La Restinga
La Restinga
During our stay at El Hierro we also spent 5 days in La Restinga. The village is located at the southern tip of the island, making it directly the southernmost point in Europe. For this, there is even an official landmark in the village in the port, pretty good spot for a fotoshoot. La Restinga is a small fishing village and is known for its laidback atmosphere. And the weather is wonderful almost all year round due to its convenient location. Read more about La Restinga and our lovely days in the village in this blog.
To be precise from March 26th until March 31st of 2021 we were in La Restinga. During our exploration of El Hierro in the weeks before, we had also been there for an afternoon. And we liked it so much that we decided to go there for a few days. It's been a wonderful few days.
La Restinga is a small village that developed in the ‘60s of the last century as a small fishing village. Fishermen mainly settled there, and to this day it has a strong fishing culture. There are many fishing boats, and there is a lively trade in the freshly caught fish.
In recent years, La Restinga has grown a bit due to tourism, at the moment about 500 people live in the village. There are quite a few holiday apartments and during the period that we were there it was even busy. Despite the covid situation, there were plenty of residents from other islands and the Spanish mainland for a short Easter break.
La Restinga
La Restinga is a small village on the southern tip of El Hierro with a laidback atmosphere
La Restinga is especially popular because of the beautiful weather. It is one of the sunniest places on the island and the temperature is pleasantly warm, even in winter. Then the temperature during the day is always around or even above 20 degrees celsius and that is not the case everywhere on El Hierro in the winter. It is also a great place for diving and snorkelling. The water around La Restinga is crystal clear blue and the flora and fauna in the sea are spectacular. The sea around is also called Mar de las Calmas, the calm sea. There are many opportunities to take a diving course, but many go diving or snorkelling themselves. You see many people in diving suits walking through the village.
Harbour
The harbour is cozy with small fisherboats and sailing boats and the occasional passing larger ship
Another fact that La Restinga is known for is that it is the last site of vulcanic activity in the Canary Islands. On October 11th of 2011, the village was evacuated due to the threat of an eruption just off the coast. Seismic activity had also been observed on and around the island in the preceding period. But after an increase in this activity and an eruption 2 km off the coast, it was decided to evacuate. At the height of the eruption, the water and lava bubbled more than 10 meters above sea level. A green 'spot' in the sea was clearly visible from La Restinga during the eruption. Seismic activity eventually continued until early March 2012, after which it was officially declared over. There are beautiful movies available online.
During our days in La Restinga we stayed at the pleasant Ablancas apartment, located on the harbor. It was a great base to spend a few days in and around the village. Shops, restaurants, the beach and the harbor are within walking distance so that is nice. The village has a small boulevard with a number of nice shops, bars / restaurants and terraces. One of the occasions where we regularly sat on the terrace was Mar las de Calmas. One day for a coffee, then for lunch or tapas, and otherwise for a nice glass of wine.
At the harbour
At the small boulevard at the harbour there are some nice bars, restaurants and shops
There is also a beach where you can enjoy the nice weather. Part of the beach consists of newly constructed platforms, where you can enjoy great recreation. There is also a small sandy beach (lava) on the west side where you can also relax. A few miles further west is Tacoron. It is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. The location and surroundings are indeed beautiful and the water is super blue, clear and nice for swimming. However, there is not a real beach but a number of good platforms and rocks where you can spend a good few hours. Normally there is also a kiosk with drinks, ice cream and snacks but it was closed when we were there.
From La Restinga you can also take beautiful hikes in the area. If you drive about 15 km back to the north you will arrive in the area of El Pinar. It lies towards 1000m altitude and there you can walk in the woods, around El Pinar there are several official hiking trails. But you can also just walk from La Restinga itself. Then you actually walk straight into the vulcanic landscape from sea level. That is a bit of climbing, but very doable, it is not too steep. We recommend doing this at sunrise, then you can see the sunrise behind you. And the sun colors the vulcanic landscape with magical colors. Another option is to hike west towards Tacoron. Then you eventually walk towards the El Julan area on the south coast. This is also highly recommended with sunrise. The vulcanic hills slowly come to lie in the sun, a really beautiful sight.
Tacoron
The beach of Tacoron is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and definitely worth a visit
If you are on El Hierro longer and have a few days to spare, we definitely recommend going to La Restinga. It is still an authentic and pleasant village. Tourists are coming, but mass tourism has certainly not hit yet. And that creates a very relaxed and warm atmosphere, and not only because of the temperature. When we were there we also heard that there are people who arrive, settle down and never leave. We could well imagine that, but it is still a bit too early for us. But we will definitely come back.
Look for more photo material and information about La Restinga on our Instagram posts and on our Polarsteps page!
Ella & Geert.