Points of interest
Set in the central peaks of La Gomera, covering an area of 3,984 hectares, the Garajonay National Park is named after an ancient legend. This tells the tale of two young lovers: Gara and Jonay. Jonay came to the island from Tenerife on two goatskin balloons. After Gara’s parents had rejected Jonay as a fiancé for their daughter, the two young lovers fled up into the mountains. Once there, and each one carrying a sharpened stake, they killed each other in a final deadly embrace. The mountain where this legend was played out has come to be known as Garajonay ever since, and it was later used as a name for the National Park too.
The main feature of this Park is the lush vegetation. For much of the year, the mountain peaks are wrapped in a dense layer of clouds, providing this magnificent jungle with the moisture it needs to survive. The range of plant species that make up the forest ecosystem as a whole, is known as laurel forest
The sea of clouds, or horizontal rain, plays a role of paramount importance in recharging the island’s water resources. The drops that accumulate on the leaves turn into small rivulets of water as they fall to the ground. These filter down through the basaltic rock of the sub-soil into artesian wells that will channel the water to the more arid areas of La Gomera.