| El Hierro | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Spain |
|---|---|
| Region | Canary Islands |
| Surface | 278 km² |
| Inhabitants | 10.753 (2008) |
| Tourism site | |
| Institutional website | |
El Hierro is the smallest of the Canary Islands considered a heritage byUNESCO.
To know
El Hierro, being somewhat isolated from the mainland, is home to many unique species, one for all the giant El Hierro lizard.
It was explored by King Juba XI of Mauritania and by Pliny the Elder. The latter refers to the island with the name of Capraria.
Geographical notes
The island is located in the extreme southwestern corner of thearchipelago, west of La Gomera and south of The Palm
The territory is mainly mountainous and the highest peak is Pico de Malpaso with over 1,500 m.
Background
Christopher Columbus made a stopover there during his first voyage into the unknown which would lead him to disembark at Bahamas. At that time, in fact, El Hierro was, together with Azores, the last known land beyond the Pillars of Hercules.
Territories and tourist destinations
El Hierro: full screen map.Urban centers
- Pozo de las Calcosas - A lonely village on a rocky and ungreened stretch of coast, Pozo de las Calcosas is a handful of characteristic lava stone houses. It can be reached via a 5 km track that branches off from the Valverde-Monacal road
- Tamaduste - Village on a small bay adjacent to the airport runway and with a black sand beach.
- Valverde - Valverde is on a hill overlooking the north-eastern coast of "El Hierro".
Eastern side
- Las Playas (Punta Bonanza)
- Puerto de La Estaca - The seaport of Valverde (8 km) where the ferries from the other islands of thearchipelago.
- Puerto de La Restinga - Seaside resort in the extreme south of the east coast, Puerto de La Restinga boasts beautiful seabeds, nine scuba diving centers operate there.
- Timijiraque - Tiny coastal village south of Puerto Estaca, Timijiraque is at the center of a protected area.
Other destinations
The western side of the island of Hierro is characterized by a large bay, called El Golfo which constitutes the emerged part of an ancient crater. It can be reached from the capital passing through Frontera a large rural village in the center of a wine region. Among the beaches of the "Gulf" the best known are:
- Charco Azul - A stretch of coastline with caves and natural brackish water pools.
How to get
By plane
It is served by a small airport (Hierro airport[link previously not working]), located in the capital where flights from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria) carried out by airlines Binter Canarias
It is served by a port in Puerto de La Estaca, from which ferries depart:
- Fred Olsen operates a ferry service from Tenerife (Los Cristianos) with an intermediate stopover in La Gomera
- Naviera Armas makes maritime connections with The Palm, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote
How to get around
By car
Car rental agencies operating in El Hierro are listed below:
- Cicar, El Hierro airport, ☎ 34 922 55 15 39.
- Cabrera Medina, El Hierro airport, ☎ 34 922 55 15 39. .
