This is a 1300 passenger 400 ft trimaran hulled boat, fifty thousand horsepower water jet propulsion, with a cruising speed of 38 knots, about 70 kph. Our tour bus came with us in the hull of the ferry.
The seas were on the beam so we had a some roll once we got into the open water. Chris felt a bit seasick so we stayed out on the open back deck where we could watch the horizon but it was very windy due to the speed of the boat.
We arrived in the port of San Sebastian which is also the major town on the island.
After disembarking the ferry, we boarded our bus and headed out on the noodle thin road for a tour of the island. We are in a full size bus which seems nuts! Here is the route we followed.
La Gomera is an island that really didn't develop until about 70 years ago when the port of San Sebastien installed the first pier. Prior to that, it was sparsley populated, mostly by subsistence farmers who used heavily terraced slopes to grow crops. Today it is a tourist destination and attracts a lot of hikers and adventure tourists.
Our first stop was an overlook of the harbour.
From here way made our way along the twisty road to the ex-port town of Hermigua. Not long ago, tour busses could not have travelled this road as the turns were too tight. Some tunnels were added in the 1990's that straightened out a few of the very treacherous bits. The vegetation on this part of the island is typical of a dry climate, scrub bushes and lots of cactus.
As we neared Hermiuga, you started to see more evidence of greenery and farming with terraced hills and areas of banana trees. This part of the island gets the most precipitation. The bus drove by a banana depot where they were preparing the bunches for shipment.
Leaving the town, we continued north and upward and stopped for a nice overview of the town and Tenerife in the distance across the sea.
The next stop was for lunch at Restaurante Las Rosas. A home cooked meal for a bus group but it was pretty good. The weird thing was that coffee cost extra but you could have unlimited wine with your meal. That would not be a good idea given the roads.
As we were finishing our meal, we were provided with a demonstration of the unique Gomeran whistling language, El Silbo. Handy in the past before mobile phones. It allowed short range communication within valleys and small towns.
From here on, the road got narrower. One bus width for a two-way. Here our driver is shooing an oncoming car into a pull out.
This part was a bit more challenging... concrete truck vs bus.
We arrived at Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with lush flora and fauna.
We had a chance to take a short walk through the mossy forest that gets a lot of its moisture from the mist of the clouds as they pass over the island.
Leaving the forest, we continued on and stopped at an overlook of a spectacular volcanic plug, the Roque de Agando.
We returned to San Sebastien and had some free time to wander the town. This was where Christopher Columbus stayed to do his final provisioning of his three ships on his voyage to the "new world".
The town has shaded plazas, sun bleached buildings and a pedestrian and somewhat bohemian flair.
We were supposed to have a tour of the Asuncion Church but there was a funeral in progress.
Unfortunately, the grounds around La Torre del Conde were closed and we couldn't tour it.
The ferry set sail at 5:30 pm and we were able to enjoy the sunset as we approached Los Cristianos.
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