Bosque de Frontera (El Hierro Laurisilva Forest)
The laurisilva — the primeval laurel forest that once blanketed much of the Canary Islands and Macaronesia — survives in extraordinary density on El Hierro's northern slopes, accessible on trails that wind from the area around Valverde toward the high ridge. This is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve ecosystem that pre-dates the last ice age.
Walking Into a Prehistoric Landscape
The trees here — Canarian laurel, til, heath tree and Canarian holly — grow so densely that the canopy closes overhead, filtering light into a permanent green dusk. Mosses and ferns carpet every surface, and the air carries a cool, damp earthiness even in July.
The GR-131 long-distance trail and several shorter PR paths thread through the forest above Valverde. The route from the village of Echedo up into the laurisilva belt is one of the most rewarding half-day hikes on the island, with almost no other walkers on weekdays.
Wildlife and Wonder in the Canopy
El Hierro's forests are home to the endemic El Hierro giant lizard (Gallotia simonyi), one of the largest lizards in Europe, which was once thought extinct and is now the subject of a successful conservation programme. You are most likely to spot them on sun-warmed rocks at the forest edge.
The bird life is equally special: look and listen for the Bolle's pigeon and the laurel pigeon, two Macaronesian endemics that depend entirely on this type of forest and are rarely seen anywhere else in the world.
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