The active lighthouse standing at a place called Orchilla at the westernmost tip of El Hierro is a popular tourist destination.
The beautifully maintained lighthouse stands in an absolutely barren landscape, which consists mainly of volcanic lava remains and resembles a lunar landscape rather than the earth's surface.
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The lighthouse was built in 1933 and is still fully operational today.
Beautiful sunsets and night skies
You can't visit the interior of the lighthouse, but you can walk around the entire structure and take beautiful photos. We recommend a visit especially in the early evening, when you can enjoy spectacular views of the sunset.
As the nearest civilization is over 25 km away, the area around the lighthouse is also ideal for viewing the night sky. The southern part of the west coast is completely free of light pollution and the air is drier than in other parts of the island, making it ideal for night sky viewing.
Muelle de Orchilla
About 2 km from the lighthouse, you can drive down the road to the very end of it to a stone pier, near which there are tourist shelters with benches.
The Muelle de Orchilla is considered the end point of the famous GR-131 hiking route that crosses all the Canary Islands.
How to get there
The lighthouse of Orchilla is completely outside of civilisation and therefore cannot be reached by public transport.
However, there is a well-maintained asphalt road that leads to the lighthouse and is accessible to the public.
You can get here by driving on both the south and north sides of the island and the distances by car are as follows:
- El Pinar - 28 km / 1 hour
- Valverde - 52 km / 1.5 hours
- Tigaday/La Frontera - 43 km / 1.5 hours
To Fardo de Orchilla, there is the already mentioned hiking route GR-131.
What to see around
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