Things to see in El Hierro, in short: the seabed at La Restinga, El Golfo from the Mirador de la Peña, the juniper trees of La Dehesa and a handful of natural lava pools. It's the westernmost and southernmost of the Canary Islands, with about 12,000 inhabitants and fewer than 9,000 hotel guests from outside the islands in a whole year.
It suits divers, walkers and anyone looking for silence. Don't choose it if you want an organised excursion every day or nightlife: almost everything is done independently and by car. It has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2000 and a Geopark since 2014.
Things to see in El Hierro: the essentials
The island is about 50 km from north to south and rises to 1,501 m at Pico de Malpaso: short distances on the map, slow ones on the road.
El Golfo and the north
- Mirador de la Peña (Guarazoca, 645 m). A work by César Manrique (1989) and a listed Site of Cultural Interest, with a restaurant (09:00–22:30). From the top you see the Roques de Salmor and El Golfo, an amphitheatre 15 km wide with walls of up to 1.5 km, left by a gigantic landslide; below are La Frontera and the best natural pools.
- Ecomuseo de Guinea and Lagartario (Las Puntas, Frontera). A guided visit of about two hours: a lava tube of about 90 m, a hamlet with houses from different centuries and the breeding centre for the El Hierro giant lizard (Gallotia simonyi), one of the most endangered reptiles in Europe. Entry is by guided tour only; tours usually start at 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 14:30 and 15:30 (confirm on 922 555 056).
- Árbol Garoé (near San Andrés). The sacred tree of the Bimbaches, the island's original inhabitants, which "milks" the mist; a small centre explains this horizontal rain. The original fell in a storm in the 17th century and the current one was planted in the mid-20th.
- Hotel Puntagrande (Las Puntas). An 1884 customs warehouse that for years was listed as the smallest hotel in the world; today it has more rooms.
Prices according to third parties, not official: Ecomuseo with Lagartario, about €9.50; Garoé, €2.50; a "tourist passport" for all the Cabildo's (island council's) centres, €17.95, on sale at the centres and at the airport. Confirm at the ticket desk.
The west: junipers, a lighthouse and a meridian
- El Sabinar (La Dehesa). Juniper trees bent almost to the ground by the trade winds. The walk is short and easy; stay on the path, as some trees are fenced off.
- Faro de Orchilla (El Pinar). The prime meridian ran through here before Greenwich replaced it in 1884. You get there by car, and at night it's a good spot for stargazing; La Frontera is a Starlight Tourist Destination. More in stargazing in the Canary Islands.
The south: La Restinga and the underwater volcano
La Restinga is the fishing village at the island's southern tip and its diving capital. Offshore lies the Punta de La Restinga – Mar de las Calmas Marine Reserve, created in 1996, where only small-scale traditional fishing is allowed. This sea saw the island's last eruption, an underwater one, from October 2011 to March 2012: the Tagoro volcano, whose summit lies about 88 m below the surface. It can't be visited; the Geopark Visitor Centre, on the road to La Restinga, recreates the eruption. More in volcanoes of the Canary Islands.
Natural pools
None has a lifeguard: check the sea conditions before you go.
- La Maceta (El Golfo): the main one in the area, several pools and a large car park. Best at low tide.
- Charco Azul (El Golfo): lava pools with wooden platforms; best at mid tide, and take care if there's a swell.
- Pozo de las Calcosas (El Mocanal): a hamlet of stone houses with thatched roofs below a cliff, and two pools. You leave the car up top, next to two restaurants, and walk down.
- Tamaduste: a sheltered inlet with calm water all year and adapted access; the calmest for children.
Camino de Jinama
One of the oldest paths on the island: it drops from the Mirador de Jinama (about 1,230 m) down to La Frontera, with no facilities; take water and arrange your way back. More routes in hiking in the Canary Islands.
- 1Puerto de La EstacaportDirections ↗
- 2ValverdetownDirections ↗
- 3Árbol GaroésightDirections ↗
- 4Mirador de La PeñasightDirections ↗
- 5Ecomuseo de GuineasightDirections ↗
- 6La MacetabeachDirections ↗
- 7El Sabinarnature areaDirections ↗
- 8Faro de OrchillasightDirections ↗
- 9La RestingaportDirections ↗
- 10TamadustebeachDirections ↗
Diving in El Hierro: La Restinga
Diving is the main reason to come: visibility of up to 50 m, water between 18 and 25 °C and more than ten dive sites, with El Bajón (an underwater pinnacle) as the star, the Baja Bocarones wall and night dives in the harbour. Turtles, tuna, rays, groupers, barracuda and, occasionally, a whale shark, with no guarantees.
A try dive costs €65 from the shore and €85 from a boat at Buceo La Restinga, and from €75 at Buceo El Hierro. We compare it all in our review of the La Restinga dive centres; the other islands are in diving in the Canary Islands.
Gorona del Viento: the truth about "100% renewable"
Gorona del Viento, the wind-and-hydro power station that made the island famous, has been running since 2014: five wind turbines and hydraulic turbines that move water between two reservoirs. When wind or water run short, the Llanos Blancos diesel power station kicks in.
According to the company itself, in the last full year it covered 44% of the island's electricity (its best year was 56%) and the island ran on renewables alone for 1,049 hours, around 12% of the year. It varies by month: that year, June to September was between 58% and 71%, and in November it fell to 23%. In 2018 it managed 18 days in a row at 100%. So El Hierro is not a 100% renewable island. The power station can be visited on request (info@goronadelviento.es, 922 55 24 38; more information).
What to see in El Hierro in 2, 3 or 4 days
- 2 days: only if you fly in early. Day one, the north (Garoé, Mirador de la Peña, Ecomuseo, La Maceta); day two, La Restinga, El Sabinar and Orchilla.
- 3 days: a sensible pace, with swims in the pools and a sunset in the west.
- 4 or 5 days: add a try dive or two dives and the Camino de Jinama. If you're a serious diver, allow a week.
With kids: Tamaduste, the lizards at the Ecomuseo, El Sabinar and, from age 8, a try dive. At night: stars at Orchilla and La Frontera, or a night dive in La Restinga harbour.
Tours and activities you can book
There's very little to book online in El Hierro. On GetYourGuide you'll find barely a couple of products, both in La Restinga; Civitatis has five (try dive, whale watching, snorkelling boat, free walking tour of Valverde and transfers). Everything else is booked directly.
Our pick
1
Try dive in La Restinga
The activity that justifies the trip, rated 4.9 from 20 reviews. Check the listing for which dive centre runs it and whether it's from the shore or a boat.
2
Boat trip from La Restinga
To see the south coast without diving. No reviews yet: ask about the route before you pay.
See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026
The island's only two boats licensed for whale watching are based in Puerto de La Estaca, not in La Restinga. If you're offered a chance to "see whales", ask which harbour the boat leaves from.
How to get to El Hierro
By plane. The airport (VDE) is about 10 km from Valverde and only has inter-island flights: Binter from Tenerife North and Gran Canaria, and Canaryfly from Tenerife North. If you land at Tenerife South, transfer to Tenerife North or take the ferry from Los Cristianos. More in our Binter review.
By ferry. From Los Cristianos (south Tenerife) to Puerto de La Estaca, next to Valverde, in about 2 h 20. The route is run by Fred. Olsen and Baleària Canarias, which advertises daily sailings. Fares only appear in the ferry companies' search tools; third-party comparison sites show from about €41–51 each way. Fred. Olsen runs a free bus from Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos, bookable 48 h ahead. More combinations in Canary Islands island hopping and in our Fred. Olsen review.
If you're staying, arriving on a Monday or Friday gives you an extra half-day: on other days you dock in the afternoon or at night.
Getting around: you need a car
Hire a car. TransHierro has 12 routes that reach every village (line 4, Circunvalación Frontera, serves the Ecomuseo; line 5, the Garoé), but to string together viewpoints, pools and La Restinga in one day, the car wins. TransHierro also rents cars (922 551 175; taxis, 922 550 729). Taxi from the airport, official guide fares: to La Frontera, €28–30; to La Restinga (41 km, about 52 minutes), €48–52.
For a base, the three logical choices are Valverde (close to the port and airport), La Frontera / El Golfo (pools, Ecomuseo and Mirador de la Peña close at hand) and La Restinga (if your trip revolves around diving).
When to go: El Hierro weather
At the airport weather station, January highs are around 20.9 °C and lows 16.6 °C, the mildest winter nights on any Canary coast. August stays at 26.1 / 21.3 °C and September is the warmest month (26.5 / 21.7 °C). About 206 mm of rain falls a year, mostly from November to January, and in winter it's one of the cloudiest islands: 4.7 hours of sunshine a day in January.
The sea is among the warmest in the archipelago: about 19.6 °C in March and 24 °C in September and October, the best months for diving in warm water (see September).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 |
| Low °C | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
| Sea °C | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| Rainy days | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Hours of sun a day | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
Source: AEMET, climate normals (1981–2010) · sea temperature: seatemperature.info, ten-year average
The big festival is the Bajada de la Virgen de los Reyes, every four years from the first Saturday in July: 44 km on foot from the sanctuary at La Dehesa to Valverde. Before planning a trip around it, check that it falls that year. The island's feast day is 24 September.
Common mistakes
- Turning up at the Ecomuseo at 13:00. It's guided tours only, and none leaves between the 12:30 and the 14:30.
- Going to the Garoé in sandals. There are stone and mud steps, and you may not be allowed in without closed shoes.
- Swimming in the pools when there's a swell. There are no lifeguards; each pool has its own best tide.
If you're torn between this and another island, compare them in which Canary Island to choose.
Canary IslandsDiving & snorkellingfrom €22.50
Canary IslandsHikingfrom €32
Canary IslandsIsland ferries & flightsfrom €16Can you do a day trip to El Hierro from Tenerife?
Not by ferry: on Mondays and Fridays you'd have less than two hours on the island, and on other days the return boat leaves before the outbound one arrives. Only by plane, if the times line up.
How many days do you need for El Hierro?
Three days with a car is sensible to see the essentials. If you want to dive or walk the Camino de Jinama, allow four or five.
How much is a try dive in El Hierro?
Buceo La Restinga lists €65 from the shore and €85 from a boat; Buceo El Hierro, from €75. On GetYourGuide there's a try dive from €65.
Does El Hierro run on 100% renewable energy?
No. Gorona del Viento covered 44% of the electricity in the last full year, and the island ran on 100% renewables for about 1,049 hours, 12% of the year.
What is there to do in El Hierro with kids?
Swim at Tamaduste, which has calm water all year, see the giant lizards at the Ecomuseo de Guinea and walk through El Sabinar. From age 8 they can do a try dive.