An underrated Canary Island attracts hardly any visitors as it is constantly forgotten due to the overwhelming popularity of nearby Tenerife and Lanzarote.
The Canaries offer some of the best weather, cuisine and culture around – making it hugely popular with British tourists and expats.
More than five million tourists flock to the islands every year and as such many of the restaurants and bars are rammed throughout the season. Such is the scale of the crowds during the height of the summer, a break in the Canaries can feel like more of a challenge than a restful vacation.
However, there is a way of escaping to the Canaries without having to contend with the throngs of Brits abroad. El Hierro.
Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria are all well-known to holidaymakers, but the most southerly of the islands is a path far less trodden. As a result, El Hierro retains much of its authentic Spanish charm and the restaurants and bars are far less busy.
Timon van Basten, a Dutch tour guide in Spain and founder of Spain Travel 24, told Euronews that the island “has an end-of-the-world vibe with lava flows, volcanic craters, and lush cliffs plunging into the Atlantic”.
He added that renting a car was a great way to explore the island, although he noted that it was best to “explore at your own pace, with quaint towns, secluded beaches, and tranquil hiking trails to discover.”
El Hierro is blessed with “forests, cliffs and waves”, as well as El Golfo lake, which formed in an old volcano crater.
The temperatures in El Hierro are unsurprisingly toasty all year round.
Even in January, the average temperature is an ever-so-mild 18C and by the height of summer, the mercury rockets to an average of 25C in September.
Those that have sunned themselves in El Hierro have raved about the time they had.
One traveller took to Tripadvisor to say of the island’s famous Mirador de la Pena viewing spot: “The place where you can have a cup of coffee while enjoying the breathtaking scenery of El Hierro Island from a bird’s eye view.”
Another said: “We stopped here on our hiking day for a lunch and it was a pleasure to be the only visitors having our meal with great views. We tried local soup and remained amazed.
“The building itself is great and kind of hanging on the rocks.”
