EL HIERRO, AN ISLAND FULL OF CONTRASTS

Though being the smallest island, El Hierro offers an extraordinary and different landscape that will captivate the visitor. The natural attractiveness of the island are unique sights and echosystems of great veriety and contrast, amongst which we have to underline dense forests of the Canary Pine, Laurisilva and evergreen forests and its "sabinas", hundred-year-old giants twisted into the most spectacular shapes by the action of the wind.

The north part of the island is governed by the monumental amphitheatre of Valle del Golfo, formed by the sudden landslide of more than 300 Cubic Kilometres of soil which apparently was produced by a "Tsumani" of more than 100 mts. Height. In this valley we will find fields of bananas and pineapples.

In the south we will admire a spectacular volcanic landscape with countless small craters (there are more than 500 all over the island) with unusual designs, tongues and formations called "Lajiales" resulting from lava which became petrified on the slabs of smooth stone. The coast is splashed with small beaches, like the Verodal, with its reddish sand, large cliffs and countless small bays, ideal for swimming.

But the real natural treassure of this island we will discover it under its crystaline clear waters with marine beds of great richness and diversity of undersea life.

El Hierro has only about 8000 inhabitants which has granted the extraordinary and high presservation of its spaces and natural resorts, local customs and traditional habits. This fact has granted to be catalogued by the UNESCO as RESERVE OF THE BIOSPHERE. Furthermore, El Hierro has always been left on the sidelines of the massive conventional tourism and is being visited only by those whi wish to relax, enjoying an intime contact with the nature and learn about enriched cultural and gastronomic traditions.