Garajonay, a scenic World Heritage Site, makes Hermigua attractive to hikers and photographers alike. Waterfalls, a 210-meter elevation, historical spots, and rural settings are also just some of the fine ingredients that make this town a good journey-breaker for bus passengers of the San Sebastian-Vallehermoso route.
Highland spectacle
A highland town by Tenerife's coast, Hermigua is split into old and modern villages, each with centuries-old churches as focal points. Hermigua's first valley, Valle Alto, contains the original village that centers around the 16th century San Sebastian Church and Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, both built between 1515 and 1520. The convent has an ornately carved mudejar ceiling.
A reconstructed windmill, Molino de Gofio, is nearby the convent. The windmill is where the local gofio flour was once grounded. After touring the mill and its museum, visitors may taste gofio with a glass of sweet wine or try the local gofio dishes on the neighboring restaurant.
Downtown is the modern settlement, which revolves around the 17th century Iglesia de la Encarnacion. Around the town is Los Telares Museum, which displays locally-created handicrafts.
World Heritage Site
In the town's outskirts are a scenic cedar forest, El Cedro, and a beautiful waterfall, El Chorro. On the east is Parque Nacional de Garajonay, Garajonay or Mahona National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with rock formations, small plateaus, and subtropical forests that shelter many endemic invertebrates, plants, birds, and animals.
The park is known all over the Canaries for being one of the top places to watch two species of pigeons endemic to the country: the dark-grey Bolle's Pigeon and the pink-breasted Laurel Pigeon.
Garajonay actually comes from the combined names of Gara and Jonay, or the Romeo and Juliet of the Canaries who killed themselves after their king fathers opposed their marriage. The doomed lovers used to be royalties belonging to the Guanches, a prehistoric kingdom that ruled over the Canaries during the 10,000 to 100 BC.