Hierro Attractions
Hierro, the most westerly of the Canaries, lies 130km/80mi from Tenerife. As a holiday place it is still the preserve of a few individualists.
Topography
At first sight Hierro, surrounded by cliffs up to 1,000m/3,300ft high, with only a few small beaches, looks distinctly inhospitable. The center of the island is occupied by an upland region with Mt Malpaso (1,500m/4,920ft) as its highest peak. This area and the lower country on the north side of the island offer the most favorable conditions for settlement and agriculture.
Topography
At first sight Hierro, surrounded by cliffs up to 1,000m/3,300ft high, with only a few small beaches, looks distinctly inhospitable. The center of the island is occupied by an upland region with Mt Malpaso (1,500m/4,920ft) as its highest peak. This area and the lower country on the north side of the island offer the most favorable conditions for settlement and agriculture.
El Golfo
From the Mirador de la Peña there is an extensive view over the bay of El Golfo on the northwest coast. Below the sheer rock faces is a fertile plain.
La Punta de Orchillas
La Punta de Orchillas, the most western part of Hierros, is the site where Ptolemy fixed the first meridian.
A lighthouse at the tip guides ships along the route that Columbus followed.
A lighthouse at the tip guides ships along the route that Columbus followed.
La Restinga, Spain
The southern village of La Restinga is an ideal site for underwater fishing as well as traditional surface fishing.
Puerto Estaca, Spain
A few kilometers southeast of Valverde is the island's port, Puerto Estaca. Until the beginning of the 20th century passengers and goods had to be brought to land in small boats: hence the name of the town, from the mooring-pole (estaca) to which the fishermen tied the boats. It was only after King Alfonso suffered an involuntary dunking during transshipment in 1906 that it was resolved to build a pier. On the way to Valverde is an access road to the Parador Nacional El Hierro.
Valverde, Spain
Valverde, the chief place on Hierro, still justifies its name (''Green Valley''), being surrounded by numbers of small fruit orchards, fields of vegetables and flower gardens. It has an 18th century church and two small museums.
