Beaches of El Hierro
Playa del Verodal
At El Hierro you have the choice of both beaches and natural swimming pools. Sometimes both are even combined. For the small island that El Hierro is, there are relatively many possibilities to lie on the beach or enjoy a natural swimming pool. We were at El Hierro for two months, more than enough time to discover most of the possibilities. Read all about the beaches and natural pools on El Hierro and our visits in this blog.
El Hierro certainly has a number of beaches, which are lava beaches like on most Canary Islands. However, there are also many natural swimming pools by the sea. These are often not too deep pools built with vulcanic stone and built in such a way that they are filled with seawater by the tidal range. El Hierro has great opportunities for sunbathing and swimming in many places along the coast.
When it comes to ‘real’ beaches with a sandy strip, El Hierro has a few beaches. These are Playa del Verodal, Playa Timijiraque, Las Playas and Playa Arenas Blancas. We have been at all four and spent an afternoon at Playa del Verodal twice. Playa Timijiraque is located in the village of Timijiraque and has a nice sandy strip in the bay near the village. In addition, there are facilities to change. In itself it is a nice beach. Playa Arenas Blancas is a small strip off Arenas Blancas, at the very western tip of the island. The location is fantastic, they tried to ‘create’ a beach with sand, but really lying down is difficult and there are no facilities. At Las Playas there are a number of rocky strips with sometimes some sand. We went there for two hours once, but would recommend going to a different and nicer beach.
In our experience, the only really beautiful ‘real’ beach experience on El Hierro is Playa del Verodal and we also found that the most beautiful beach in El Hierro. It is at the end of an unpaved side road from the HI-500 that runs from the north coast through the west coast towards Punta de la Orchilla. This unpaved road of over one kilometer is slightly rocky and has some bumps and potholes but is more than worth the drive to get to Playa del Verodal.
Playa del Verodal
In our experience this is the most beautiful beach on El Hierro
When you arrive at the beach, there are plenty of parking spaces. It is also great to drive here with a not too large camper or campervan. It is an official parking lot, so you are allowed to stand here. From the parking lot you walk about 100 meters to the beach. It is still a bit downhill but fine to walk past the picnic area with tables and shade. The beach itself is spacious in both length and width and is made of black-red lava sand. That’s because it lies between the vulcanic rocks which are also black and red in color. When you are on the beach you look west so if you are in the afternoon and the sun is shining it is ideal circumstances. And the sunset here is fabulously beautiful. If you are lying or sitting on the beach and you look behind you and next to you then you only see steep vulcanic rock. And these really take on the most beautiful colors at sunset. The times we were there hardly anyone else was there and that made the visits extra special. Such a beautiful beach almost to yourself is great. When the currents and waves are not too strong, you can also take a nice dip at Playa Verodal, but always stay alert. It is and will remain the Atlantic Ocean and the current can be dangerous. Playa del Verodal is by far the most beautiful beach in El Hierro in our experience.
Playa de Tacoron
Playa de Tacoron is also really beautiful but lacks a sandstrip area
Besides Playa del Verodal, Playa de Tacoron is also seen as one of the most beautiful beaches on El Hierro. That is absolutely true in terms of location and possibilities. But it lacks a real stretch of sand. That is unfortunate, but the location does not really make it possible, lots of rocks. Playa de Tacoron is more towards the southern tip and can be reached via the side road H-410 from the road HI-4 that goes from La Restinga to El Pinar. At Playa de Tacoron there are good parking possibilities, there is also a picnic area and even a kiosk selling ice cream, drinks and snacks. When we were there it was closed due to Covid. On Playa de Tacoron, as in several places on El Hierro, a number of wooden platforms have been built on which you can lie comfortably with your towel. These are spread over and between the vulcanic rocks. Steps have been built on a number of these platforms so that you can swim in the sea. If the water is not too rough then that is great and we did that too, although the water was really cold here. Although it does not have a real sandy beach, Playa de Tacoron is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sun and the sea in good weather.
Pozo de las Calcosas
The natural pool at Pozo de las Calcosas is really good for a swim
In addition to the beaches, El Hierro also has several locations where natural swimming pools have been constructed. We have already written about one of them in a separate blog and that is Pozo de las Calcosas on the north coast. Not far from here, a few kilometers to the west, is the Charco Manso. We have been here twice and the first time the sea was really rough and it was not possible and even dangerous to swim in the Charco. The waves then collapse into the swimming area and you can then be thrown against a rock. The second time the sea was a lot calmer and we had a wonderful swim in this beautiful natural pool. The Charco Manso can be reached by taking the road down to the coast from Echedo, where we also stayed for a week. Charco Manso is then automatically indicated several times.
Charco Manso
With rough seas swimming at Charco Manso is not recommended
In addition to these two pools on the north coast, there are also three of these pools on the north coast. Of these, Charco Azul is the most popular and it is also one of the most photographed locations on the island. The location is fantastic, the pools are wonderful in calm weather, but there are not many places where you can relax. When we got there, there was not really space and we went to what would become our favorite pool. During our period we ended up going to Playa La Maceta most of the times. Yes, they call it a Playa, and that is certainly allowed. But it is actually a large natural swimming pool with two concrete plateaus where you can lie down. Because the pool is spacious, you can usually also enter it when the sea is rougher, there is enough space to lie down and the sun actually always shines, we have been here most of the time. We then took our yoga mats with us to soften the lying on concrete. Put a towel on it and enjoy. And the pool is lovely, we even swam there in rough seas, the waves may be powerful but it is easy to do. We had wonderful afternoons there. You can also go to Charco de Sargos on the north coast, this also seems to be beautiful, but we have not been there.
Playa La Maceta
At Playa La Maceta the pools are really good to swim in, even with some rougher seas
On the east coast there is another natural swimming pool in La Caleta, the pools are a bit smaller than La Maceta but are also great to visit. And last but not least, La Restinga. Also look for more information about these facilities in the blog about La Restinga. In La Restinga the sun usually shines and the temperature is good, even in winter. And in addition to a small rocky beach on the west side, a few beautiful wooden platforms have recently been built in the harbor where you can lie comfortably and where there are stairs through which you can enter the water.
As you can read, El Hierro offers several great options for a day at the beach or a natural swimming pool. For example, if you are there for a week, we recommend Playa del Verodal or Playa La Maceta. If you are there longer, do not hesitate to visit some of the other options. And don't forget the sunscreen, food, drinks and good music! Then the party is complete.
For more photos and information about the beaches and natural pools of El Hierro, check out our Instagram posts and our Polarsteps page!
Ella & Geert.