La Gomera
Garajonay National Park shelters one of Europe's last humid laurel forests, UNESCO-listed. Columbus stopped here before crossing the Atlantic. The Silbo Gomero, a whistled language, is intangible world heritage.
La Gomera is Columbus's island — it was from San Sebastián that he set sail to cross the Atlantic in 1492. This historical connection gives the stopover a particular resonance for sailors who are themselves about to navigate these same waters.
Garajonay National Park covers the island's centre in humid laurel forest — ancient vegetation, UNESCO-listed, that contrasts sharply with the aridity of the eastern islands. The Silbo Gomero, a whistled language used to communicate between valleys, is inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The Valle Gran Rey anchorage, below black cliffs plunging into the sea, is one of the archipelago's most beautiful. An evening arrival, with the sun turning the cliffs red, stays in memory for a long time.
San Sebastián · Historic stopover · Authentic anchorages
Tenerife
El Teide (3,718m) dominates the entire island and occasionally wears a snow cap. The wild, misty Anaga forest to the north contrasts dramatically with black-sand beaches in the south.
A continent in miniatureGran Canaria
Radically different microclimates depending on altitude. The Maspalomas dunes sit alongside vertiginous gorges. Las Palmas offers a well-equipped marina and a lively waterfront.
The volcanic planetLanzarote
A landscape of black lava and volcanic cones transformed by artist César Manrique. Timanfaya National Park and the Jameos del Agua rank among Europe's most singular natural sites.
Does this island call you?
Book your berth and join this offshore sailing course.
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