Laurel forest

I didn't go to the laurel forest much this time, because this time I was here on a workation and not on vacation.

So I didn't hike in the laurel forest very much, only now and then. But I did drive through the laurel forest a lot. Serpentines back and forth, criss-cross, for hours all over the island. Not just on excursions, but also when I picked up my visitors from the ferry or brought them back to the ferry.

The laurel forest and the cloud forest here are something very special and really create a magical feeling.

The La Gomera laurel forest is located in the Garajonay National Park. Over half of the laurel in the Canaries is found here.

It is a forest that is not only made up of laurels, but of plants from different families whose leaves resemble those of the laurel and turn reddish. There are also linden trees, which have a preference for very humid valleys with predominant fog.

There are up to five different species of laurel there. They grow to over 30 metres tall. In the wetter valleys facing north you can find lilies of the valley with vines and brick trees. On the wetter slopes there is also the laurel forest, which is mainly made up of loro, faya and aceviño. On the peaks, where the influence of the trade wind fog is greater, the enigmatic summit heaths appear, and on the south-facing slopes the fayal-brezal dominates.

There are autochthonous and endemic island species. The wild orange tree, the Macaronesian cedar and the Barbusano stand out.

There is also a wide variety of lichens, fungi and mosses, where a diverse fauna has been preserved with numerous invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Among the great wealth of birdlife, the endemic laurels stand out.

The jungle atmosphere is created by the meter-long lianas that hang from the trees. The laurel trees are mainly found on steep slopes and enclose the highest mountain on the island, Alto de Garajonay.

The area of ​​the national park has been protected since 1981 and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. What luck! 😍En savoir plus