El Hierro, Spain

Elhierro

For centuries, the island of Hierro was considered a far-away mysterious place where the world seemed to end. This has encouraged an age-old isolation that has kept it tied to an agricultural economy and its ancestral traditions. The inhabitants live a very relaxed, unhurried way, in harmony with a landscape that provides a haven of tranquility throughout the island, where time seems to pass ever so slowly.

The belated discovery of the tourist possibilities of Hierro have kept the land free from the type of development generally associated with this area. This factor has encouraged realization of the enormous treasure there is in the purity and tranquility of the island, thus focusing tourism on the visitor wishing to flee from the hustle and bustle and worries of modern-day life "losing oneself at the end of the world". Some small lodgings have appeared scattered throughout the island, but there are no large tourist complexes. Most hotel accommodations can be found divided among the Tourist Parador at Las Playas, the capital Valverde and its coastal area, and the area of El Golfo, where we find Club Punta Grande, listed in the Guiness Book of Records as the smallest hotel in the world.

Hierro has an abrupt coastline, but there also are small coves and natural pools where the transparent waters are perfect for swimming and underwater exploration. The coastal towns of Timijiraque, La Caleta, and Tamaduste offer ideal conditions for enjoying the sea, particularly Tamaduste with its interesting natural lava pool opening onto the sea.

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