| The
Canary Island El Hierro
 Facts
Size: 280 sqkm
Population:
ca. 10.000
Capital: Valverde (approx. 1850 Einwohner)
 El
Hierro
El Hierro History Temperatures Webcams Rent a Car El Hierro
 El Hierro, which was declared a biosphere reservation
by the UNESCO in the year 2000, is, with its 280 sqkm, the smallest of the Canary
Islands and is situated in the far south west of the archipelago. The distance
between north and south coast is approx. 24 km while it measures approx. 27 km
from the west to the east coast. The highest mountain is the ‘Pico de Malpaso’
with 1500m. With only 10.000 inhabitants and 1.000 guest beds the island maintained
its tranquil origin far away from mass tourism.
Here volcanic forces created
a bizarre landscape, which, despite being only small, couldn’t be more contrasting.
El Hierro is a paradise for hikers, mountain bikers, scuba divers and nature lovers,
who want to discover this breathtaking, beautiful island for themselves. Despite
its small size, El Hierro has a lot to offer: fissured, volcanic rock landscapes,
beautiful pine- and laurel forests, magnificent mountain formations, fascinating
scuba diving areas in the south and the west of the island, furtive fruit tree
plantations in the valley ‘El Golfo’, vineyards in the north western
parts and lovingly restored hotels and apartment resorts. If one can and wants
to spend a holiday without sandy beaches and action one will find peace, nature
and tranquillity on this island. El Hierro consists of steep, rocky coasts
with height differences of up to 1.000 m, partly inaccessible, partly with bathing-coves
and natural swimming pools. There are no natural sand beaches in El Hierro. More
than half of the island is protected area. If one crosses the island one will
be fascinated by the contrasting plant life. El Hierro has plenty of furtive
regions – the pine forests, which are considered to be some of the biggest
in the Canary Islands, the evergreen ‘Fog forest’ – but also large
magma fields. The differences in height are enormous. The highest mountain, the
‘Pico de Malpaso’ descends steeply into the ‘El Golfo’ valley
of which it is assumed to be the half of a volcanic crater fallen into the sea.
The island is considered to be one of the youngest volcanic islands of the archipelago
and probably developed 2-3 million years ago. Nowadays there are no active volcanos
left. The weather is dominated
by the mild northeast trade winds. The min temperatures in winter are rarely below
17°C and in summer the thermometer seldom raises above 24°C. There are
no poisonous animals in El Hierro. The variation of bird-, plant- and fish life
is unique.
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