This is an article about the northern part of La Gomera. The main article on La Gomera can be found here:
La Gomera hiking
On the north side of the island there is more access to water since the clouds usually come drifting from the north, gather at the top and let off water that flows to the north. Here there are two larger towns, in the context of La Gomera, Vallehermoso and Hermigua. There are few beaches, and there are few tourists here. But it is a good starting point if you primarily want to hike. Since the clouds come this way, it is also more cloudy weather here, in contrast to Valle Gran Ray where it is always sunny.
From Vallehermoso you can walk straight out of the center and onto paths. There are 3 main routes departing from here, two going south towards the top of the island, and one going east towards Hermigua. In addition, there are several local trails. Hermigua does not have a similar trail network nearby.
Vallehermoso is located 3 km from the sea in a beautiful valley, as the name implies. The town with a couple of thousand inhabitants has a small square where you can find several restaurants, bars and a couple of shops. There are no real hotels here, but two hospices and some rental housing. Check on Booking.com. The buildings are located in the hillside on 3 sides of the center, so you can expect to get a nice view. Most spectacular is Roque Cano which stands like a pole in the landscape. It is the innermost hard core of a volcano where the outer lava layers are worn down.
Trials
GR131 heads south toward Las Hayas at the top of the island. It starts steeply up from the village with a great view both towards Vallehermoso, Roque Cano where you can see GR132 twisting upwards, and towards the top with the laurel forest. It reaches a top and then goes down again to a water basin where you have to follow the asphalt for a while before it goes up again towards the top of the island. It is not fun to lose so many altitude meters so soon, so an alternative is to take a taxi to where the asphalt ends.
GR132 Also goes south, but on the other side of the valley. It will take you to Arure and Valle Gran Ray. Like just about every trail it goes uphill also here. After some stairs through the village, it flattens out more and consists of long slack sections with steep sections in between. In addition to the view, there is a lot of varied vegetation along the trail. There are many different types of cactus and conifers before the laurel forest takes over.
You have several possible routes here. You can take the bus back down from Epina, or take a round trip by walking Route 05 down again, or of course continuing in the direction of Arure. This section is described in La Gomera hiking
GR132 Also continues on the other side of the valley east towards Hermigua. The path is wide and paved and winds steeply up in serpentines towards Roque Cano. From there it flattens out and continues towards Hermigua. Last part along the road.
PRLG10 This is a local path that goes west and ends at a small chapel of the type you find in the strangest places, Santa Clara. There is a beautiful small path that follows the valley floor inwards with a gentle ascent upwards, before it becomes steeper towards the end. There is plenty of vegetation along the way with laurel on top. Not so much views, but at the top you have a great view of the sea to the west. From Santa Clara you have 4 options to continue, down to Vallehermoso beach, down to Vallehermoso by another trail, down to Argamul, a small village on the west coast, or to Epina along the road. At Santa Clara you will find picnic tables, and it is possible to grill.
XXX Is a local path that follows the valley towards the sea, and then turns into a side valley. It is flat for the most part, until it rises abruptly. But if you want to take a leisurely walk one day, after hundreds of meters of climbing the other days, this is perfect. In the picture you see built-up terraces in the landscape. You will see them all over the island and are a reminder of the extreme work it must have been to cultivate this landscape. Now most of it is deserted. Vallehermoso brought prosperity to the whole of La Gomera with the cultivation of sugar cane from the 16th century onwards. When the market disappeared for this, it became fruit and vegetables, but now most of it is for private use. Tourism is today by far the largest source of income.
Other hikes:
La Gomera hiking
La Palma hiking
Mallorca hiking
Madeira Levada hiking
