Top 20 Natural Monuments in Parc National De Garajonay

anyone looking for quite comfortable and joint-friendly paths - amidst all the steep trails of La Gomera - will find them here - and "incidentally" there is also the island's "roof"... an area for relaxation...

The area around the highest mountain of the island (Alto de Garajonay 1487m) represents a unique ecosystem. Different laurel trees, ferns, holly and tree ferns up to 15 m high grow here.

A tip? Unfortunately, it is overcrowded on weekends and holidays due to the nearby car park. If you only drive to the car park and then walk to the summit in 10 minutes and then don't take a circular hike up here into the forests of the north and the maquis of the south, you haven't gotten to know the island...

Here is one of the access points to the national park. Typically Spanish, it is enriched with a barbecue area, picnic tables and a playground. We were very happy about the restaurant and a sizzling Dorada sin at the end of the tour 😇

In the mountains of the island of La Gomera there is a legend that gives its name to the Garajonay National Park. Many years before the Spanish first arrived at the islands to conquer them, they were inhabited by aborigines (people who came from North Africa and settled here). Each island was divided into small kingdoms. On the island of La Gomera there was a king who had a young daughter, named Gara. The young woman was destined, by her father's wishes, with a young man, the son of another king of the island, so that this union would provide both kings with power over the rest of the kingdoms on the island. One afternoon, Gara was walking along the seashore, and to his surprise, he stumbled upon a boy lying on the ground, who at first glance seemed to be asleep. The beauty of this young man, with blonde hair, left the girl enthralled, who stayed by his side watching him sleep. When the young man opened his eyes he was amazed by the beauty of the young Gara, and at that moment they fell madly in love. Jonay, that was the young man's name, was the prince of a kingdom in the south of the Island of Tenerife, of Adeje. The two lovers saw each other secretly, Gara's destiny was to marry another young man, the one her father had chosen. They lived their love for a while, until the girl's father decided it was time for her to get married. Then, Gara ran to the beach to tell Jonay about her father's plans, and they thought about fleeing to Tenerife, where they would be safe. Seconds later, some warriors appeared next to the Gomero prince, who would be Gara's future husband. Jonay fought against them alone, and defeated them. Suddenly, he saw that warriors were coming from all sides and the two lovers fled to the mountains. On the highest rock, they embraced each other and jumped off a cliff together. They preferred to die together than live apart without each other's love. From that moment on, in honor of the two young lovers, the forest was named after both of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jG65M9pB2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwC7iIirjXw Established as a national park, Garajonay was declared as such in 1981, being the fourth and youngest national park in the Canary Islands at that time. Its importance lies in the fact that it houses the best known sample of laurel forest in the Old World, a type of humid evergreen forest that during the Tertiary covered practically all of Europe. This ecosystem is of great scientific and ecological interest due to its antiquity and uniqueness. In 1986, UNESCO listed Garajonay as a World Heritage Site, and since 2012, the park along with the entire island of La Gomera is a Biosphere Reserve.

This special rock wall towers above the green valley. Unique view from this point.

You can see this impressive rock while descending to San Sebastián la Gomera, there is a viewpoint worth the stop to feel the immensity of the valley