GR132 Trail Guide: Hiking 130km Around La Gomera

In January 2024, I went on another outdoor adventure.

In this article, I’ll share my preparations, trip report, and tips for future hikers 🙂

Preparation for the GR132

From the route to planning my flights, here’s what I did to prepare myself for the GR132 🙂

Accommodation

I am going to spend most nights on trail in my tent because I like to stay flexible and love the idea of waking up in the mountains during sunrise.

From what I’ve read from others, it shouldn’t be too hard to find flat spots along the trail.

Though wild camping is technically prohibited, I believe I’ll be fine if I avoid villages, set up camp after sunset, pack up at sunrise, and leave no trace.

(it is strictly forbidden in the national park, so I’ll make sure to not camp there)

I’m taking the 1-person Durston X-Mid, which should be strong enough for the possible high winds there. It’s a trekking pole tent which relies on tent stakes for tension, which might be a bit of a challenge on La Gomera with it’s rocky terrain 🏕

I will probably spontaneously book a room halfway for two nights to recharge batteries, take a rest day, and shower 🛀

Route

The standard GR132 route goes completely around the island of La Gomera and is 120 or 133 kilometres long depending on which variant in the north of the island you take.

Additionally, there is also the 41km long GR131 route that crosses the island and passes the highest peak instead of going completely around the island.

I’ve read that some hikers first cross the island on the GR131, and then hike either the northern or southern part of the GR132 back to San Sebastian.

I think that could be a really cool option too, since I would love to see the national park on the middle of the island as well as the highest peak, but would like to leave the decision open 🙂

So for now, I’m planning to take the GR132 counterclockwise from the ferry, and I’ll decide in Vallehermoso wether I go back to San Sebastian via the southern route or take the GR131 and cross the middle of the island.

If I decide to go all the way around, I probably go up to the national park for a day hike after I complete the GR132.

Or if I’m very motivated, and miraculously not completely destroyed yet, I do both the GR132 and GR131 completely 😋

(highly unlikely, lol)

Tip: want my GPX file with 128 waypoints to show you where there are shops, water sources, wild camp spots, and more handy things for hikers? Get it here for only €15.

Food

Since the track is long, I won’t be preparing much food in advance because I can’t take it all anyway 😅

I’ll take 2 meals and my favourite snacks so I can start hiking right away instead of having to do a lot of groceries when I arrive.

But there should be plenty of resupply options, the trail passes through a village almost every day with a restaurant or small market. Can’t wait for some nice Spanish food! 🍽

Water

From everything I’ve read, there are very few natural water sources along the trail.

There will be lots of sun and not much tree cover which makes me a bit nervous 🤐

But people seem to be okay with buying water bottles at every shop they pass, asking locals to fill them up, and by carrying up to 5 liters at a time.

(not looking forward to carrying that extra weight!)

The only benefit to this is that I can leave my water filter at home, saving me roughly 100 grams to carry 😅

I will take water purification tablets in case I miraculously find some water or can use water from questionable restrooms.

Weather

Weather conditions can vary, but here are some averages I found about the conditions on La Gomera in January.

• Temperatures
  • Daytime temperatures typically range from 15°C to 23°C.
  • Nights can be cooler, ranging from 10°C to 15°C.
• Sunrise and Sunset:
  • Days are relatively short in January.
  • Sunrise occurs around 07:45, and sunset is around 18:30.
• Rainfall:
  • La Gomera tends to be less rainy compared to some other Canary Islands.
  • However, there may be occasional light rain showers.
• Wind:
  • La Gomera can experience some wind, but it’s generally not extreme.

Sounds pretty good overall! 🤗

Days could be a bit longer, but the average temperatures are perfect for hiking and sleeping.

Logistics

Getting to the starting point in San Sebastián on La Gomera isn’t difficult, but it takes a bit more time because there is no international airport. Therefore, you’ll need to fly to Tenerife first and then take a ferry from there.

For me, there are three affordable flights to Tenerife every day:

• 06:00 – 9:45 (Ryanair)
• 08:10 – 11:55 (Ryanair)
• 14:45 – 18:40 (Ryanair)

But then, I’ll still have to travel with a 1-hour ferry to La Gomera 🛥

From my quick research, there seem to be two ferry operators that go each three times a day for my arrival date;

• 08:45 – 09:35 (Naviera Armas)
• 09:30 – 10:20 (Fred Olsen)
• 14:30 – 15:20 (Naviera Armas)
• 16:00 – 16:50 (Fred Olsen)
• 18:45 – 19:35 (Naviera Armas)
• 20:00 – 20:50 (Fred Olsen)

Which gives me a couple of options;

1. Take the 08:10 flight, take the 14:30 ferry, hike for another 3 hours until sunset.
2. Take the 08:10 flight, take the 14:30 ferry, spend a night in San Sebastian, start hiking early the next morning.
3. Take the 14:45 flight, take evening ferry or stay the night on Tenerife and take the ferry the next morning.

I decided for #1 so I can jump into the hiking adventure right away, and 3 hours should be enough to cover a few kilometres and find a suitable camping spot. Plus, I will probably spend some time to explore San Sebastian on my way back to Tenerife.

My way back home will be more flexible because I’ll have an extra week to chill after the hike. I won’t prebook that ferry, and will be flying in the evening from Tenerife.

Exercise

From what I’ve read, this is going to be very tough hike.

With 1000 meters of elevation gain ánd loss almost every day with the occasional 5 litre water carry, I think my knees are going to suffer a lot.

So in the weeks leading up to the hike, I’ll be doing knee exercises every morning, and will try to do two 20-kilometre hikes a week with at least 500-600 meters of elevation while carrying a heavy backpack.

(more elevation is difficult in the area where I live)

Hopefully that’s going to be enough to push me over the mountains and up and down those barrancos!

Packing list

This is going to be the toughest hike I’ve ever done, so I made sure to leave all unessentials at home and to upgrade a few key items to lower my pack weight.

(getting a new backpack shaved off 1kg!)

All of the below, without consumables & what I’m wearing comes in at 5.7 kilograms.

So I’ll estimate that my total pack weight will be 8 to 13 kilograms depending on how much food and water I carry.

Shelter ⛺

I bring a 1-person trekking pole tent, a pad with an R-value of 4.5, and a quilt with a comfort temperature of 4°C.

• Durston X-Mid 1P
• Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite MAX
• Cumulus Quilt 250

Clothing 👕

This is what I’ll be wearing:

• Trail runners
• Thin merino socks
• Merino underwear
• Merino shirt
• Hiking trousers

And this is what I’ll pack:

• Rain jacket
• Down jacket
• Sun hoodie
• Thick merino socks
• Buff
• Cap

Electronics⚡

I use my smartphone to navigate on trail, and to make pictures. The powerbank keeps the phone and lights charged.

• iPhone 13 mini
• Powerbank 10.000 mAh
• Power adapter & cable
• Headlamp
• Mini flashlight
• eReader

Toiletries 🧻

Stuff to help me stay clean(ish).

• Micro towel
• Sun screen
• All-purpose soap
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste pills
• Deo
• Portable bidet
• Tissues
• Trowel

Miscellaneous

Other bits and bobs that didn’t fall into the categories above.

• First aid & repair kit
• Pocket knife
• Trekking poles
• Pack liner
• Cooking setup
• Wallet
• Passport

What I left at home 🏠

• Mosquito head net & insect spray: not supposed to be many insects in January.
• Water filter: almost no water streams, will take purification tablets instead for the rare occasion.

Note: for the gear nerds out there, here’s a link to my lighterpack.

Trip report

Here’s what happened during my 14 days on the island 🤓

Day #1: Getting to La Gomera

Distance: 5.13km • Elevation: ↑350m ↓0m

Time to go! Got up at 05:00 and took a short 10-minute train to the airport.

Put on all my layers because it’s a crazy cold -9°C this morning 🤯

Saw a cool sunrise from the plane, and read for a few hours instead of hanging on my phone to conserve my phone battery.

Just before landing in Tenerife I spotted La Gomera, epic! Cool to see where I’m going to hike.

Landed on Tenerife, stepped out into the warm 20°C breeze, and some things started to go wrong 🙈

It’s the second time I ever checked my bag, and I started to get pretty nervous when the baggage carousel stopped and my bag was still not there 😱

I asked the service desk, someone walked with me to the other side of the terminal, and there it was with special luggage. Apparently they did this because I wrapped my backpack in a trashbag. Hehe.

Went outside, and I couldn’t get into the bus anymore because it was full. The driver told me the next one is coming in 10 minutes, but that ended up being 40 minutes. I was really just in time to catch the ferry in Los Cristianos, phew 🫠

After a comfortable 1-hour ferry ride, I made it to La Gomera at 15:45! 🥳

Walked through the town to get some cash and went to the supermarket to get water and spiritus.

Happy it was so easy to get spiritus for my alcohol stove, curious how easy it is to get in other places here. Only filled my small 125ml fuel bottle, and put the leftovers next to a bin.

Get a very chill vibe here, not so extremely touristy while still having nice places to eat and drink.

Walked to the other end of town, and started the trail at 16:30 🙌

(2 hours left until sunset)

First had to hike up some very steep streets to get out of San Sebastián. Nice views already!

After getting out of town, the trail started to get gorgeous with views over the surrounding mountains. So cool.

Hiked for a few more kilometres, and found an epic epic epic spot to camp just before sunset 😄

On the side of the mountain, overlooking the sea, Tenerife with Mount Teide, and incredible 180° views over the barranco.

Incredible spot, so grateful 🙏

It isn’t perfectly flat, but I’ll take it. I placed some clothes and two bottles of water under one side of the sleeping mat to prevent myself from sliding off.

After it got dark, I cooked dinner and finished making my bed. I prepared couscous directly in the freezer bag, which saved me some cleaning (and water) of the pot. However, it’s not extremely convenient to eat from such a flimsy bag 😅

I heard some goats in the distance; I hope I’m not suddenly surrounded in the middle of the night. It’s interesting that I didn’t hear them earlier.

The beach is 1.7 km away, but I can still hear the waves. How cool.

Day #2: Parque Natural Majona

Distance: 21.3km • Elevation: ↑690m ↓1020m

Slept okay!

Placing the bottles under the sleeping pad to make it a bit straighter kinda worked; I didn’t slide off, at least, haha.

I got up before sunrise and was treated to this amazing view 🤗

Started hiking right away, and the colors are amazing. I absolutely love it—so impressed.

The first part was soooooo pretty, but also veryyyyy slow. I only covered 2 kilometers every hour because it was so technical and uphill.

I especially loved the part where I hiked along these lava layers. So cool.

After a while, I reached the infamous road with the water pipeline. Surprisingly, I liked it and decided against taking the variant. It was nice to be able to walk a bit faster—finally making some progress.

Loved the lush green views from that road.

Reached an altitude of 700 meters and was treated to this nice view before descending all the way back down.

Arrived at Playa de la Caleta at 16:00. What a long hike, but still feel rather good. Made sure to take slow steps when going downhill.

After hiking down there, I tried to go for a quick swim.

That wasn’t the smartest plan; the waves were quite rough. I fell in one wave and injured my knee on the rocks. Meh 🤦‍♂️

I got out, dried up in the sun, and put some plasters on my wounds.

Spotted the shower, toilet, and sinks. Washed myself a bit with some fresh water and filled up my bottles.

Really doubting what to do; hike further and hope for a spot near Santa Catalina, or just call it a day and camp here 🤔

Got talking to a friendly 70-year-old man from Germany. Kay comes every winter to La Gomera and rents a small yellow-white camper with solar. Very cool. We talked about all kinds of things while watching the sunset; politics, the islands, how there is no crime here, even Buddhism.

Nice to talk to someone; I was feeling a bit lonely after not seeing anyone the whole day.

So, this made my decision to stay here tonight easy 😋

After Kay went back up to his van, I made myself a mashed potatoes dinner that I prepared back home on one of the picnic benches while watching the waves. It was really nice, especially with the Sriracha sauce.

When it started to get dark, I set up my tent directly on the beach. I used a spot where someone built a small wall, which gives nice protection from the wind – if there was any.

Kay told me that the wind usually comes from the north, but now it’s coming from the south. Nice.

The spot was quite high up on the beach, but the waves are massive, and it isn’t high tide yet.

So I set two alarms before high tide to go check, just to be sure.

Could see a crazy amount of stars from the tent, very impressive.

The sounds of the 2-meter-high waves crashing on the rocks are incredible, so intense. Curious how I’ll sleep with that. But nice that I don’t hear any other weird noises.

Day #3: Hermigua, Agulo, Las Rosas

Distance: 16.7km • Elevation: ↑1140m ↓510m

Got up before sunrise, slept quite well. Sometimes woke up because my arm fell asleep in the tent.

Went to the picnic benches to make coffee, and Kay was already there! Had a chat while making coffee. He gave me a Nescafe, which wasn’t too bad.

Talked with Kay about his love for vans and being a lorry driver. He can’t stand in his current van, and when he can’t sleep, he usually does gymnastics, so that’s a problem.

Hiked up the first mountain, then down to Hermigua. Met two Dutch hikers planning to hike GR132 next week with a tent. Discussed lightweight gear.

A fast hiker passed me; we talked. Ross hiked on La Palma and now does part of GR132 from San Sebastián to Vallehermoso. Went to the Spar, got groceries, and joined Ross at a cafe further down the street.

Hiked more with Ross, he told me about his adventures, cycled from Mexico to Canada. Talked about some cool gear like his Xero slippers and Garmin Fenix 7 watch.

We were really doing some crazy steep trails, and it was getting higher and higher and higher 🥵

When we were getting closer to the top, I said I want to take it a bit slower and take a longer break. He then said he wants to keep pushing. Said bye. So nice to hike a bit together.

Stripped to let my clothes dry. Never sweated so much in my life, lol. That was really steep, crazy.

Now also nice to hike a few more kilometres on my own.

Really liked going through the red lava fields, looked so cool. It’s like being on Mars.

Came across a visitor center about the 2012 forest fires in which almost 20% of the national park got destroyed. There was also a viewpoint there; it was a bit meh compared to the views from earlier. But I got myself an epic lemon rosemary cookie and some cold water.

Hiked further and further, had to go steep down into a valley with a dam, and then steep up again. Some epic views on the way.

A few kilometers later I got to my accommodation for the night 🙌

An old German firetruck, just a few hundred meters off the main trail in the middle of nowhere near Mirador de Roque Blanco.

How cool is that!? I thought it was just a regular red van, but it’s an actual firetruck. Really cool!

(you can book the bus on Airbnb, or contact them directly through their website)

And the views from the van are breathtaking too!

What a nice nice nice day. So many social interactions, such a cool trail, very proud I made it this far. Freakin’ loved it 😍

Even saw a freaking falling star at 19:04. Fuck yeah!

Now sitting here in bed with candles and a supercool oil lamp while having the rolling shutters on the side open.

Never used an oil lamp before, took me a while to figure out how it works 😂 was afraid to blow it up, lol, so I tried to turn it on outside first.

According to the health app, I did 32,000 steps and climbed 327 floors today 🤯 too bad I can’t actively track the hike because of the battery; would love to see some data.

So much happened today. Such a cool day.

Curious about the next few days, but first a chill day tomorrow. Will just chill in bed, make food, have a warm shower, and try to find the hammock that’s on the property here somewhere.

So tired.

Day #4: Rest day

Woke up and opened the rolling doors at 07:30 to watch the sunrise. Couldn’t see the sun, but still, the sky was nice and purple, and slowly the mountains revealed themselves.

Read my book in bed until 09:00, then took a nice warm shower.

Hand washed my clothes, everything nice and fresh again. Easy to do when you have so few clothes with you.

Improvised a washing line with 4 spare tent ropes; works well.

Just so happy, can’t stop smiling in this cool firetruck.

Tried fixing my shoes; curious how this holds up. Was quite some work because I had to push the needle through the rubber.

Made a tasty noodle lunch. Really good for instant noodle food.

Explored the property and read my book in a hammock.

Also found some happy chickens running around, and was impressed by all the food they’re growing here.

In the last picture you can see the property well. Left the house of the host, right really small at the top, the firetruck.

Talked nicely with Dirk while he was refuelling the car with some jerrycans. He said diesel on Tenerife is much cheaper, so he gets jerrycans there, but you can’t store it forever.

Went then a bit later to their house to get my powerbank, and talked nicely with Christina too. She is so incredibly friendly. We even talked in German for a while. Told her I now live in Cologne and that I met my girlfriend in Malaysia a few years ago.

Now in bed. Nice to have an offline day, so much peace, should do this more often.

Have the feeling I’ve been on La Gomera for so long, but it has only been three nights. Crazy. Still two weeks of time left.

Also interesting to be offline; I notice how often I want to Google something: how to use an oil lamp, questions about the island, how to use powerbank low power mode, does the alarm go off if the phone is off, and plenty of other questions every day.

Somehow nice to just figure things out myself, but also amazing that usually, we have all this knowledge at our fingertips.

Day #5: Vallehermoso, Santa Clara

Distance: 17.4km • Elevation: ↑830m ↓910m

Opened the roll-up blinds of the firetruck before sunrise again; so nice to watch the view from bed.

Took a warm shower; didn’t really need it, but it’s probably the last one in a few days.

The start of the trail was so, so, so nice. I was talking out loud to myself, saying how much I loved it.

Went for coffee, a sandwich, and a coke. Friendly people. Old guy making the sandwich was quite funny.

Could also charge my phone here.

Resupplied in Vallehermoso; didn’t even need too much because I still have some food. Don’t want to carry too much; still have a big climb ahead today.

It’s nice here, chill town without too much tourism while still having enough gastronomy.

Instead of taking the trail directly to Alojera, I decided to hike the GR131 to Vallehermoso beach and go into the mountains from there because the few people I met all mentioned the views from Santa Clara.

This will add a few kilometers, but I’m a sucker for viewpoints! 😄

Hiked 3km to Vallehermoso beach, which was a nice rocky beach surrounded by high cliffs.

I didn’t dare going for a swim again after hurting myself at Playa de la Caleta.

After chilling there for a bit, I continued the hike and started the very steep climb to Mirador Punta de Alcalá.

Very steep, but incredible views along the way 🤩

Talked to quite a few day hikers, seems like a popular section here.

Got, to the top and wow; what a breathtaking 360 degree view! 😄

Down below you can see the steep cliffs and then Tenerife on one side and La Palma on the other. Love it, love it. Cool camping spot here too but still want to hike two more hours. So happy, so nice this.

After that, it felt really remote and I didn’t come across any people anymore.

The trail was really nice and narrow, and passed several incredible views.

Looked almost like I was somewhere else, it was suddenly so lush green.

A bit later I got to Santa Clara, where I could refill my bottles and greet the chickens.

Continued the trail with more epic, epic, epic views.

Passed some suitable flat camping spots at 17:30, but wanted to continue a bit longer because the sun would only set at 18:30.

Started looking at 18:00, but suddenly it was harder to find a spot, hehe 😅

Just before it started to get really dark, I found this spot on top of a curvy lava field. You can’t see it in the picture, but the tent is standing on a kind of inverted U, yet the sleeping spot is luckily mostly flat

Very quiet here, can hear waves in the distance, and sometimes the occasional distant barking dog.

It’s so, so, so dark, can barely see the difference between the water and sky.

Day #6: Alojera, Arure

Distance: 14.2km • Elevation: ↑1020m ↓800m

Woke up 45 minutes before sunrise. Chilled in the tent for a bit and then got up. No reason to hurry.

Enjoyed the cool view from the tent.

Packed up slowly, and got started 🤗

Followed a narrow green trail that went up, up, and more up.

Passed the village of Epina at some point, which was very scenic. Cool to see that they still use the terraces for agriculture here.

Refreshed myself at the mystic Chorros de Epina natural spring, refilled my bottles, and made myself some instant noodles with peanuts 👨‍🍳

There are 7 wooden pipes coming from the spring with water, and the legend says that you’ll find true love if you drink them in a certain order that’s different for men and women.

Saw several staircases against palm trees on the trail. Curious what that is for? Palm oil?

Hiked all the way down into the valley and had lunch at Bar Plaza.

Very loud inside, with just a few people haha. Spanish people are so loud. A German lady came and was like “meine gute ohoh.”

Very happy with that first beer of the trip!

Then had to get up that mountain that you see behind me. Holy shit, that was long and steep. But somehow going surprisingly well.

But the views were 2000% worth it. In the beginning, when you get up there, you already have the mega view of this valley down below.

What followed next was just insane, sooooooo beautiful. Incrediiiible. 600 meters high or something, steep drop down, and see that line there? That’s the trail. So fucking cool 🤩

Walking that trail was an experience in itself, here’s a short video to show you what it was like.

So happy, love these views. So grateful I’m doing this hike.

Rest of the day was super cool too, with more and more views.

Started to look for spots at 17:30, found one at 18:00 or so.

Sunset was epic; this spot is incredible. Lucky find. Had to anchor the corners with rocks again because it’s impossible to use stakes, but it seems to work well.

Made myself some dinner with my small cooking setup while enjoying the view.

How fortunate am I to be able to experience this? Incredible, another amazing day 🙏

Day #7: Valle Gran Rey

Distance: 14.4km • Elevation: ↑660m ↓800m

Pooh, so much wind!

Woke up to the tent flapping at 02:00; very strong wind. Went out to put a few more rocks in place. Bit creepy, but the tent should be plenty strong; more worried about the rock method and the lines snapping because they are already a bit damaged from the sharp volcanic rocks. Should’ve brought more spare guyline.

Put my backpack above my head underneath the fly to block the wind a bit from coming inside. With this rock method, there is quite a big gap below the tent; it would be nice to have the tent pitched very low to the ground.

This is what it was like in the morning:

Packed up quickly and carefully, and continued the hike towards Valle Gran Rey.

Then going down steeeep towards Valle Gran Rey. Spoke to several people that were going up for day hikes. Some Brits and a very old German lady from Munich. Impressive that she still does this. How awesome.

Cute townie when coming down off the trail. Small squares, old doors, narrow alleys, colorful. Smells nice.

Walked towards Playa de la Calera, where there was supposed to be a nice coffee place, but boy did I hate it there 😞

The coffee place I was excited about closed permanently recently.

Every restaurant had signs in German outside.

But the worst part are the people 🤯

Everywhere else on the island people couldn’t have been more friendly.

But here..

Wasn’t allowed to bring my backpack into the store, was refused to charge my power bank in the restaurant where I had lunch even after I offered to pay for it, the lady in the bakery was unfriendly, and a waiter in another restaurant completely ignored me.

Wtf? Don’t feel welcome here at all here.

On the other hand, I see quite a lot of people that look like they’ve been living here on the streets with their big backpacks for a bit too long, maybe they have a bit of a problem here? 🤔

Anyhow, quickly walked away from this part of town and went over to Playa del Ingles for some beach time 🌴

There was a small strip of sand, with quite a lot of people, but it had a nice vibe 😄

I climbed over some rocks in the end, and found a small secluded sandy spot where it felt like I was completely alone while looking at the crashing waves and massive cliffs.

After chilling there for two hours, I walked over to the other side of the valley 🚶

Got to the other side of the town, much nicer already. Bit older, more authentic, small streets, not so many German signs. Had some tasty ice cream and affogato.

Resupplied in the Spar, probably bought way too much food. Also got 6 liters of water; the backpack is soooo heavy.

Would’ve liked to stay in this part of town for 1 or 2 nights, but everything is booked out.

So now going steep up the mountain to find a place to sleep somewhere up there.

Found a spot to camp at 672 meters just before it started to get dark.

I thought setting up the tent on the side of the mountain away from the predicted wind direction was a good idea. However, when I went to bed, the wind changed and came from the opposite direction 🤦‍♂️

Often it was completely quiet, and then suddenly a few strong gusts of wind. Probably going to be fine, but just in case I build myself a little wall in front of the tent to pretent the wind from blowing under.

Day #8: La Dama

Distance: 13.8km • Elevation: ↑460m ↓1080m

Whoa, what a night again. Did not sleep so well. It was super windy again. Even the rock that one of the guylines was attached to moved, and the tent collapsed; had to get up quickly to fix it.

Tonight, I’ll do whatever it takes to set up the tent out of the wind.

Going up, up, up, talked to a young couple who did the GR131 for the most part. They did not seem so excited about most of that trail, good to know. Maybe it’s just better to do a circular hike up there.

Passed a churchie, where the couple I just met camped. Funny because I heard voices up there last night from the other side of the barranco.

Got a cool view of Playa de Agaga, looks nice.

Walked in clouds for a bit, funny.

Then crossed some kind of flat wasteland, did not see a soul for hours and hours. Felt so extremely remote.

On the wasteland, there was one tree with a hippie house and right next to it some art installations. Soooo many birds chirping in this one tree.

Got to a cliff with a view of Valle Gran Rey.

Crazy how close it looks compared to how long I hiked. But a nice view; can even recognize the ice cream place from yesterday, haha.

Continued to hike down to Playa de Iguala. Found a cave in which it looked like someone (used to?) live.

Cool with the bed, and a little BBQ.

Crazy to live like that, but can somehow imagine why people like it. Just simple living, very simple.

Then strolled onto the beach and took a long break.

Went for a swim; unfortunately, lost my prescription sunglasses because of some high waves, meh 🤦‍♂️

(luckily not my normal glasses!)

Just stupid that I was wearing them; now I have to do another 10 days without.

Luckily have my cap and sun hoodie.

But really nice beach, actually has a bit of sand but still crazy waves.

Then hiked up to La Dama, did not have so much water anymore so was careful with it.

The road to it was really boring and long, not so nice, but at least the view was cool.

In La Dama, there is one restaurant, and I was soooooooo happy it’s open.

Drank one coke in two minutes and ordered another one right away with some food 😅

Was simple but nice, massive portion really. Could also charge my phone and refill my bottles. Nice people too.

Hiked down towards Playa de La Rajita where I found a perfect camping spot on a terrace. Someone already cleared it of stones, and it’s flat. Rather just chill a bit now than going up and having to camp somewhere windy again.

Still early, so went a bit further down from where I could watch the waves hit the beach and see the fisherman catch fish. Nice. Also took the time to fix the ropes on the tent while the sun slowly went under.

A bit before sunset, I went back up to set up the tent. Could’ve waited till dark to be even more inconspicuous, but really have the feeling the locals don’t care as long as you’re not in the middle of a village.

Now in bed, cool to hear the waves. Bit less intense than the massive waves on the second night at Playa de la Caleta, haha.

Day #9: Alajeró, Imada

Distance: 14.6km • Elevation: ↑1190m ↓330m

Got up early and started hiking before 08:00. Went down to the beach and did my warm-up.

Talked to Robin from Leipzig who stayed with his van near the beach that night, and he gave me some more water for the journey up to Imada today.

Quite a brutal climb from the beach up, but got to the top quickly.

Passed the 87 km marker. The distance I hiked at the Soonwaldsteig last year! Feels good 😎

(and legs feel still surprisingly good too!)

Nice townie, took a breakfast break overlooking it. Cool how it’s on one little mountaintop.

Shortly after that, got into suuuuuuuuch a nice barranco; loved it.

The person online who said it’s his favorite of the island didn’t lie. Very pretty 😄

Sat in a cave with an epic view. It’s quite hot today, so it’s nice to sit in the shade for a bit.

Found a little oasis to freshen up in, nice to wash the salt out of my hair. Really feel like an adventurer looking for water, haha.

At the top of the barranco found a cool cave house, has even a door on it.

So far, all the caves homes I found were just open.

Got to Alajeró and went for lunch at the only restaurant in town.

Really feels like a holiday in the sun with a nice cold beer.

Sat there for an hour; these moments are so important too, not just hiking, hiking, hiking. Good to take nice long breaks in between.

Feeling happy, feels great.

After this, I left the GR132 and hiked up to Imada.

Trail to Imada was nice. A little bit of road walking, but the moment I went over the ridge I had this cool view of the barranco that Imada is in.

Arrived at the hotel! Super friendly lady received me. Got a beer and went upstairs to room 7, the last one in the hallway.

Jumped into the shower right away. Soooooo nice, didn’t shower for 5 days or so 🥰

Now chilling on the balcony with a beer, baguette with blue cheese and salami. Yum yum yum. So nice. The view is really cool, only bit annoying with the one barking dog that just doesn’t stop. Wondering why there are so many on the island locked up in cages? So sad.

Talked to my girlfriend on the phone in the evening for two hours, nice to not have to worry about battery!

Day #10: exploring Garajonay

Distance: 12.5km • Elevation: ↑640m ↓640m

Woke up rather early, around 07:00.

The bed was okayish, not super comfortable. Was lying in some kind of hole, have a bit of back pain. Not nice 😅

Got up, showered, and made myself some instant noodles with paprika and peanuts for breakfast. Actually nice.

Doubted between going to the highest peak or taking a real rest day, but I’m going for it. Think it’s nice to not have to go up the mountain again after I’m finished with the GR132.

The way up is very steep, and suddenly started to rain harddddd. Took shelter under a palm tree 🌴

Very cool view of the barranco, very mystical with its clouds.

Hiked up and up and up until I got to the highest peak of the island!

Unfortunately, no view, just clouds, but still cool and feeling accomplished. Crazy that yesterday morning I was at sea level and that my legs brought me here.

The walk from the peak down was really nice, almost like walking through a jungle (maybe it is?).

So nice and lush green; the sun also started to peak through sometimes.

Got the first view of Roque de Agando. Just cleared up, so cool. Sat down behind a building out of the wind and ate some snacks while enjoying the view. Could even see a rainbow on my left.

The path back to the hotel was really nice. Walked by a steep cliff quite long while enjoying the view, cool.

Then descended into a lush green barranco with not a soul there.

When I got back to Imada, I went to the bar across the street to eat something. Wasn’t super special but still nice; got goat cheese with a bun and a bocadillo with serrano ham and tomato. Could’ve had a bigger dish, but they didn’t really have something.

Was a cute cat there that came over to say hi.

In the evening, made myself some instant noodles in the hotel by lack of better food options nearby.

Then fixed my shoes (again!) and off to bed.

Day #11: Playa de Santiago

Distance: 14.2km • Elevation: ↑390m ↓1040m

Left the hotel and walked partly up the switchback road. Thought it’s nice to walk another road back to Alajeró. Very windy until I crossed the mountain to the other side.

Passed the 100 km marker. Already did more than that with my detour to Garajonay, but still a cool feeling. Can’t believe I got this far 😄

Hiked a bit of a boring road down to Playa de Santiago; could’ve maybe hiked better through the more difficult route in Barranco de Guarimiar.

Met Senne and Jesper from Denmark while eating ice cream. They were very interested in my adventure, they were considering doing the GR132 too on another holiday.

Did some swimming on the beach in the harbour, very nice calm water. Happy.

Got some things at the grocery store, including 6 liters of water again. So heavy 😅

Walked out of town by some resorts and a huge golf club. Weird.

Spotted Kay’s yellow/white van on Playa de Tapahuga! Walked down to say hi; he seemed very happy to see me and even remembered my name. Nice. Quickly talked about how the weather is on this side of the island, and he gave me the tip to camp on Playa del Medio.

Hiked over the mountain to Playa del Medio, and saw quite a big group of vans and maybe 15 tents or so.

Went down to see if I could maybe camp here too, but decided against it because it almost felt like a camping.

And it also looked like people permanently lived here in tents and caves. Bit of a hippie beach village 😅

So I pressed on and crossed another barranco, and another one.

Did some crazy elevation in a short time until it was very close to sunset and I found some flat terraces on a mountain with sea view 😄

It’s quite exposed, but found a spot where someone build a wall that blocks the wind well.

Wanted to cook some dinner, but dropped my lighter in the alcohol stove 😣

And my backup, a flint in my pocketknife didn’t work too for some reason. Made sparks but the spiritus just wouldn’t light.

Luckily, the lighter dried up, was nice and necessary to have a warm meal. Felt so hungry, tired, and somehow also cold.

The moon is so bright tonight.

Other nights it was pitch black, now it’s almost like there are streetlights on right above the tent. Crazy.

Day #12: Last day on trail

Distance: 15.4km • Elevation: ↑610m ↓840m

Woke up before sunrise without an alarm. Currently looking at sunrise from the tent; still quite windy outside of it.

Ate some breakfast, and took my time before packing up.

Ready for the last day of hiking, only 15 kilometres to go 🤩

Got treated to a cool rainbow right away! How cool.

Hiked through some barrancos, passed an abandoned village, and slowly hiked down.

Very windy up here, but very picturesque view of some beaches and Tenerife.

Discovered a cool cave home, took a break in front of it, and had a meal.

Got to Playa del Cabrito, where there is a small off-grid resort.

Filled up a bottle, and did some nice swimming. Chilled quite long, still have plenty of time to get back to San Sebastián.

Can’t believe I have less than 10km left! 🤩

I was surprised by the epic view of Barranco de Juan de Vera while hiking away from Playa del Cabrito. I didn’t expect much for these last few kilometers, but wow!

Hiked down into Barranco de la Guancha, which is also very pretty.

Chilled a bit at the beach there, and hiked up the very last mountain! 🤯

Arrived in San Sebastiaaaaan! Ecstatic, didn’t think I could make it. Grateful for my legs and knees holding up so well. Feel like I could conquer anything.

Booked myself something special for the next two nights; a sailing boat! ⛵

The owner, Caroline, bought it cheap in northern Norway, fixed it up, and sailed it over here without any previous sailing experience. How cool!

Really like it. It’s small but cozy.

(you can book the boat on Airbnb)

In the evening, lied down on the sofa with a beer and some cozy lights. Nice.

Still can’t believe I hiked the whole GR132 on La Gomera!

Really thought I might not make it before starting.

So proud 🤗

Day #13: Rest day

Today I just chilled hard 😋

Relaxed on the boat with my book and some coffees.

Went once into town to look at the festivities. Some kind of celebration going on in San Sebastián, nice atmosphere.

Rest of the day just relaxed, my legs deserved it!

Day #14: Leaving La Gomera

Time to leave La Gomera! 👋

Took the ferry at 12:00 towards Tenerife.

Still have 4 more days before I’m going back to rainy Germany.

Going to cruise around Tenerife with a rental car, and sleep at the public campgrounds.

Curious how that will be! 🤗

Afterthoughts

What an epic adventure! 😄

I’m soooo happy I chose to hike the GR132.

I also ended up hiking much further than I thought.

• Total distance hiked: 160.41km
• Total elevation gain: 7620m
• Total elevation loss: 7620m

It was challenging without being frustrating.

Views were absolutely incredible, and much nicer than any picture or video could capture.

The weather was really nice, and it only rained once for a bit.

Locals and other hikers were all so nice.

And wild camping felt very safe and accepted.

Loved it 🤗

Quick learnings

Here is a list of things I learned during the hike, mostly about gear and thru-hiking itself.

• Got a lightning adapter to charge my iPhone with a regular usb-c to usb-c cable, but the adapter broke halfway the hike. Luckily I had a spare. Should just bring a dedicated cable, and maybe even a spare.
• I could manage with a 10.000 mAh powerbank, but for trips longer than a week 20.000 mAh would give me a bit more peace of mind and the possibility to listen to podcasts in the evening.
• It took rather long to charge electronics during lunch in restaurants, I would only gain maybe 50% on my phone battery. Faster charger would be helpful.
• Keeping my phone on during the night for just the alarm drained the battery 10-15% each night. Maybe a cheap watch to set an alarm would be better. Bigger powerbank would fix this too.
• Guylines damaged quickly by using the big rock little rock method with the volcanic rock, had just enough spare cord with me. Should replace every cord of every stuff sack with guyline and make a double clothes line of guyline inside the tent, that should give me enough spare cord for whatever trip.
• It was too bad I didn’t have a small tripod or something to take pictures of myself, now only have selfies and a couple of pictures that people took of me.
• Loved the laundry line in the tent. Very handy for drying clothes, and my mini flashlight hangs nicely from it.
• Toothpaste pills should go in a small container, not in a ziplock. They get crushed.
• Ziplock for ditty bag is too fragile, and punctures too quickly. Want something more solid to keep it waterproof because it doesn’t go into the packliner.
• Inner pocket in rain jacket would be nice for heavy rain. Phone is waterproof but can’t charge it for several hours when port gets wet.
• Replacing the standard lines with longer ones on the Durston X-Mid tent was a good decision, needed the extra length almost every night for the big rock little rock method.
• Wearing socks that cover your ankles when wearing trail runners might prevent some nasty scratches from sharp volcanic rocks.
• Loved the electrolytes with magnesium that I took in the evening. Don’t know if that was it but I never felt sore in the morning.
• Want a short pencil to write with (not a pen, those can leak).
• Swimming shorts were not stretchy enough for hiking.
• Head pillow can also be used on the beach or in the plane.
• One night I accidentally made my lighter wet, and it was impossible the light the alcohol stove with my pocket knife flint. Something with the alcohol they have here? Worked at home no problem when I practised.
• Some kind of bottle cap for better stream to clean wounds would be nice. Just a regular bottle opening uses too much water, and isn’t very effective.
• Should pack more alcohol pads for longer trips in first aid kit, used those up quickly.
• I had so many wounds on my fingers from moving volcanic rocks around camp, would almost be worth it to have some thin gloves. Would also be nice for higher altitudes where it might be cold.
• I didn’t miss a beach towel too much because it was mostly pebble beaches, but think it’s worth the weight if I hike somewhere with sandy beaches.
• Should always check weather and wind direction for the night, and even then prepare for the wind to suddenly come from the opposite direction.
• Originally my tent should be used with the trekking pole tips up but I like it better when the handles are up. When there was heavy wind, they moved so I should have something to keep them in place.
• When a stake is stuck I should use another stake as vertical leverage to get it out. Bended a stake because I tried to wiggle it out with a rock, lol.
• I tried not to waste food, but it was hard when resupplying at supermarkets because they only sold big packages and bottles of things. Could for example only find 1kg of oats and 1 liter of spiritus. I put leftovers next to a bin in the hope that someone would take it. But it was maybe only a problem because I already had so much water to carry, otherwise I could’ve just carried more food.
• First two days felt somehow the hardest. Probably had to get used to sleeping in a tent, but maybe it also wasn’t smart to catch an early flight, have a long travel day, and jump into the hiking adventure right away.
• Short bamboo toothbrush wasn’t comfortable to hold because of the round handle. Just buy regular bamboo toothbrush and make it short enough so it fits ziplock.

Trip cost

I thought it might be interesting to track how much this trip has cost me, so you can budget for your own thru-hike 🙂

• Return flights with luggage: €131,17
• Return ferry: €76,79
• Public transportation from/to airport: €6,40
• Accommodation for 6 nights: €349,48
• Wild camping for 7 nights: €0
• Restaurants/bars: €101,20
• Shops/supermarkets: €106,43

So in total, I spent €771,47 during 13 days on La Gomera, which I think is very reasonable if you consider that it includes getting there and back.

You could do it cheaper if you spend more nights in the tent, share the accommodation with someone, or spend less time on the island.

I went for another 4 days to Tenerife after La Gomera, which I didn’t include in the total above.

Recommendations for future hikers

Here’s some tips to make your experience hiking the GR132 even better.

• I usually only carried food for two days, and was able to stock up on groceries in the supermarkets on the island. The supermarkets are usually small, but have all the basics.
• While wild camping is technically illegal everywhere in Spain, I felt like wild camping is tolerated on La Gomera. I told many locals and hikers that I had a tent with me, and everyone seemed very positive en encouraging about it. Just don’t do it in the national park, stay away from villages, be extremely careful with fire, and leave no trace.
• Tent stakes are often useless on the rocky surface, but you can use the big rock little rock method with all the volcanic rocks that are lying around. I used a trekking pole tent and was fine.
• It rained only once, but I was still happy that I carried a rain jacket because it was such a great windbreaker.
• I only used 6 water purification tablets in total, so I think it was a good choice to leave the water filter at home because there wasn’t enough water to filter. But I was very happy with those purification tablets in those few cases, so be sure to bring those.
• Don’t worry about finding camp spots. There are plenty of flat spots because there are so many terraces on the island that were used for agriculture, and the island is so thinly populated that it’s always easy to get away from towns and people.
• It feels much hotter in the south of the island than it actually is. Make sure to carry enough water, especially between Valle Gran Rey and La Dama. I’ve heard stories of people who almost died because they ran out of water. I carried 6 liters there which included one night camping, and it was only just enough.
• A good weather app to tell you where the wind is coming from, and how strong it will be throughout the night, is very valuable. This will help you to find a safe spot out of the wind so you can sleep well. I recommend the free Meteoblue app.
• Making any kind of fire is extremely dangerous on La Gomera because everything is so dry. I used a spill proof alcohol stove, but was always very careful to put it on a big rock and remove dry grass nearby.
• In most places you can pay by card, but not everywhere. Make sure to have a bit of cash.
• The trail is well marked, but there were plenty of instances where I still needed to check the map.
• The Ferryhopper app is great to skip lines at the ticket offices of Naviera Armas and Fred Olsen. In some cases the price is better too.

And some recommendations regarding routes and variants:

• Instead of the dirt road that covers a big part between San Sebastián and Santa Catalina, you could consider taking the alternative trail that takes you over Enchereda peak.
• I was really happy with my detour from Alajeró to Imada from where I followed circular route 19 which passed the highest peak of the island, and goes through a bit of the national park. Stunning.
• If you go to Imada, consider hiking through Barranco de Guarimiar/Barrnaco de Santiago to the coast. Think it will be much nicer than the dirt road between Alajeró and Playa de Santiago.

Over to you

I had an absolute brilliant time on La Gomera, what an epic adventure 🤩

Now, tell me, are you planning to thru-hike the GR132 on La Gomera yourself? 😄

Or are you just on this page to gloat about my silly adventures? Hehe.

Whatever it is, let me know in the comments below. I’d appreciate it 🤗