Garajonay National Park, National park in La Gomera, Spain.
Garajonay National Park is a protected reserve on La Gomera covering nearly 4,000 hectares of laurel forests, fire trees, and diverse rock formations. The terrain rises between 790 and 1,400 meters in elevation, creating distinct ecological zones throughout the park's interior.
The Spanish government established Garajonay as a protected area in 1981, recognizing the ecological importance of this forest landscape. UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site in 1986, confirming its global significance as a unique natural area.
The dense valleys have shaped the development of silbo Gomero, a whistled language that locals historically used to communicate across mountain distances. This distinctive form of expression remains an important part of the island's cultural identity today.
The park features 18 marked hiking trails that connect different sections and offer varying levels of difficulty for visitors. A visitor center near the entrance helps with orientation and provides educational materials about the local ecosystems and geology.
The forest contains specimens of Laurus azorica and Laurus novocanariensis, species that once dominated Southern Europe millions of years ago. Walking through this subtropical ecosystem offers a glimpse into an ancient period of European nature before climate shifts transformed the continent.
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