How to have fun on El Hierro? What activities are worth travelling to the smallest Canary Island for?
Hiking
El Hierro is a popular destination for hiking enthusiasts.
The island is criss-crossed with dozens of kilometres of marked trails that are well maintained and very varied.
You can plan your holiday on El Hierro so that you walk the entire island almost exclusively on foot, but it's also possible to take short road-trips around the island, stopping to take a short circular route back to your car.
Buy tickets to El Hierro VDE airport
What do the trails on Hierro look like?
The main trails are well marked and maintained. However, you have to expect very steep sections in places. Climbing equipment or knowledge is not needed on any section of the trails, but good physical fitness definitely is.
After rain, parts of the trails can also be muddy and very slippery!
In many places, the marked trails pass through pastureland. Be considerate and always close the gates behind you and definitely never feed the animals!
El Hierro is not as popular as, say, Tenerife or Gran Canaria. While you will see other travellers on the tourist routes, the frequency is much lower than on the larger islands.
In the more remote parts of Hierro, you will often not meet anyone for more than an hour.
What are the best routes on the island?
Where do the hiking trails lead to and from, and how difficult are they?
There are plenty of hiking trails on El Hierro and below we've compiled our experiences and our tips for the best routes.
We were unable to find official online hiking maps and most of the time we used the mapy.cz app, which reliably shows most of the routes.
Short routes up to 3 hours
Most hikers use shorter routes of 1-3 hours.
- Mirador de Bascos + El Sabinar - our most popular route takes you to the westernmost parts of the island and the most beautiful viewpoints. The route is circular and has two options of circuits: a large and a small one, with the large one following the road for a large part of the route, with the occasional car passing by.
- Malpaso - El Hierro's highest mountain is one of the most popular short treks in good weather
- 3.5 km / 1-1.5 hours round trip total from the Cruz de los Reyes car park
- Route map
- Possibility of transport by bus: no
- Camino de la Llanía - a beautiful easy circular route through deep laurel forests and heathland leading in the mountains from the car park by the main road
- 4.5 km / 1.5 hours
- Route map
- Possibility of transport by bus: no
- The route across Las Playas - a challenging route with extreme elevation gain in places, takes you to the beautiful location of Las Playas. It starts at the Mirador de Isora viewpoint, then descends 800 metres to the sea before finally climbing back up 800 metres in the village of El Pinar.
- You can halve the route and start/end at the sea in Las Playas
- 8 km / 3 hours
- Route map
- Possibility of transport by bus: yes
- Mirador de Isora - line 5
- Las Playas - line 7
- El Pinar - line 2
- Las Puntas - easy trail along the north coast between Las Puntas and La Maceta
- 2.5 km / 45 minutes
- Route map
- Transportation by bus: line 4 (both ends)
- The route via Árbol Garoé - a moderate route through a beautiful landscape full of forests and meadows, it is a good idea to take the route from the Árbol Garoé bus stop to Valverde, as it is downhill the whole way.
- 8 km / 2.5 hours
- Route map
- Transportation options by bus: line 5, stop Árbol Garoé i Valverde
Detailed information about the buses, including timetables, ticket prices and links to the official website, can be found in the Transport chapter.
Book your hotel in El Hierro in advance
Long-distance multi-day routes
The famous Camino de la Virgen long-distance route runs across El Hierro and is also part of the GR-131 trans-canary route
- GR-131 (Camino de la Virgen) - the route runs across the island from west to east
- Route: Tamaduste - Valverde - central mountain ridge (including the highest mountain, Malpaso) - Church of Nuestra Señora de los Reyes - Faro de Orchilla - Muelle de Orchilla
- Total length - 39 km one way
- Route map
- There are no accommodations along the way, so you have to allow for open-air camping
As the entire western part of Hierro is inaccessible by public transport, you will have to walk at least half the way back from Faro de Orchilla to El Pinar again. In this case we recommend a combination with the PR-EH 10 route via El Julan, see below.
- PR-EH 10 - the long-distance route through the most beautiful parts of El Hierro follows the southern slope of the central mountain range between the town of El Pinar and the chapel of Nuestra Señora de los Reyes, passing through a popular site.
- Total length - 18 km one way
- Route map
Map of the hiking trails in El Hierro
The above routes, which we have at least partially completed, are plotted on our map.
Diving
El Hierro is a relatively little known but great diving destination. All the main dive spots are located along the southernmost tip of the coast around the town of La Restinga.
An extremely rich underwater world abounds here, mainly due to the extremely rugged seabed created by numerous volcanic lava flows.
The local waters are suitable for beginners and experienced divers alike.
Popular dives include night dives in the very calm waters of La Restinga harbour, where you don't even have to go anywhere by boat.
The main centre of diving in El Hierro is the aforementioned La Restinga, where you will find all the dive centres, of which we would recommend the following:
Prices are around 50 eur for 1 dive for experienced divers. More dives further reduces the price, so for example for 4 dives you will pay around 155 eur.
Diving courses for beginners start at 160 eur.
The most beautiful sights
El Hierro is one of the most rugged of all the Canary Islands and these conditions create an incredible variety of sights.
There are views literally every few metres on the roads and all the hiking trails and to list them all here would be completely pointless.
However, we'll add our picks for the viewpoints we've visited and which have charmed us.
- Mirador de Isora
- Mirador de Bascos
- El Julan
- La Frontera bell tower viewpoint
- The highest mountain of Malpaso
Paragliding
The unique topography of El Hierro, with its central mountain range and steep slopes on the north and south sides, provides absolutely ideal conditions for paragliders.
The wind is stable all year round on El Hierro and the weather is generally very good in summer and winter, making El Hierro a year-round destination for paragliding.
There are several companies operating on site that offer flights for complete beginners, with prices for a 10 minute flight starting at 90 eur.
For example, the following companies are available:
Beaches and swimming
El Hierro is not a typical destination for swimming in the sea, as you will find virtually no natural beaches on the very rugged and rugged coastline.
However, there are many places where you can swim in so-called natural pools, which are usually in small coves formed by volcanic lava and have been modified with steps and concrete walls for safer swimming.
Swimming in the sea while exploring the island is an ideal activity for a few hours.
Where are the best places for swimming?
- La Caleta - beautiful pools on the promenade, good location near the airport
- Charco Azul - photogenic location under a high cliff
- Las Playas - natural swimming in one of the most beautiful locations on the island
- Pozo de las Calcosas - sea bathing area near the historic fishing village
All the beaches and bathing areas can be found in places to see.
