FEBRUARY 22 - 28 - LA GOMERA - Isla Mágica (the magical island)

Backabush is heading back to the Canary Islands to visit La Gomera!

La Gomera is known as "the magical island" or "the Canary island that time forgot" because of its incredible natural beauty.

The second-smallest of the seven Canary Islands - nearly circular and only 25 kilometres across - La Gomera feels like the island that time forgot. It's still possible to drive through soaring ravines and sleepy mountain villages down to deserted rocky beaches without encountering a single traffic light. It is unquestionably the most unspoilt island of the Canary Islands, and is a walkers paradise. The landscape is characterized by rugged mountains, earth valleys and tropical misty forests.

La Gomera is also home to the National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site of La Garanjonay, a natural jewel in the Canary Islands archipelago. Here we can find species that are otherwise extinct in most destinations, dense forests, deep ravines and a prehistoric landscape that has been sculpted over millions of years.

The archipelago of the Canary Islands sit just off the coast of Africa and enjoy mild weather and sunshine throughout the winter months making them ideal for a hiking escape in February. There is a wealth of amazing hikes to explore.

The most practical plan would be to take any flight to Tenerife on Saturday 21 February and stay the night in Los Cristianos, the main port town on Tenerife's south coast. This is a popular beach resort with numerous accommodation options and it would be fun to gather for dinner and drinks in the evening. Our trip then officially starts when we take the morning ferry over to La Gomera. Whale sightings are common during this sea crossing.

We have the following room options:

Shared Twin Room - £669
Private Single Occupancy - £822

We will base ourselves for 6 nights in a delightful 3 star hotel in the lovely port town of San Sebastián de La Gomera. By arriving on the morning ferry we can then enjoy 6 days of spectacular hiking on La Gomera island.

Come and join us for some welcome winter sun and fun in La Gomera!

This trip does not involve technical mountaineering but the hikes on the islands can be quite challenging so you need to have a good level of hiking fitness. A head for heights is also necessary in the mountainous terrain.

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

• 6 nights accommodation.
• All breakfasts.
• An itinerary of organised hikes for our 6 hiking days.
• Ferry tickets to and from La Gomera.
• Two trip leaders.
• Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

• Packed lunches (we will pick up supplies at the supermarket).
• Dinners (the local restaurants are excellent).
• Transport on the island. Cars can be hired cheaply and costs can be shared between passengers. (We will help to organise this and make sure everyone has a seat in the hire cars)
• Flights.

Meeting Details:

The trip starts on the morning of Sunday 22 February with a ferry crossing to La Gomera so we must aim to arrive in Los Cristianos on Tenerife the day before at the latest. Therefore you must book your own accommodation for the night of Saturday 21 February. There are many accommodation options in Los Cristianos for all budgets and great places to dine out. Los Cristianos is only a short taxi ride from Tenerife South Airport.

Which Flights:

Outbound - There are daily departures on Saturday 21 February from London, Bristol, Birmingham or Manchester. A taxi to Los Cristianos will cost about 20€ euros so we can match people on various flights to share the cost.

Return - We would like to catch the 13.15 ferry from La Gomera to Tenerife (14.05 arrival time) on Saturday 28 February. This means that you will be able to get to Tenerife South Airport for around 15.00 at the earliest.

Any of these return flights would work on Saturday 28 February.

TFS - LHR 15.15 - 19.30 British Airways
TFS - LHR 17.50 - 22.05 British Airways
TFS - LTN 17.55 - 22.20 easyJet
TFS - GTW 19.05 - 23.25 easyJet
TFS - STN 19.05 - 23.25 Ryanair
TFS - LGW 19.20 - 23.35 British Airways

Alternatively, if you would like an earlier flight time, you could catch the 07.15am (08.05 arrival) ferry from La Gomera back to Tenerife. Of course it's also possible to enjoy another night on Tenerife and fly home at anytime on Sunday 1 March.

Please get in touch about your flights so we can book everyone on the correct ferry.

To confirm your place on this trip use internet banking. The account details are:

Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622

The following "terms and conditions" apply to all trip reservations:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/

Only payment secures your place. Your RSVP is not sufficient for us to hold a place for you. Please email backabushxplorers@yahoo.com as soon as you send payment (using "LAGOMERA" as your payment reference) so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks. :)

IMPORTANT NOTES

VISA: Please check with the Spanish embassy if you need a visa to travel to Tenerife. Spain is within the Shengen zone. It is your responsibility to obtain all necessary documents, including visa.