El Hierro - a Diving Delight in the Canary Islands

El Hierro

El Hierro  is one of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands is an an archipelago of 13 islands, located to the south of the Iberian Peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. They are south-west of Spain and north-west of Africa, and directly in front of the coast of Morocco. Seven islands are quite large in size. The Canary Islands stretch for 450 km, occupying a total area of ​​approximately 7,500 square km.

El Hierro 

El Hierro measures less than 50 kilometres from one end to the other and is a haven of peace in the Atlantic Ocean. The island has the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation, and is home to natural swimming pools and crystal clear waters, ideal for swimming and scuba diving, as well as huge areas of protected woodland in the inland area. El Hierro is outstanding for its diversity. It has almost 100 kilometres of rugged, cliff-lined coastline, with coves and lagoons such as Charco Manso, in the north, and Charco Azul, in the southwest.

El Hierro

The clear, deep waters to be found close to the coast make this island ideal for lovers of diving and snorkelling. There are diving centres and schools for beginners and experts in the sport, with organised outings to the best local dive sites.

This is also an excellent place for outdoor sports: paragliding, mountain biking, surfing, caving, hiking, adventure activities... The contrasts are reflected in the island's varied landscape. There are fertile fields and meadows, pine woods, subtropical vegetation and fascinating volcanic areas to be found inland.

El Hierro has the densest concentration of volcanoes of any of the Canary Islands, with more than 800. Some of these are outstanding for their beauty and size, as is the case with Don Justo Cave, which has over six kilometres of galleries.

El Hierro

El Hierro has good air and and sea communications. The airport is just a few kilometres from the island's capital, Valverde, and offers daily flights to and from Tenerife and Gran Canaria. In summer there are also usually direct flights to and from La Palma. There are also scheduled ferry services to and from Tenerife and La Gomera, sailing out of Puerto de la Estaca.

Regarding recent volcanic activity, according to the Spanish National Geographic Institute, there is currently no risk of volcanic or seismic activity on the island.

The Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are truly a paradise, consisting of 7 main islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera and Hierro) and six small islands (Alegransa, Grasiosa, Montaigne Clara, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste and Lobos ). Each island is different from other by peculiar landscapes that recreate the natural sites in all regions of the planet.

The Canary Islands

The inhabitants of the Canary Islands a pleasant and cheerful nature, and they are very fond of all sorts of holidays. On the island there are lots of traditional festivals, among which, without doubt, stand out the famous carnivals. A rare inhabitant is not preparing for a few months his carnival costume or not involved in street bands. Carnival is the center of Santa Cruz, whose streets during the holiday turned into a continuous stream of dance and masks, and where several days are not going down the music and lyrics. Carnival is held in February. By popular and favorite holidays in Tenerife are romerias, religious holidays patron saint of a city.

During the holidays you can see the procession of oxen-drawn carts in the original, listen to folk songs. Normally, all members of the holiday are dressed in national costumes. Corpus Christi is an another typical religious holiday, which is usually carried out in La Orotava. A distinctive feature of this holiday – beautiful, multicolored rugs made ​​from flowers.

In the central square you can admire the beauty of “tapestry” made ​​of special volcanic sand taken from the Las Kanadas del Teide. Interestingly the feast of St. Andrew, held on the night of November 29. This day is traditionally open wine cellars and taste the wine. And in cities such as La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz, the people, mostly young people, running around the streets with bundles of empty cans that are knocking on the cobbled streets and create a terrible noise. In the town of Icod young people ride on wooden boards along the steep streets.

The Canary Islands

Happy Islands (Las Islas Afortunadas), Champs Elysees (los Campos Eliseos), the garden of Hesperides (el Jardín de las Hespérides), Atlantis (la Atlántida) … these were the first names of the Canary Islands, found in Greek and Roman manuscripts. It was about an archipelago of volcanic origin, populated by aboriginal tribes Guanchez (guanches) – high, whites people inhabiting the rocky shores, caves and small settlements consisting of round houses. In 1496 this nation has shown great bravery and courage in the fight against joining the Castilian crown. At the same time the ships of Columbus made ​​a stop on the islands of Gran Canaria and Gomera before served in the New World.