th century.
To the west is the pretty town of Sabinosa, the secluded monastery of Nuestra Senora de los Reyes and the El Sabinal juniper forest. Juniper-nicks (sabinosas), twisted and entangled by strong winds, are an extraordinary sight. Cape Punta Orchilla is located very close - once through this point passed the zero meridian, which in the 19th century. was moved to Greenwich. From here the road leads to best beach Playa del Verodal islands.
To get to the southeastern part of El Hierro, you need to return to the central axis, and then through green pastures and pine forests drive to the town of El Pinar.
The town is famous for its ceramics and curious decorations. Then the road goes along the harsh volcanic plain to the fishing village of La Restinha. There is a diving center on the black volcanic beach, and in the village itself there are several good fish restaurants. The neighboring bay, Baia de Naos, is a marine nature reserve.
Divers' paradise
In 2000, UNESCO declared El Hierro and its coastal waters biosphere reserve... All forms of life are protected in this area. Picturesque underwater landscapes and an abundance of marine life make the island the best place for diving in Spain.
